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CGGD - Course Overview (still in development) The MU Computer Graphics and Game Development (CGGD) track in Computer Science combines courses in: computer science, physics, art, mathematics, and digital media to provide the student with a unique skill set for immediate employment in the entertainment technology and game development industry. The goal of this CGGD track is to foster the integration of fun and education in a research-intensive learning environment. The CCGD track at Millersville University is based upon the University of Pennsylvania's very successful Computer Graphics and Game Technology Program. Rationale: Computer generated, animated visual effects and interactive entertainment and are now part of our everyday culture. Sixty percent of all Americans older than the age of 6, or about 145 million people, currently play video games [Badler, UPENN]. This past year for the first time in history the annual gross sales of 3D games exceeded the annual gross sales of movie box office receipts. The total 3D game gross sales figure is expected to exceed $15 billion dollars this year. This trend and these statistics are too large to be ignored. Creating computer-generated imagery in either video games or special effects in movies or tv, however, is not a trivial task. It requires a combination of science and art by highly skilled software developers, artists, animators, writers, designers, and engineers with cutting-edge technology and software tools. Companies are now finding it difficult to hire students straight out of school with degrees in Computer Science, Engineering, or Fine Arts with the desired, combined skills. Over the past eight years, MU has developed a line of expertise in the area of: 3D graphics, virtual reality, software engineering, 3D modeling, and simulation. This expertise lends itself to improving the quality and expanding the scope of education and training in this exciting area. Goals: The MU Computer Graphics and Game Development (CGGD) program will broaden the delivery of education in entertainment technologies and game development by increasing the institutional capacity and infrastructure along with a creative and unique curriculum to demonstrate world-class education in these emerging hi-tech areas. We are also researching the ability to utilize the compelling nature of video games, i.e., the role-playing aspects, the competitive environments, and the simulation technologies to build better training and education applications, thereby making education itself more effective. In summary, it is crucial for today's Computer Science undergraduates to be exposed to new and emerging areas of technology, and experiment with them in a laboratory so that they may develop the skills necessary to compete in a sophisticated, global, 21st century job market.