TL;DR: The game development course in the Philippines is a specialisation inside BS Entertainment and Multimedia Computing (BSEMC), governed by CHED Memorandum Order No. 02, series of 2014. The Game Development track is 27 units of professional courses — game programming, applied game physics, game AI, game networking, game production — on top of a shared computing and multimedia core. CHED requires a capstone that is an actual game or game tool built through the full development life cycle, plus 460 hours of internship. There is no PRC board exam for game developers.
Schools sell this course under a lot of names — Game Development, Game Design and Development, Interactive Entertainment. Underneath almost all of them is one CHED policy, and it is more prescriptive than most applicants expect. It tells you what you will build, how big your team can be, and roughly how many hours of work the final project is meant to represent.
Here is what the memorandum actually says, and what it deliberately leaves to the school.
The CHED Policy Behind the Course
CHED Memorandum Order No. 02, series of 2014 promulgates the Policies, Standards and Guidelines for the Bachelor of Science in Entertainment and Multimedia Computing (BSEMC), issued by virtue of Commission en banc Resolution No. 829-2013 dated 25 November 2013.
CHED's rationale is unusually direct about why the programme exists. It describes Entertainment and Multimedia Computing as a field that "includes the areas of Digital Animation and Game Development," calls these "two (2) sub-sectors of the Philippine Information Technology (IT) industry," and identifies them as "promising areas where the local industry is experiencing fast growth and where the potential to capture a bigger slice of the global market is quite high."
CHED defines the Game Development specialisation as the study and application of theories "in game design, scientific simulations, use and development of gaming technology and tools, and production of commercially acceptable digital games and viable solutions for use in entertainment and scientific applications."
There is no separate CHED memorandum titled "BS Game Development." If a school advertises one, ask which PSG its programme is recognised under.
The Curriculum: 167 Units, Five Components
| Component | Units |
|---|---|
| General Education | 57 |
| Core Computing Courses | 18 |
| EMC Core Courses | 27 |
| EMC Professional Courses (specialisation) | 27 |
| EMC Professional Electives | 9 |
| Capstone Project | 6 |
| Internship | 9 |
| Physical Education | 8 |
| NSTP | 6 |
| Total | 167 |
Read that total with a caveat. CMO No. 02, s. 2014 states in its own general provisions that the PSG is "based on the existing 10-year basic education system and on the existing GE program," and that it reflects outcomes-based education "but not the K12 Reform," which "shall be addressed subsequently." The 57-unit General Education block is the pre-K-to-12 GE programme. Real BSEMC curricula today carry a much smaller GE block and a correspondingly lower total. Ask each school for its current, approved unit count.
Core Computing Courses (18 units)
Shared with the other CHED computing degrees: Introduction to Computing, Computer Programming 1, Computer Programming 2, Data Structures and Algorithms, Information Management, and Applications Development and Emerging Technologies. If you have compared BSIT or BSCS curricula, these will look familiar — see our BSIT degree guide for how the same core is used there.
EMC Core Courses (27 units)
Every BSEMC student takes these regardless of specialisation: Freehand and Digital Drawing, Introduction to Game Design and Development, Computer Graphics Programming, Usability/HCI and User Interaction Design, Principles of 2D Animation, Audio Design and Sound Engineering, Script Writing and Storyboard Design, Principles of 3D Animation, and Design and Production Process.
This block is why BSEMC is not simply computer science with a games label. Drawing, storyboarding and sound sit in the compulsory core.
Game Development Professional Courses (27 units)
| Course | Course |
|---|---|
| Game Programming I | Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Games |
| Game Programming II | Advanced Game Design |
| Applied Mathematics for Games | Game Networking |
| Applied Game Physics | Game Production |
| Game Programming III (game engines, 2D and 3D games programming) |
A school may offer only one of the two BSEMC specialisations. Where both Game Development and Digital Animation-Technology are offered, CHED expects the student to elect one preferably before the start of sophomore year, then complete all 27 units of that track.
The Capstone Rule Most Applicants Miss
CHED does not leave the final project open-ended for game majors. The memorandum states that for the Game Development specialisation, "the capstone project should be in the form of a game or game development tools," and that game projects "shall involve the complete game development life cycle." Examples it names: a multilevel multi-user game, a role-playing game, a game engine, or a suite of casual games.
The surrounding rules are specific:
- Group size is recommended at three to five. Larger groups need justification.
- Effort is set at "at least 500 development hours of work for each member of the team."
- Each member must have a specific task assigned at the outset, with evaluation methods in place to verify individual contribution — workload assignment, peer evaluation, regular reports.
- Originality matters formally: the project must not infringe existing intellectual property, and media assets including audio must be original as far as possible, with permission secured before reusing anything.
