S3 is an excellent math student with a passion for board games. He owns several dozen different games from around the world and organizes weekly meetups to teach and play new games. When I search for ludology or game play as a major on google - I find perhaps a course here or there but more often I find undergraduate degrees in computer game design etc. That might work as he like video games too. But he seems more intrigued with how games are designed generally and has a preference for non-computer games. Does anyone know of an undergraduate program with this focus? Perhaps something with a good deal of overlap with math?
“Ludology is the discipline that studies games. …ludology studies games and playing in general, leaving video games as just a particular branch of study.”
This is far too narrow and concentrated for an undergraduate. It’s very unlikely he’d find a college that has a specific major or concentration in this area. I can’t imagine that even being more than a handful of classes.
It’d be better - both in terms of developing him as a person and in terms of career options - for him to major in something broader, probably something with a lot of logic in it. Math or statistics seems like a logical choice. Philosophy might be appealing to him as well. Taking some classes in media studies or sociology/psychology to round it out may work, too.
NYU does have a game design BFA program at Tisch that focuses on both video/computer games and tabletop games, and says it covers everything from “the history and scholarship of games to the psychology of player experience to the mathematics of game rules.” http://gamecenter.nyu.edu/academics/
USC has a BA in interactive entertainment within the School of Cinematic Arts. The focus seems to be on digital/computer/video games, but the picture on the main page is of a tabletop game. They also have lots of games minors, like games studies and games user research. He might also be interested in USC’s Iovine/Young program in arts/tech/business. http://iovine-young.usc.edu/program/index.html
MIT suggests their comparative media studies major with a focus on game studies/game design: http://cmsw.mit.edu/education/comparative-media-studies/undergraduate/
Purdue Polytechnic has a games studies program, but it seems focused on video games: https://polytechnic.purdue.edu/degrees/game-studies
Another option is creating an individualized major that combines elements of math, logic/philosophy, sociology and psychology, and maybe some art and/or media courses. Most colleges will allow a student to create a self-directed major, although you’d need good reason and motivation.