Interested in a career in the video game industry? Learn about the two video game-related diploma programs of Toronto Film School.

Students like yourself were born in a world where playing video games is one of the top hobbies while growing up. From your first console from Sony (Playstation 1, 1994) or Sega (Game Gear, 1990), a lot has changed in the gaming world. Now, video games are not just tied to a leisure activity. It can be linked to a well-compensated career in the gaming industry either by being an e-sport athlete or by working in a game studio designing new and exciting games.

The video game industry is expected to keep growing and is on track to reaching an industry revenue of $100 billion by 2024. Immersive gaming or virtual reality (VR) gaming, one of the newer subsectors of the video game industry, is on target to close at $4.5 billion dollars revenue last year.

If you are interested in video games, not just as a gamer but as an aspiring game designer or developer, Toronto Film School (TFS) offers two concentrated video game-related diploma programs that will equip you with all the necessary tools and experience to help you prepare and launch your first game.

Toronto Film School offers a Video Game Design and Development Diploma and Video Game Design and Animation Diploma. Both programs run for 18 months and cost CAD $53,610.

The TFS Advantage

Aside from being trained by top-notch faculty with portfolios composed of well-renowned video games, students will greatly benefit from being at the heart of the bustling gaming industry in Toronto. The city hosts some of the world's gaming studio giants such as Ubisoft, Rockstar, and Capcom. There are also tons of small and medium-sized studios specializing in indie game production. With this industry presence, students will be exposed to networking opportunities, as well as the potentially better prospects of work after graduation.

Video Game Design and Development vs Video Game Design and Animation

The two diploma programs have 18 similar courses out of the total 40 courses in the Animation stream and 38 courses in the Development stream.

The main difference between the two streams is the concentration. Video Game Design and Development Diploma focuses on the entire game creation process and programming on a variety of platforms such as mobile, PC, web, and console. Also included in the curriculum is a course on Artificial Intelligence (AI) programming.

On the other hand, the Video game Design and Animation Diploma, as the name suggests, focuses on animation and artistry behind the game. Students will take on the same foundational concepts in the video game development process as with the other stream, but with more specialized courses on design, animation, and modelling.

Career Prospect in the Gaming Industry

With highly specialized skills in a growing multi-billion industry, it is expected that video game-related professions are well-compensated. According to Neuvoo.ca, the three popular roles (game designer, game developer, and game animator) have more or less comparable salary ranges. They earn an average of CAD $90,000 per year, with entry-level salary at around CAD $ 50,000 per year.

Interested in pursuing a career in the gaming industry? Register your free account with Global Study Guide and apply in one of TFS’ programs through our seamless platform.