Branch programme/details

Game Studies is a continuing Master’s study program, which focuses on the interdisciplinary study of digital and (to a lesser extent) non-digital games as a medium. It will provide you with interdisciplinary knowledge of digital games as a medium, as well as their relationships to other media. You will become familiar with the history and current trends in digital and non-digital games and with the current practices both within the game industry and player communities. You can apply up-to-date social-scientific and humanistic approaches to games and conduct critical analysis of individual game titles, trends, and phenomena. 

The curriculum builds primarily on the media studies tradition, while also drawing from other related fields, such as sociology, anthropology, or film studies. The program looks at games as texts and cultural products, as well as at game production (meaning the game industry) and reception (meaning player communities). Its goal is therefore not to educate future game developers, but rather experts on the social and cultural aspects of games.

The Game Studies program is primarily designed for graduates of Bachelor’s programs in social sciences and humanities, as well as other fields related to game production (such as computer science, information science, or art).

In addition to the application form, every applicant needs to provide the following documents:

a) A copy of a diploma to show at least completed Bachelor studies or confirmation that ongoing Bachelor studies will be completed in the current academic year

b) Transcript of records and academic results from previous studies

c) Structured CV

d) Motivation letter

e) Document showing the level of English proficiency

f) Optional: References or letters of recommendation

g) Optional: Writing sample - the best relevant academic text written by the student (essay, thesis, analysis, case study etc.)

Ad a) Confirmation of studies may be substituted with a transcript of records, provided that these are from the same academic year as the application. 

Ad b) The transcripts from all years of the previous university study should be submitted.

Ad d) The recommended length of the motivation letter is approximately 500 words. The motivation letter should elaborate on the applicant’s personal interest in game studies and include one potential research topic that the applicant would be interested in exploring as part of their studies, describing the academic and cultural relevance of such topic and the potential research methods that would be suitable for exploring that topic (e.g. ethnographic research, game analysis, textual analysis). The letter can also highlight the applicant’s familiarity with themes of game studies based on their prior leisure activities and/or professional experience. Finally, the applicant should specify what career trajectories they are interested in pursuing after completing the studies and how the study programme helps in that trajectory.

Ad e)  Applicants should provide a certificate from one of the following standardized tests:

• IELTS Academic - the minimum required overall band score of 6.5, with a band score of 6.0 or above in all four components;

• TOEFL Internet-Based Test (iBT) & TOEFL iBT Home Edition - the minimum required overall score of 83, with a minimum score of 20 in the four sections;

• Cambridge B2 First (former FCE) - minimum Cambridge English Scale Score of 175;

• Cambridge C1 Advanced (former CAE) or C2 Proficiency (former CPE) receiving a certificate;

• PTE Academic test - the minimum required score above 56;

• LanguageCert ESOL - Communicator with High Pass, Expert or Mastery;

• Duolingo English Test (DET) - the minimum required overall score of 120, with a subscore of 105 or above in all four components.

A standardized English test is not required from applicants who:

• have studied in English at the secondary school level for at least two years;

• have studied in English at the university level for at least one year in a full degree program.

When a score from an English-language test is not presented, the applicants should provide a confirmation of their use of English during their prior studies to support their claim. The confirmation should contain the information that the study program was conducted in English as a language of study. A diploma supplement or transcript containing this information can also be accepted.

All documents that are not originally in Czech, Slovak, or English must be officially translated into English, Czech or Slovak language by a certified translator. A sworn translation is not required for the application itself. Only complete applications will be considered. Personal data will be used exclusively to organize the admission process and course enrollments.

Evaluation criteria and procedure:

T​he admissions committee will assess applicants on the basis of the submitted documents. Firstly, the documents proving English proficiency are examined for the level required for study. Only those applications that fulfill the requirements for English proficiency are assessed further by the admissions committee and given a ranking from 0–100 points. The following criteria will be evaluated: (i) relevance of previous studies to the field of game studies (0–25), (ii) academic quality of previous studies and results during previous studies (0–25), (iii) motivation to study and research interest in the field based on the motivation letter and additional optional documents (0–40), and (iv) practical/professional experience in the area of game production and broader game culture, including, for example, game design & development, game journalism, game marketing, game-related content creation, or game user research (0–10). The point limit for accepting applicants is set by the Dean with respect to the number of applicants and the capacity of the programme.

Admission to Master's studies is conditioned by completed secondary education confirmed by a school-leaving certificate. Admission to Post-Bachelor studies (Master's programme) is likewise conditioned by completed education in any type of study programme.

As a graduate of this program, you will be able to communicate about games and their potential and risks to specialized audiences as well as the general public. You will be equipped to work in the game industry (or a related industry, such as VR or esport) as analysts, marketing specialists, community managers, or localization specialists, or you can become game journalists, game specialists in public institutions (such as museums or libraries) or academic researchers.