Master in Experimental Game Cultures

Master in Experimental Game Cultures is one of 7 English-taught Arts, Design & Architecture programmes at master’s level in the register, offered by 4 institutions. 7 of them list an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland; this programme lists EUR 1,453 a year. 7 are at a public university, where EU, EEA and Swiss students pay no tuition within the standard duration plus two semesters.

What you study

The programme looks at games as more than entertainment. You study how games shape society and how they can be used to understand social, economic and political connections. At the same time you develop your own game concepts and approaches. The register names the fields as Serious Games, Critical Games and Educational Games, among others. The focus is on innovative game ideas outside the commercial games industry, combined with a critical look at games in their historical, social and social contexts. The keywords for the programme are game development, art and science, game design and game invention.

Admission, language and next steps

Teaching is in German and English, so the programme is partly taught in English. Check with the institution which parts are in which language. There is an admission or aptitude procedure; the programme page explains what it involves. The degree is a Master of Arts (MA) with 120 ECTS over four semesters. Applications go directly to the University of Applied Arts Vienna, not through a central portal. The institution's own page gives the application period. As a public university, EU/EEA and Swiss students pay no tuition within the standard duration plus two semesters; other students pay a fee per semester.

Das Studium Experimental Game Cultures zielt auf eine kritische Reflexion der gesellschaftlichen Wirkungsmacht von Spielen unter gleichzeitiger Anwendung auf die prototypische Entwicklung innovativer Spielkonzepte und -zugänge. Zentraler Aspekt des Studiums ist daher die Verschränkung der Entwicklung von innovativen Spielkonzepten jenseits der kommerziellen Spieleindustrie mit einer kritischen Betrachtung von Spielen in ihren unterschiedlichen historischen, gesellschaftlichen und sozialen Kontexten. Forschungsbereiche des Studiums sind u.a. der Einsatz von Spielen als Instrument zum besseren Verständnis gesellschaftlicher, wirtschaftlicher und politischer Zusammenhänge und zur demokratischen Gestaltung ihrer Zukunft (Serious Games, Critical Games, Educational Games etc.).

There is no central application portal in Austria: you apply to the institution, here University of Applied Arts Vienna. A public university sets the admission requirements and dates for this level, so read them on the programme page. Entrance examination, as the register states it: An admission or aptitude procedure applies (see the programme page). Entry requirements and language tests are set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, the student residence permit and housing.