Meet Cnam-Enjmin

The leading French School for Video Games and Digital Interactive Media

Cnam-Enjmin is a leading public Higher Education and Research Institution for all professions related to video game development, located in Angoulême (France).

Our school's name, Cnam-Enjmin, is made up of two accronyms:

• Cnam (Consérvatoire national des arts et métiers) is our umbrella institution located in Paris. Founded in 1794, it is a foremost Higher Education Institute with a long history providing scientific, cultural and professional lifelong education. Cnam is under the administrative supervision of the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research.
• Enjmin (École nationale des jeux et médias interactifs numériques, “French National School of Video Games and Digital Interactive Media”) is the name of our school in Angoulême and one of the Cnam entities in France. We are specialists in the field of Video Games and Digital Interactive Media offering a variety of different diplomas to our students.

Cnam-Enjmin receives ongoing support from the Public Institution Pôle Image Magelis, which is supported by the administration of Angoulême, the Charente Department and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region.

We are one of the 15 institutions that make up the Magelis Image Campus in Angoulême. It is a cluster of specialist Higher Educational Establishments which have made a name for themselves in the fields of Arts, Cinema, Audio-visual and Digital Media.

We are a prestigious establishment that is open to the world. We have partnerships with numerous universities and research laboratories around the globe, welcome international students in our programmes and adhere to the Erasmus+ programme charter.

The school is a member of HEVGA (Higher Education Video Game Alliance), the Cumulus Association and the SNJV’s (Syndicat national du jeu vidéo) Video Game Training Network.

Since 2020, we have also been a receiving institution of students from the French Polytechnical School (École polytechnique) and a contributor to the work of their Science and Video Games Chair.

Created in 2001, Cnam-Enjmin celebrated its 20th anniversary in June 2022. We are located next to the Charente River in the Nil Building, which was originally a paper mill.

Click here to watch Stéphane Natkin, Founder and first Director of Cnam-Enjmin, and Axel Buendia, the current Director of Cnam-Enjmin, talking about the school (in French).

2001

The history of the school begins in 2001 with the partnership between Cnam and the Universities of Poitiers and La Rochelle to create a common diploma called the DESS (Diplôme d’études supérieures spécialisées) in Video Games and Interactive Media. The diploma is also the result of a collaboration with the Cité internationale de la bande dessinée et de l’image in Angoulême and the regional branch of Cnam Poitou-Charentes.

2004

3 years later, this diploma becomes the Master's degree in Video Games and Digital Interactive Media, co-accredited by the same institutions. The school also moves into the premises of the Cité internationale de la bande dessinée et de l’image.

2005

At the request of the video game industry, the Prime Minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, grants the request for Enjmin to become a Cnam institute.

2011

A Post Master's degree in Digital Interactive Experiences (MS IDE), now called Post-Master’s degree in Designing of Immersive, Interactive and Playful Experiences, is created in partnership with GOBELINS Paris.

2014

The Computer Engineering Degree in Digital Media Science and Technology (STMN), now called Engineering degree in Computer Science and Multimedia (IEM), opens in collaboration with CFA Sup Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
Cnam-Enjmin moved into new premises called The Nil.

2020

The Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science for Video Games opened in collaboration with CFA Sup Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

2023

Cnam-Enjmin is one of 68 winners of the Grande fabrique de l'image call for projects under the France 2030 plan.

Thanks to this financial support, Cnam-Enjmin will be able to implement an ambitious development project, including:

• Creating new degree programmes with innovative teaching methods
• Creating around 50 e-learning modules for lifelong learning

2025

Planned opening of a new degree programme in September: Bachelor’s degree in Digital Arts for Video Games.

2026

Planned opening of two new degree programmes in September:

• Bachelor’s degree in Game Design
• International Master’s degree in Video Games and Digital Interactive Media

Cnam Nouvelle-Aquitaine

 

Cnam Nouvelle-Aquitaine (formerly Cnam Poitou-Charentes) is the regional administrative body in charge of ensuring the day-to-day running of the school in terms of education, communication, dealing with companies as part of the continuing education programme, general administration and accounting. It works closely with Cnam-Enjmin’s management and teaching staff. The administrative body also manages relations with other local authorities which support the school financially.

Video Game Training Network

Cnam-Enjmin is a member of the Video Game training Network (Réseau des Formations aux Métiers du Jeu Vidéo) since it was created in 2015 by SNJV (Syndicat National du Jeu Vidéo). The network aims to showcase high-quality training programmes which offer coherence between their teaching methods/modules and employment criteria to access the video game market. It respects a charter of commitments between industry professionals and the training providers who are part of the network.

In 2015, Cnam signed the Commitment Agreement for Public Communication without Gender Stereotypes (Convention d’engagement pour une communication publique sans stéréotype de sexe) with the French High Conseil of Equality between Men and Women (Haut Conseil à l’Égalité entre les femmes et les hommes).

Cnam-Enjmin therefore ensures it communicates, both in its written publications and spoken communication, without any gender stereotypes.

We follow the recommendations prescribed in the “Pour une communication publique sans stereotype de sexe” Guide from the High Conseil. Please note that the guide is only available in French.