The Best Game Design Bootcamps
Have you ever wanted to develop a video game? The entertainment industry is thriving despite the COVID-19 pandemic of the past year. As a result, game design bootcamps have also been busy educating new game development professionals and sending them out to start their tech careers.
Attending a bootcamp is an important step if you want to turn your video game ideas into usable products. There are also many options for students who have some talent in technology, but want to learn more advanced techniques.
To help you get started in game design, we’ve put together a list of the 10 best game design bootcamps of 2021. Browse the list below to find out about course offerings, locations, and payment options.
What Is a Game Design Bootcamp?
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A game design bootcamp is a school that offers courses on the technology used to create video games and entertainment systems. These programs cover all the tools you’ll need to develop interactive gaming interfaces.
Unlike many universities, a bootcamp is a private institution where you can earn a certificate in less than six months. There are bootcamps available in all areas of tech. These tech training institutions have become popular because they offer students an affordable, fast way to land an entry-level job in a new industry.
The Top 10 Game Design Bootcamps of 2021
Not all bootcamps offer the same courses and benefits. Check our list below of the top 10 best game design bootcamp of 2021 to find the price and program you’re after.
- Cost: $7,995
- Locations: Denver, Online
- Programs types: Full-Time
DaVinci Coders is a coding bootcamp that offers small classes of 16 students or less. One of these is in game development.
This program includes classes on programming languages such as C# and Java. In addition, it covers the Unity game engine, 3D technology, Oculus Rift, and virtual reality. The instructors for this course are experienced experts in the games and entertainment industry.
DaVinci Coders Financing Options
DaVinci Coders has partnerships with leading student finance companies like Ascent Funding and Even Financial to help students pay for their bootcamp. Additionally, DaVinci Coders is a member of the Colorado Workforce Development Council, which sets aside federal money to pay tuition costs for select students.
Eleven Fifty Academy
- Cost: $0 – $18,000
- Locations: Indianapolis, Online
- Program types: Full-Time, Part-Time
Eleven Fifty Academy has 12- to 24-week programs for both beginners and those with professional technology experience. Most of the school’s courses cover basic coding languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SQL, and React.
Eleven Fifty Academy is a non-profit organization as well as a bootcamp, so some of its courses and events are free. Students with some experience in C# are eligible for the academy’s intensive Unity Engine game development course.
Eleven Fifty Academy Financing Options
This academy offers loans through companies such as Ascent Funding and Climb Credit. The school also has an ISA, partial scholarships, and accepts the GI Bill for veterans.
- Cost: $0
- Locations: Silicon Valley, Paris, Online
- Program: Full-Time
42 follows a revolutionary learning model. This school is free, has no teachers, and classes are entirely student-led. Students carry out their own coding and game design projects, including some in video game design.
The school offers many courses in game design, including theory and graphics. Students will practice by recreating old games, and will learn to build their own.
42 Financing Options
42 is a free bootcamp. Students do not have to pay any tuition and there are no entry requirements. However, it is mandatory to finish a 28-day intensive training.
- Cost: $950 – $15,950
- Locations: Adelaide, Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Brisbane, Buffalo, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Edinburgh, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Louisville, Manchester, Melbourne, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York, Paris, Phoenix, Raleigh, Saint Louis, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Sydney, Singapore, Toronto, Washington, Online
- Program Types: Full-Time, Part-Time
General Assembly is one of the largest bootcamps in the world, with campuses on four continents. This school offers 10-13 week courses in software and game development.
In the game development courses, students will learn to develop entertainment applications with 3D technology. The program also teaches all about user experience design so that students can create interactive and efficient platforms.
General Assembly Financing Options
General Assembly offers different financing options for its students. The bootcamp has a method called Catalyst Program, in which students pay back their tuition only after finishing their course and finding a job.
General Assembly has its own loan partners, and offers loans with 0 percent interest for 18 months. The bootcamp also allows employer sponsorship and accepts the GI Bill for veteran students.
Keep Coding
- Cost: $0
- Locations: Madrid, Online
- Programs: Full-Time, Part-Time
Keep Coding is a Spanish coding bootcamp that specializes in Python, web development, and application development. Its online courses last 10 weeks and cover game development for mobile and web applications.
Keep Coding Financing Options
Keep Coding courses are free. However, the school’s corporate vocational training courses cost between $36 to $362.
- Cost: $70,000
- Locations: San Francisco, Online
- Program types: Full-Time
Make School is a tech institution headquartered in San Francisco, California. Make School is unlike other bootcamps because it offers a 2.5-year Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science rather than short courses.
