Designing a blended learning curriculum in the development of video games

Recent studies from the Bogota Chamber of Commerce (Cámara de Comercio de Bogotá) in the field of digital animation and video games in Colombia show an accelerated growth of this industry in the last decade, positioning it as one of the most important for years to come. However, this strategic sector has very few adequate specialized academic training in the country, as identified in the study of Animation and Video Games Education [1]. This explains why a study by Universidad de los Andes in 2012, in collaboration with the Ministry of ICT and PROEXPORT, on the domestic supply of digital content, in Colombia people dedicated to this work are mostly professionals in design and systems engineers, programs that now have no specific training for this industry. This makes harder the process of production and game development for the companies, and increases investment costs and time needed to train professionals in the workplace. So, it is necessary to give specialized education in video games. We designed a postgraduate program in Game Development that aims to the needs expressed by this contemporary productive sector. Its aim is to prepare professionals to achieve the creation of high-impact video games for different platforms and devices. The goal is training leaders that will give to the development of projects that promote interdisciplinary and teamwork who are skilled in the production and understand the design process and development of video games. In order to reach a wider audience in different regions of the country and responding to the needs of industry, this program will be offered in blended learning model, which will promote flexibility and autonomous learning. The program aims to prepare professionals from various branches to direct own projects game industry, able to coordinate and lead interdisciplinary working groups. Throughout the postgraduate program, students will develop specific skills in the area of their choice, which can be - rogramming, graphic art or audio.