Game-design degrees kidnap American education?

DePauw University assistant political science prof Ted Rueter believes that "offering undergraduate and master's degrees in joysticks and video predators" is "yet another sign of the coming of the apocalypse."

He writes: "Offering degrees in video game design is to kidnap American education. Higher education needs to be rescued from such destructive nonsense." Professor Rueter also states that institutions "of higher learning are simply cashing in on a fad that is destructive to society" by offering the game-design programs. EA funding
school collaborations
doesn't help in his eyes, despite the fact that his school does not offer such a degree as of yet.

So what if Ted sounds a bit Thompson-esque in his attack on a burgeoning new art field? As
Game Politics has pointed out, one violence study cited is 12-years-old, and the professor referenced had his conclusions recently
torn apart in court. And will the release of Super Princess Peach offset the supposed sexism of those gallant plumbing brothers in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time? So many questions, so little time.

[Via Slashdot]