- A public presentation, showing or demonstration of the project is required.
CHED also encourages Game Development majors to collaborate with Digital Animation-Technology majors in schools that offer both, and requires that in cross-discipline projects the documentation identify which assets were made by which students.
Internship: 460 Hours, and the Industry-Partner Requirement
The internship is worth 9 units with a minimum of 460 hours, served in a registered enterprise on a commercial game development or animation project. Students become eligible after completing 80 per cent of total curriculum units. Each intern is assigned both a faculty supervisor and an industry supervisor, and the work programme must be agreed in advance and involve participation in actual production — graphics design, programming, scripting, modelling, game design, pre- and post-production, testing or quality assurance.
One clause is worth quoting to an admissions officer. CHED requires schools to have industry partners supporting internship and possible employment of graduates, evidenced by a memorandum of agreement, and states that this is "also required for the recognition of the program offered." A game development programme without real studio partners is not meeting the standard it is recognised under. Ask which studios, and ask to see the roster of recent internship placements.
Does Game Development Have a Board Exam?
No. The Professional Regulation Commission administers 46 Professional Regulatory Boards. Game development, computer science, information technology and multimedia arts are not among them. There is no licensure examination for game developers and no licence needed to be employed.
This is worth being unsentimental about. In a licensed field, passing the board is the credential. Here, shipped work is the credential — which is exactly why CHED made the capstone a functioning game rather than a research paper. Treat the capstone and the internship as your portfolio, not as graduation admin.
For fields that do end in a licensure exam, see our list of courses with board exams.
Game Development vs Computer Science vs BSIT
| BSEMC (Game Development) | BS Computer Science | BS Information Technology | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHED policy | CMO No. 02, s. 2014 | CMO No. 25, s. 2015 | CMO No. 25, s. 2015 |
| Centre of gravity | Game programming, physics, AI, networking, production | Algorithms, computing theory, software engineering | Applied IT infrastructure and systems |
| Art and audio in the core | Yes — drawing, 2D/3D animation, sound | No | No |
| Terminal requirement | Capstone that is a game or game tool | Thesis | Capstone project |
| Board exam | None | None | None |
Studios hire from all three. The honest difference is how much game-specific pipeline work is built into the degree versus learned on your own time. If you want the theory foundation and intend to pick up engine work independently, our BS Computer Science guide covers that route.
Where the Course Is Offered
Programme names vary, so check the CHED policy a programme runs under rather than the title. Verified examples from schools' own published programme pages:
- University of Mindanao publishes a "Bachelor of Science in Entertainment and Multimedia Computing - Game Development," describing it as equipping students for the design, development and production of digital games and tools and the management of development projects.
- De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde lists Game Design and Development under its School of Management and Information Technology.
When comparing programmes, the questions that separate a serious one from a nominal one are concrete: which game engines are taught in Game Programming III, which studios take their interns, and can you see last year's capstone builds.
The Industry Around the Degree
Game development now sits inside a statutory framework. Republic Act No. 11904, the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act, defines a Digital Interactive Media Domain as "digital software programs, mobile applications and games created for and operated on inter-active digital devices where user input is essential to the experience," expressly naming video games, computer games, mobile games and virtual, augmented or mixed reality games. The Act creates a creative industries development council tasked with a long-term development plan, including employment, skills and financing programmes.
On the trade side, the Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP) was established in 2007 to represent and promote the country's game development industry, and is composed of game companies, support service providers and academic institutions working with government and partners.
Deciding If This Is Your Course
- Do you want to ship games, or study computing? BSEMC is production-shaped. Its capstone is a build, not a paper.
- Can you work in a team of three to five for a year? CHED assumes you will. Solo-minded students often find the animation specialisation, whose capstone is done independently, a better fit.
- Does the school have real studio partners? CHED ties this to programme recognition. It is a fair and answerable question.
- Are you comfortable with maths? Applied Mathematics for Games and Applied Game Physics are compulsory, not electives. If you are actively avoiding maths, see our guide to courses without math before committing.
- Which strand did you take? ICT is the most direct feeder; see our ICT strand guide.
Ready to find the right school? Browse schools and compare programmes across the Philippines on SchoolFinderPH.
Sources
- Commission on Higher Education — CMO No. 02, series of 2014, PSG for the Bachelor of Science in Entertainment and Multimedia Computing (BS EMC) Program
- Commission on Higher Education — 2014 CHED Memorandum Orders index
- Professional Regulation Commission — Professional Regulatory Boards
- Republic Act No. 11904 — Philippine Creative Industries Development Act
- Malikhaing Pinoy (Philippine Creative Industries portal) — Game Developers Association of the Philippines
- University of Mindanao — BS Entertainment and Multimedia Computing, Game Development
- De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde — Undergraduate Programmes
