About USC Games
USC Games is a flagship collaboration offered jointly by the USC School of Cinematic Arts’ Interactive Media & Games Division (IMGD) and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering Computer Science Department. This unified brand brings our programs under one umbrella, allowing students and faculty across the University of Southern California to collaborate together in creating innovative games.
The program at the USC School Cinematic Arts focuses on both the design and production of interactive media and games. Students emerge as creative media leaders, fluent in many forms of visual expression and storytelling, with a sophistication in designing and developing innovative interactive experiences that expand the state of interactive art and play across domains, such as entertainment, education, health care and social action.
The Computer Science Games program at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering provides students with grounding in the fundamentals of computer science and a cross-disciplinary background in game development. Students emerge with an engineering-oriented game-programming skillset, with an understanding of key technologies and the ability to lead complex technical teams in the development of games.
In addition to an Advanced Games class, USC Games presents the annual USC Games Expo, an event showcasing games created at the university that is open to the public, and also produces an industry event at the annual Game Developers Conference. USC Games also collaborates with game design programs at other colleges and universities. For more information go to games.usc.edu; or connect at uscgames@usc.edu
USC Games Expo Assets
About USC Games Expo
This year’s Expo Day marks the return of the in-person event, taking place on USC’s campus on May 10, 2023 @ 5pm PT. Attendees will get to experience the future of the games industry firsthand with over 60 student-made games and have access to a USC hosted esports tournament, food catering, and a special mini golf course created by students from USC’s Themed Entertainment program, newly offered by the School of Cinematic Arts Interactive Media & Games Division (IMGD).
USC Games will feature the best games of the past year at the Expo on May 10 at 5pm PT, with a junior high and high school preview event taking place earlier that day. On Expo Day, 10 projects developed in USC Games’ capstone course, the Advanced Games Program (AGP), will be featured with their first hands-on showcase.
Press Releases
USC Games Expo 2023 AGP Spotlight Show Media Alert
USC Games Expo 2023 Announcement
First-Ever Lawson Scholars Announcement
Sony Contribution to Lawson Fund Announcement
John Riccitiello Gift to USC School of Cinematic Arts Announcement
USC Games Expo 2022 Announcement
USC Games Lawson Fund Announcement
Microsoft Contribution to Lawson Fund Announcement
USC Games Logos
About the Gerald A. Lawson Fund
The Gerald A. Lawson Endowment Fund will provide student support for Black and Indigenous students who wish to pursue undergraduate or graduate degrees in game design or computer science from USC’s prestigious program. With financial support from additional game and technology companies and donors, USC Games’ vision is to expand the initiative and support other aspects of diversity and equity, including salary support for additional Black and Indigenous faculty as well as labs and projects that addressed issues that affect these marginalized communities.
The fund is named in honor of Gerald “Jerry” Lawson, who is widely considered one of the fathers of modern gaming for his pioneering work that led to the development of removable, commercial ROM cartridges.
For more information, please visit the Gerald A. Lawson Endowment Fund website.
Portraits of Gerald A. Lawson
