Semester(s) Offered: Fall / Spring / Summer
Credits: 4
Course Call Number: GAMES-UT 120
Prerequisite(s): Introduction to Programming for Games
Introduction to Game Development is a practical course that introduces students to the methods, tools and principles used in developing digital games. Over the course of the semester, students will work alone to create three ‘clones’ of simple digital game prototypes, then elaborating them creatively to produce original work. This is a hands-on, primarily lab-based course, and so the focus is on learning-by-doing rather than on reading and discussion.
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1) Practice the fundamentally integrated technical processes of digital game development, by rolling together elements of visual art and design, sound design, systems design, interaction design and code.
2) Learn to implement game assets and code in an established digital game engine (Unity).
3) Identify major principles of implementation-level game design, and learn the ‘tricks of the trade’ that serve to engage a user and provide subconscious-level enjoyment of a game.
4) Analyze and articulate strengths and weaknesses in the student’s and classmates’ work.
5) Present their work to a group, highlighting its functionality and strengths.
6) Develop a personal creative process, allowing the student to translate ideas into the form of a digital game.