Why the computer game design program at GMU needs at least one console dev-kit. -Many undergraduate programs provide their students with equipment and facilities that would otherwise be impractical or outright unavailable for them to acquire on their own (HD cameras, lab equipment, dance halls etc). -(Motion capture aside) All software and equipment used by game design students is readily available and easily accessible outside of the school. -(To be more specific) All game design software is already available for free (UDK, Unity3d, Neverwinter Nights, GameSalad). -Although many students may intend on someday making console games (whatever the consoles of the time may be) GMU is giving them no experience in how to do so. -Development Kits for consoles are very difficult to acquire, unless you are already a successful developer. -With various forms of motion controls occupying more and more of the market, there are great opportunities to test new theories of the cognitive relations between game controls and actions. -Many games designed and developed for consoles, especially those that use accelerometers and pointers cannot be effectively prototyped on a PC. -The market for small-scale independent projects available to download on consoles and handhelds is growing significantly. Markets like these are ideal for publishing students’ projects.

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