Online Game Design Courses

This course teaches the formal elements and principles of design, color theory, perception and problem solving as applied to a two-dimensional surface.

This course introduces students to programming logic in a structured web centric environment. Topics include language syntax, semantics, data types, program organization, pseudo code, flow-charting, algorithm design, and basic programming constructs. Lab fee may be required.

An introduction to Adobe creative software, image capture, basic image editing, and file/asset management. Demonstration of raster and vector graphics, and their appropriate usage through lessons in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. Lab fee may be required.

This course offers an exploration of three-dimensional space and design. Problems in the additive and subtractive processes will be presented including: open and closed space, mass, and volume. Basic fabrication skills will be covered. Sketchbooks required. Studio fee required.

Exploration of visual storytelling techniques for the attainment of desired storytelling effects; includes character development, using shots, camera, lights, props and background elements, master plots, one and multi-panel cartoons, comics, storyboards, animatics and story-reels. Students will learn the principles of visual storytelling and how to apply them with a time-line based application or temporal design.

This hands-on course provides students with the skills needed to design 3D models, materials, lighting, and animation using a popular 3D software application. Rendering techniques, camera usage, and surface-mapping will be covered in an effort to have students capable of producing photo-realistic images. Lab fee may be required.

Arts/Human Diversity This course is a historical survey of Western art and architecture from Prehistoric times to the end of the Middle Ages in 1300 with an emphasis on the relationship between art, society, culture, religion, and politics. Major works of art and architecture will be discussed from the Ancient Near East, Egypt, Greece-Rome, and finally the Middle Ages. This course is open to all students and required for all majors within the department of Art and Design.

Arts/Human Diversity This course is a historical survey of Western art and architecture from the Renaissance to the present with an emphasis on the relationship between art, society, culture, religion, and politics. Major works of art and architecture will be discussed as a survey of major artistic movements from the fourteenth to the late twentieth century across Europe and America. This course is open to all students and is required for all majors within the department of Art and Design.

This course introduces students to basic concepts of game development including a review and critique of game genres and the basics of the psychology of play. Students will create paper prototypes and play test other’s designs for balance and most importantly fun.

This course will analyze the rise in video game popularity, the psychological effects of prolonged gaming, debate the idea of game design as an art form, and provide students with the skills and opportunity to create a two-dimensional game. The course will be used to conduct a sophomore review for students and instruct them on their degree plan. Lab fee required.

This course will explore current and emerging technologies and provide students with the necessary software skills to apply them in their area of study.

This is an introductory course in drawing in varied media. Problems in rendering objects, perspective, space, light, and composition are presented. Lab fee may be required.

This course will allow students to use two-dimensional art skills, digital painting and three-dimensional computer sculpture to create concept designs for games and film. The course will focus on turning a basic description into a fully understood artistic concept; examples include character, costume design, mechanical design, architectural design, and environmental design.

This course is a study of drawing techniques and fundamentals of anatomical structure as related to the human form. Most work is completed from direct observation of the nude human figure. Studio fee required.

This is an introductory hands-on course focused on the creation of web applications for deployment on multiple platforms such as personal computers, tablets, and smartphones. Topics will include connectivity, interface design, application architectures, and programming. Students will gain skills necessary to develop applications that utilize the unique hardware and communication capabilities of a variety of devices. This course is project based and will likely require extensive time commitment outside of class time. Lab fee may be required.

This course helps students capitalize on their creative and artistic skills in a competitive marketplace. Students apply principles of business to careers in arts and entertainment. Concepts include developing business plans, fundraising, budgeting, project management, personal branding, accounting, and monetizing content.

Supervised work experience for the advanced student which requires the application of principles, skills, and strategies within the discipline. Requires signed internship agreement by student, faculty of record, and supervisor representing host organization. This course may be repeated up to a maximum of 12 credit hours and is graded on a Pass/Fail basis.

This course will explore the history of video games from their influences and precursors to contemporary gaming on various platforms. Major game genres and technological developments shall be discussed within their appropriate socio-historical contexts, as well as the application of critical theory to the discipline.

This course will investigate the Classical myths of ancient Greece and Rome in their cultural context. An overview of the principle myths shall be treated in order to discuss the relationship between myth and literature, and then the rather different relationship between myth and art, so as to understand better the nature of the sources for the myths and their use in Greco-Roman religion and epistemology.

This course introduces you to the essential concepts of writing and developing treatments and structured narrative elements for games. We will focus on narrative and plot structure for linear and open-world game concepts, writing episodes, segments, and cut scenes for digital games, writing protagonists based on the archetypal figure of the Hero’s Journey, writing memorable secondary characters, writing dialogue that advances character and storyline, writing to develop emotional connection between the gamer and the story/characters, and other aspects of story-building. By the end of the course, you will have developed a portfolio of writing samples that are directly related to your interests in game design more broadly, and that can be used to supplement your professional portfolio.

Students work in teams going through the entire game development process going from concept to completed publish ready game creating examples to build their portfolio.

Students continue to work in teams going through the entire game development process going from concept to completed publish ready game creating examples to continue to polish their portfolio, with a special focus on creating a presentable body of work.

Students will use industry standard software to create a playable three-dimensional level, including terrain generation, custom texture maps and three-dimensional place-able models. The course will also explore the theory behind level creation and design. Lab fee required.

This course will introduce the basics of scripting within industry standard game engines. By the end of the course, students will have a knowledge how modern game engines function, and how to develop basic gameplay. Students will learn to prototype games quickly and how to communicate effectively with programmers. This is repeatable up to a maximum of six credit hours.

This course investigates sound production and engineering that are particular to games. The course will cover typical studio effects, sound manipulation, and addresses technical hurdles. More advanced concepts and techniques will also be introduced such as recording custom effects, proper integration of audio into game engines, and mixing techniques particular to the gaming industry. This course is repeatable up to a maximum of six credit hours.

The course focuses on the testing of playable prototypes. Students will address issues of quality assurance and attend to detected program errors, bug fixes, and overall game improvement. Students will also learn to write analytical reports based on the comprehensive testing strategies and tools utilized during this course. This course is repeatable up to a maximum of six credit hours.

Students take a leadership role in this course leading a team of students through the entire game development process going from concept to completed publish-ready game, they help students with creating examples for their portfolio, and create new work of their own.

This course builds on concepts covered in Game Development I introducing students to industry standard software and game design practices.

Special topics in game design. May be repeated as topics vary. Course fee may be required.

This course covers the basic principles of animation. Students will use industry-standard software to create three-dimensional animations including particle simulations, character animation, facial animation, key frames and editing three-dimensional animation curves.

In this capstone experience course, students will research and complete a comprehensive project and present it in the format appropriate for the field.