FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Expression College for Digital Arts Offers Comprehensive Gaming Curriculum with New Game Art and Design Bachelors Degree Program

EMERYVILLE, CA – JANUARY 9, 2007 – Expression College for Digital Arts, an accredited college that prepares students for careers in the digital arts and entertainment industries, today announced the new Game Art and Design Bachelors Degree program.  Coupled with the school’s current Game Audio initiatives, Expression now offers one of the most in-depth, comprehensive gaming curriculums in the country.

The Game Art and Design Program prepares students for a career in the art of interactive electronic entertainment. The accredited Bachelor’s Degree program at Expression College is unique in its approach to game education. It combines Game Art , which includes classes in environmental modeling, character animation, motion capture and texture development, with a Game Design theory that addresses scripting, programming, collision detection, engine manipulation and physics modeling.  The creative and technological aspects of the new Game Art and Design program are a perfect match to the already existing Game Audio focus that covers the creation of sound effects, adaptive audio design and asset management and implementation.

“With the addition of our Game Art and Design program, our educational gaming focus becomes one of the only immersive programs in the country to offer the triad of Game Art, Design and Audio,” said Spencer Nilsen, president and creative director for Expression College and former game audio composer. “We now offer our industry partners, including Sony and Electronic Arts, the next level of young talent to take advantage of the increasingly complex and growing art of game development.”

Throughout the program, Expression students participate in hands-on classes which focus on 2D computer graphics, audio, 3D modeling, animation, texture and lighting.  After a solid foundation is built, students design and create game levels as a group in a process that mirrors the professional pipeline experience of game developers.

Students who want to further concentrate their gaming education can expand their skills as a character artist or environmental artist with specialized tracks.  Students will finish the program having completed a sophisticated game as a group, as well as having created a demo reel of their own which highlights the assets they personally produced for that game.

“Expression’s comprehensive game education program puts students in the best position to go onto successful careers in the industry with independent or major game studios, working on a variety of console and PC games” said Paul Lipson, dean of education, Expression College.

Upon completion of the program, students will receive a Bachelor’s of Applied Science in Game Art and Design.  Graduates will be prepared for entry level positions in the Game Art and Design industry.

“The game industry has grown exponentially since inception, eclipsing film and music both. Expression has tailored a curriculum designed to prepare students for longevity in this booming industry,” stated Chryssa Sanders, director of career development for Visual Arts at Expression College and former visual effects recruiter for The Orphanage,

To date, Expression’s career development track has resulted in an exceptionally high placement rate for graduates and has secured a variety of positions for former students in the world of gaming.

About Expression College for Digital Arts
Founded in 1999, Expression is a unique digital arts college. Expression College for Digital Arts teaches and grants Bachelor degrees in three programs: Sound Arts, Animation and Visual Effects and Motion Graphic Design. Expression utilizes a professional accelerated program and students live and learn in the culture of digital arts for approximately 2.5 years. Each class is limited to a small number of students to insure excellent hands-on learning and the student-to-computer ratio is one-to-one. Students are taught by and work with the best practitioners and equipment that the industry can offer. Expression’s close ties to top industry professionals provide students with real-world client projects, mentorship and internship opportunities and a top-rated career development track that has resulted in an exceptionally high placement rate for graduates. When graduates leave their Expression family behind, they are prepared to assume sought-after jobs in Silicon Valley, Hollywood, and other art and high technology centers around the world. Expression College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Career Schools and Colleges of Technology, (ACCSCT).

Expression College for Digital Arts’ campus is located in an imagination-inspiring 85,000-square-foot building, at 6601 Shellmound St. in Emeryville, Calif., just across the Bay Bridge from San Francisco. For more information, please visit Expression’s Website at: www.expression.edu.

Sheri Seybold
Public Relations for Expression