Video Game Design and Development

This comprehensive game design course is perfect for both enthusiastic gamers and design professionals looking to expand their career opportunities. Learn programming languages, mathematics skills, game asset creation, and modern real-time game engines to conceptualize, design, and develop your own games. By the end of the course, you will have built three complete games: a 3D arcade game, a first-person adventure, and a custom game of your own.

Course Hours

500

Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Develop Programming Skills: Gain a strong foundation in programming languages such as C# for game development.

2. Design and Create Video Games: Understand the technical and aesthetic fundamentals required to design and create successful video games for PC.

3. Apply Mathematical Concepts: Utilize mathematical concepts common across different game projects, including algebra, trigonometry, and vector mathematics.

4. Create Real-Time 3D Scenes: Develop skills for creating textured and lit real-time 3D scenes that can be experienced in modern game engines.

5. Master Game Asset Creation: Learn techniques for modeling, texturing, and rendering game assets.

6. Utilize Unity Game Engine: Obtain an in-depth understanding of the Unity Engine and its application in creating games and simulations in various genres.

7. Build Complete Games: Successfully build three complete games: a 3D arcade game, a first-person adventure, and a custom game of your own.

8. Enhance Design Skills: Gain confidence in your design skills and tackle larger and more advanced projects, both in and out of the gaming field.

9. Stay Competitive in the Industry: Continuously learn and apply new game design techniques to ensure your technical skills are up to date.

This course will jump-start your career as a video game designer, whether you want to work at an organization or pursue independent projects.

Outline

• C# Programming Primer for Unity Game Development

  • How to Create a C# Program in Visual Studio

  • Console Input and Output

  • Variables

  • Arithmetic Operators

  • Logical Operators

  • Random Numbers

  • Controlling Program Flow

  • Repetition

  • Arrays and Multidimensional Arrays

  • Functions and Methods

  • Classes and Object-Oriented Programming Design

  • Strings

  • Data Structures

• Mathematics for Game Development

  • Real Numbers

  • Algebra

  • Set Theory and Functions

  • Polynomials

  • Trigonometry

  • Vector Mathematics

  • Matrix Mathematics

  • Quaternion Algebra

  • Linear Transformations

  • Analytic Geometry

• General Game Modeling and Texturing

  • Interface and Rendering Modes

  • Primitives, Meshes, and Mesh Editing

  • Pivots and Manipulators

  • The 3D Cursor

  • Object Join, Separate, Duplication

  • Polygon Structure and Count

  • Modeling with Bevel, Extrude, and Multiresolution Modifiers

  • Spin Tool and Splines

  • Image Planes

  • Texture Maps and UV Unwrapping

  • Creating and Saving Scenes

• Unity Game Engine Foundation

  • Creating Projects

  • Understanding Unity's User Interface

  • Cameras and Viewport Navigation

  • Scene Architecture

  • Game Objects

  • The Inspector

  • The Asset Browser

  • Real-Time Lighting and Lighting Models

  • Pre-Computed Lighting and Lightmaps

  • Material Creation and Usage

  • Scripting

  • Object Physics

  • User Input Handling

  • Post-Processing

  • Particle Systems and Special Effects

  • Audio

  • User Interface Design and Development

  • Menus and Closing Credits

  • Game Development Project (3d Arcade Game)

• Advanced Unity Game Development I

  • Navigation and Pathfinding

  • Asset Preparation and Pipeline

  • Humanoid Retargeting and Skeletal Animation

  • Animation State Machines

  • Mechanism with Environment Navigation

  • NPC / Enemy AI Systems Development

  • AI State Machines

  • AI Player Targeting and Threat Detection

  • FPS Movement and Camera Controller

  • Screen Image Effects

  • Ragdoll Physics and Reanimation

  • Body Part Aware Damage Systems

  • NPC Player and Environment Awareness

  • Audio Mixer Scripting and Pooling and Collections

  • Game Sound Systems

  • Scriptable Objects

  • Player Damage and Pain

  • Stamina Systems

  • User Interface Design and Development

  • Game Development Project (First Person Apocalyptic Shooter)

• Advanced Unity Game Development II

  • Interactive Items (Switches, Doors, Keypads, Drawers, etc.)

  • Heads Up Displays

  • Player Inventory Management System

  • In-Game PDA with Imagery, Text and Audio

  • In-Game Journals with Image Viewer

  • Arms and Weapon System

  • Inverse Kinematics for Head Movement

  • Procedural IK Stair System

  • Navigation Areas

  • AI Door Management System

  • Potential Visibility Set (PVS) System

  • Night Vision Goggles and Flashlights

  • Item Collection and Player Backpack

  • Player Sickness/Infection System

  • Object Outline Effects

  • Factions (Friendly/Enemy) System

  • NPC Animation and Avoidance Culling

  • In-Game Map and Blueprints System

  • Lockpicking System

  • Missions and Objectives System

  • Crafting System

External Partnership
In an effort to broaden our course offerings, Syracuse University has partnered with leaders in their respective fields to provide learning opportunities for our students. This course is brought to you through our partnership with ed2go. Once you have completed the checkout process, you should expect to be contacted by a ed2go representative within 1-3 business days with information on how to access your course material and getting started. They will be your main point of contact while you are going through the coursework. Feel free to reach out to Syracuse University if you have any questions at microcredential@syr.edu or 315.443.2588.