The Ultimate Revenge of the Nerds: a Video Game Major at UCI

​Parents concerned about joystick jockeys have nothing to fear. That pimple popper spending all day on the couch in his boxers playing video games has a bright college future ahead of him--if he can get into UC Irvine, that is.

Final approval was given last week to a new undergraduate major in Computer Game Science (CGS). Freshmen who have already been accepted for the fall can switch their majors to CGS, which will be offered to transfers beginning in 2012.

The major "combines a solid foundation in computer science with a focus on designing, building, and understanding computer games and other forms of interactive media," according to UCI.

"The fundamentals of information and computer science, along with coursework in mathematics, statistics, physics, and film and media studies, provide students with the concepts and tools to study a wide scope of computer game technologies."

Design, team work and the understanding of computer games and related technologies and media in a social and cultural context will be emphasized, say the eggheads, who call the study of computer games "an emerging field that is driven by advancing computer hardware and software technology."

Of course, UCI is already home to the Center for Computer Games and Virtual Worlds.

The big question is whether the campus has enough flagpoles to run up an increased population of nerds.