PROFESSIONAL DIPLOMA IN GAME DESIGN
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This 10-week course in Game Design and Development will focus on the core skills and theory necessary to begin your journey into the exciting world of game development. While creating games for PC and / or web, you will explore the Unity game engine and implement core theory to build a unique game of your own creation all the time under expert guidance.
You will develop an understanding of core mechanics, their purpose and how they can be used to focus development and create a more coherent and robust game. Interactions will be created that are enjoyable and easy to understand yet hard to master, allowing for more depth in games. Topics will include:
- Game Pillars
- UI Design and Development
- Game Design Documents
- Game Testing
- Game & Player Feedback
- and Many More
Students will explore the Unity game engine where they will get hands on experience in game creation by first creating a small game with the lecturer. This will be followed shortly by implementing tried and tested game mechanics that can be used in multiple game genres, and styles to create interesting and unique experiences.
This course has been designed to allow learners from all levels explore Game Design in an enjoyable and interactive setting, giving students with no previous game design or programming knowledge, the skill set necessary to create their own games. Ultimately, students will be safe in the knowledge that if they come across a problem, they now have the skills to assess and fix the problem encountered.
Experience you will gain on this course:
- Expand your understanding of games
- Explore programming with instant feedback
- Practice iterative and modular design
- Discover how mechanics and systems are used in games
- Gain an understanding of game design documents
Experiment with the Unity game engine, using custom and inbuilt components to tailor the game mechanics to your game’s needs.
- Average Game Developer’s salary in Ireland is €40k+
- Depending on company and discipline some of the highest salaries are over €100k
- Game developers are in high demand Worldwide
- Game design has seen a huge growth in recent years with new laws and legislation in multiple counties encouraging more game development growth
- Work across multiple areas: Art, Programming, Design, Marketing and Project Development
This course is spread across 10 lectures, within each session a new theory topic is examined and discussed.
Topics:
- Game Mechanics
- Programming Basics
- Game Design Documents
- Information Types in Games
- Game Pillars
- Introducing Mechanics to a Player
- Risk Reward
- In Game Feedback
- Puzzle Design
- Level Design
- Character Design
- Animation
- Copywrite and CC0
- UI design
- Gathering Player Feedback
- Character, Controller & Camera
Topics Expanded:
Game Mechanics:
Game mechanics are often used as a catch all term, these usually will have a word before or after giving more context and this can be seen where designers might say for example ‘Jumping’ mechanics. Mechanics are basically any system found within a game, but these mechanics have different levels of importance to the game play loop, the most important of these is the ‘core’ mechanic…
Programming Basics:
Programming can be broken down to moving and changing data. This data can come from any where. For us as developers our main source of data is ether the player or the designers, we can store primitive data as Integers, floats, strings, and Booleans in variables…
Game Design Document:
A Game Design Document (GDD) is a document that can range in size and style depending on the game being created. A GDD for a role-playing game (RPG) may need many pages on magic, items, player stats, enemies etc. whereas a simple platformer may only require a few pages to cover all these topics. Generally, in a GDD there are some elements that you should have at all times to allow other designers and developers to ask informed questions about the game being created these areas/topics are…
It is essential that for the duration of this course, you have access to either a laptop or desktop PC to gain the maximum benefit of the course and to complete the design projects to their best potential.
To participate in this course you will need access to:
Unity Hub / Unity (https://unity3d.com/get-unity/download)
Google Drive / One Drive
All software used in this course is free and easily found online.
A ‘Pass’ grade on both the digital assignment(s) (Project(s)), as well as in-class participation, is required to achieve the Professional Diploma. A ‘Fail’ grade will result in a Certificate of Attendance for the course but without the Professional Diploma being awarded. Students must attend at least 8 of the 10-course evenings to graduate with either the Professional Diploma or Certificate of Attendance unless a serious and verifiable reason for further absence is provided. Likewise, the Project must be uploaded on the due date unless a sound reason for lateness is provided. In such instances, an extension may be awarded at the discretion of the lecturer.
Digital Assessment:
Students will be assessed through two design projects.
The first project will be completed during the duration of the course.
The second project will be completed within one month of cessation of lectures.
These assignments will be based around and thus confirming the students’ learned knowledge of game design and development.
Michael Carstairs
Michael Carstairs is a game designer and developer.
He has studied game design for 6 years and has achieved an Honours Bachelor’s Degree in Game Design from TU Dublin. Michael has developed several games that can be found on steam, itch.io, and new grounds.
He has focused on game design and programming with a particular focus on AI using Boid behaviors and creating adaptive and scalable solutions to game requirements. Michael brings a wealth of knowledge in games design and development with a particular interest in unique and interesting game mechanics.
Course Award
A City College’s Professional Diploma Course is a focused, practical programme designed and delivered by an industry practitioner, that consolidates, upskills or reskills learners in a professional area. They are stand-alone qualifications that indicate that you have been trained in a particular area or specific subject matter.
City College Diplomas are suitable for career minded learners wishing to advance their professional skills and prospects. They are widely accepted by employers and many students are sponsored to study here by their organisation.
Corporate Training
In addition to our scheduled Professional Diploma courses, City Colleges can provide bespoke training over 3 – 4 days, please contact Kevin.Coyne@citygroup.ie for further details.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course learners will be able to demonstrate an understanding on the topics outlined in the course modules along with the following:
- One complete example game
- One complete personal (Custom) game
- Basic understanding of programming principles
- Understand and document game mechanics in a meaningful way
All learners will be provided with links to online works and industry talks where learners can continue their exploration of game design and development.
On completion of course students will have the skills and knowledge to design and create games. The understanding and resources provided to students will enable students to continue to develop their skills after the course.
Example past student games completed during the course:
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