Within the bachelor’s program, students can choose the classes that interest them the most from a long list of course offerings. Make School offers classes such as 2D Mobile Game Development, Dynamic iOS Applications, and many others involving mobile app development.
Make School Financing Options
This school offers private loans through its partners. Make School also accepts scholarships offered by third parties.
It has an Extended Income-Based Repayment system in which students can receive a federal loan with a repayment plan that’s capped at 10 percent of their monthly income.
Playcrafting
- Cost: $2,000
- Locations: Boston, New York, San Francisco, Online
- Program types: Full-Time, Part-Time
Playcrafting is a bootcamp and game creation company. This institute holds events, workshops, and courses on game design. In its eight-week course on Unity, students will learn how to use C# and Unity to create prototypes of games and real projects.
Playcrafting offers a series of three- to five-day online courses related to video games, including Introduction to Pixel Art, Introduction to FMOD, and Introduction to Video Game Production.
Playcrafting Financing Options
Playcrafting courses must be paid for upfront. It does not provide any other tuition financing methods.
- Cost: $5,980 – $24,640
- Locations: Portland, Salt Lake City, Online
- Program types: Full-Time, Part-Time
The Tech Academy is an institution that specializes in coding and software development. It offers more than 20 programs for students interested in tech skills.
The game development program teaches students how to create game environments and animations, build levels, and add sound to their game. They will learn scripting languages such as Python, C #, C ++, and Lua. You can sign up for this program whenever you want, as there are no specific start dates.
The Tech Academy Financing Options
Some Tech Academy courses come with an income share agreement (ISA) plan, allowing students to pay tuition only after they land a job with an annual income equal to or greater than $33,000.
This bootcamp also has alliances with loan companies such as Supermoney, Affirm, and Climb. These loans can be paid back over time after students have graduated.
UXER School
- Cost: €850 – €4,500
- Locations: Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Online
- Program types: Full-Time, Part-Time
Spain-based UXER School is one of the largest and most popular UX Design schools in Europe, thanks to its range of short courses lasting between 8 and 12 weeks. Students can take classes in software development and interface design for video games and mobile applications.
These courses are for beginners and experienced students and can help you secure a job as a junior UX or UI video game designer after graduation.
UXER School Financing Options
UXER School offers an ISA via the Student Finance platform. This option allows students to pay their tuition after finishing their course and getting a job with a minimum salary of $15,700 per year.
Vertex School
- Cost: $2,997
- Locations: Online
- Program types: Part-Time
Vertex School specializes in 3D animation and game design. Over the 16-week courses, students will study industry standard game development tools. Courses include character design, 3D environments, and virtual reality.
The school’s Game Artist Program will turn students into game design professionals, with graduates moving on to jobs at major gaming companies like Epic Games, Naughty Dog, and CD Projekt.
Vertex School Financing Options
Vertex School has several financing plans, but details are only available to those who have already been accepted into the tech training institute.
Game Design Bootcamp Job Opportunities
Bootcamps have become a popular alternative to a college education, and game design is a particularly fast-growing field within tech.
If you’re a creative person who wants to learn quickly and jump straight into the gaming workforce, a bootcamp is a good choice. Below are some jobs you can get in the video game industry after graduating from one of the courses listed above.
Junior Game Developer
A junior game developer is in charge of supporting the expert developer in creating a game, testing the software, and verifying that it’s functioning as intended. This person will also be trained to develop test platforms for games.
Demand for qualified personnel to fill these roles is increasing, and a junior game developer now earns an average of $46,000 a year.
Game Designer
Game designers are responsible for creating new game concepts for their company. They transform their ideas into a playable project with the help of a team that outlines the game’s budget and development process.
Openings in this position are expected to increase by 11.59 percent each year. A game designer in the US can earn up to $130,000 per year.
Lead Game Designer
The lead game designer oversees the production of a game on behalf of the game design team.
The leader will approve the story and concept, as well as the colors, character development, environment, and the game’s functions. Together with their team, they will either approve a project or suggest changes. A lead game designer can also earn about $130,000 per year.
Why You Should Enroll in a Game Design Bootcamp
If you are creative and love video games, then a game design bootcamp might be a good way to further your career. These courses cost much less than college tuition, usually last less than 24 weeks, and can lead to a job immediately after graduation.
If you live near one of these bootcamps, you can attend classes in person, or join in online. A game design bootcamp is an opportunity to invest in your future and land a well-paid job at a video game company.
