Game Design
GAME 110 FUNDAMENTALS OF GAME DESIGN
Fall, 3 credit hours
This course is a comprehensive examination of design processes and addresses the social implications, interactions and usability of game design. The course focuses on the principles and design decisions game designers make. The course also discusses the societal and cultural impact of gaming. Students learn the processes of game design from concept to completion.
GAME 140 Unity Development 1: C# Programming
Spring, 3 credit hours
This course introduces students to the fundamentals of programming in C#, covering core language concepts such as data types and structures, conditional statements, loops, exception handling, file I/O, and basic 2D UI programming in Unity. Designed for beginners with some exposure to scripting languages like Python or JavaScript, the course emphasizes problem-solving through practical exercises, culminating in a final project.
Prerequisite: GAME 110
GAME 215 Unity Development 2: Object Oriented Programming
Fall, 3 credit hours
This course introduces students to the core principles of gameplay programming while guiding them through the game development pipeline with Unity and C#. Students will build a foundation in Object-Oriented Programming (OOP), and progressively explore Unity’s key features, including time management, coroutines, collisions, physics, shaders, and materials. The course also covers essential gameplay systems such as player and camera controls, interactions, and basic AI.
Prerequisite: GAME 140
GAME 230 3D Character Modeling
Spring, 3 credit hours
GAME 230 is a character modeling class for the gaming industry. Presuming no experience with Maya, students will start with the basics of Maya and photoshop and will create a polygonal body builder character from reference images. Students will learn about simple Forward Kinematic Rigs and build one for the character. In the second half of the semester, they will design and build their own character.
Prerequisite: GAME 210 Object-Oriented Design for Game Development
GAME 240 3D ENVIRONMENTS FOR GAMES
Spring, 3 credit hours
GAME 240 is an environment modeling class for the gaming industry. Presuming no experience with Maya, Photoshop, or Unreal editor, students will start with the basics of each program and learn how to create environments with modular components that would be ready to be coded. Students will gain proficiency in modeling and UV mapping in Maya, and texturing in photoshop, and how to import meshes into Unreal to create detailed environments. Students will learn how to design different kinds of environments, model meshes and create textures and create materials and basic nodal networks.
GAME 260 Unity Development 3: 3D Game Development
Spring, 3 credit hours
This course builds on the foundations of gameplay programming and Unity development introduced in the first level. Students will begin by exploring matrix computation and the graphics pipeline, gaining insight into how 3D transformations and rendering work behind the scenes. Students will then strengthen their skills in C# and Object-Oriented Programming while tackling more advanced topics such as game managers, input systems, advanced collisions, and physics. The course further expands into complex gameplay systems, including FPS (first person shooter) controllers, shooting mechanics, interactions, particle effects, user interfaces, and Artificial Intelligence with 3D navigation.
Prerequisite: GAME 215
GAME/GMMD 333 Sound Design & Composition for Multimedia
Fall, 3 credit hours
This course covers composition and production techniques for creating music and sounds for multimedia applications such as games, videos, films and more. Emphasis is placed on creating engaging sound environments that create emotion, mood, and/or settings across a variety of potential genres.
Prerequisite: GMMD 112 Introduction to Time Based Media
GAME 360 Unreal Development 1: Intro to Unreal Engine
Spring, 3 credit hours
This course introduces students to game development in Unreal Engine using C++ and Blueprints. Students will implement C++ programming and Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) and integrate with Unreal’s engine architecture. Core topics include: basic C++, Blueprint scripting system, game modes and instances, collisions and physics, shaders and materials, particle effects, and the legacy input system. Students will also implement essential gameplay features such as a third-person controller, melee combat mechanics, interactive elements, and user interfaces.
Prerequisite: GAME 215 or GAME 260
GAME 361 Professional Practices in Game Development
Fall/Spring, 3 credit hours
In this course, students will dive deep into the contemporary state of the game industry, examining thecomplex relationship between developers, publishers and games marketing, look at the industry from theperspective of those who work within it, and examine case-studies of both successful and not-successfulindie developers. Studentswill develop professional pitches and practice delivery in a realisticenvironment. Likewise, students will structure resumes to a format typical for the games industry,practice mock-interviewing skills and practice negotiation using carefully designed case-studies.Students will also hone their craft of game design with a view to finding the elusive combination ofchallenge, competition, and interaction that players seek. Students will examine the fundamentalelements of game design, then go to work prototyping, playtesting and iterating around their own ideasusing exercises that teach essential design skills.
Prerequisite: GAME 210 Object-Oriented Design for Game Development
GAME 370 DIGITAL MEDIA AND INTERACTION
Spring, 3 credit hours
This course explores how digital media is created and utilized within computer games, virtual reality, and simulations. Students develop a video game, including storyboards, design documents, game development, and a playable demo.
Prerequisite: GAME 350 Aesthetics and Immersion
GAME 390 ORIENTATION TO CAPSTONE
Fall, 3 credit hours
This course is an orientation to the capstone experience course in the Game Design and Development program, allowing students to develop skills in group communication and teamwork as they plan, a culminating research project.
Prerequisite: GAME 370 Digital Media and Interaction, senior level students in GAME Design, or permission of instructor.
GAME 450 MOBILE GAME DEVELOPMENT
Fall, 3 credit hours
This course is an introduction to mobile application frameworks, including user interface, sensors, event-handling, data-management and network communication.
Prerequisite: GAME 370 Digital Media and Interaction
GAME 470 EMERGING GAMING
Spring, 3 credit hours
This course explores features of the future of gaming, such as immersive gaming, virtual reality, computer graphics, real-time visualization, secondary screens for gaming, smart- glass, cross-play, open-source gaming, game development, augmented reality, as well as mobile gaming and cloud gaming. Through learning the course, the students will have a big picture of the features of the future gaming and the trend of gaming industry development.
Prerequisite/Corequisites: Junior/Senior level in GAME Design Program
GAME 490 GAME CAPSTONE II
Spring, 3 credit hours
This course is a capstone experience course in the Game Design program, allowing students to develop skills in group communication and teamwork as they plan, design, develop, produce and defend a culminating research project.
Prerequisite/Corequisites: GAME 390 Orientation to Capstone