Classes Taken (GPA 3.

6)

Professional Development Seminar II: Game Design

In Professional Development Seminar II: Game Design, students will continue an in-depth
exploration of the game design industry. With this newly acquired industry knowledge,
students will create a career strategy map of their own. Students will also learn how to
evaluate, modify, and maintain their personal brand.
Project and Portfolio II: Game Design
The Project and Portfolio II: Game Design course combines hands-on learning experiences
with summative and formative portfolio assessments. In this course, students will use
knowledge gained from previous classes to implement a game level within an
approximation of a professional team environment. This hands-on application will serve to
highlight students’ abilities to exercise both their interpersonal and technical skills when
working through interactive projects.
Level Design I
The Level Design I course explores how to analyze game levels and break them down into
their basic structural components. Students will learn the benchmarks to properly guide
their design when working on a level. Understanding the purpose any particular object in a
level serves, whether an object is intended to be functional or simply aesthetic, and when
or if a player should receive support are critical points of reference to inform level design.
Students will also study level pacing and flow, setting clear goals for a player, and the
importance of visual cues.
Scripting for Designers II
Scripting for Designers II builds on students’ previous course work and knowledge gained
in programming and scripting. Students will continue to develop their familiarity with the
technical structure underlying games. They will explore the advanced use of a game engine
and arrange complex data structures such as vectors, queues, and dictionaries. Tools and
processes involving game cameras and game animations will be covered.
Systems Design
Games are collections of systems. As such, a game designer must be able to understand
how the values underlying those systems are generated and how the data interact. In
Systems Design, students will use spreadsheets to record, store, and manipulate data.
They will also analyze the data accessed in actual games using the tools covered in the
course and then monitor how changes to those data sets affect the dynamics of play.
Professional Development Seminar I: Game Design
In Professional Development Seminar I: Game Design, students will build upon previous
course work to gain an understanding of career opportunities, topics of study, and current
issues in the game design industry.
Building Functional Groups
The Building Functional Groups course investigates the collaborative techniques and
communication skills critical to today's game design teams. Functional teams are the basis
of all game-development environments. Building these groups requires the understanding
of the elements necessary for successful construction and the process agility to maintain
them. Students will learn how to survey, develop, and employ unique, team-specific
communication, decision-making, problem-solving, and conflict-resolution techniques. The
objective of this course is to expose student groups to the foundational basics needed to
act as functional group organizers and team members in any environment.
Scripting for Designers I
The Scripting for Designers I course elaborates on the basics of data usage and coding
syntax covered in Introduction to Programming. This course focuses on more intermediate
topics in computer science, such as algorithms, objects and classes, and testing and
debugging. An emphasis is placed on recognizing the tools and workflows needed to
effectively execute, test, and organize data for professional software projects.
English Composition I
The English Composition I course introduces students to the principles of writing. Within
the context of academic writing, students will learn how to develop ideas, control the voice
and style of their writing, and formulate a thesis. Students will also learn to compose
logical sentences and paragraphs in order to represent ideas and create rhetorical
cohesion. Special attention is given to selecting and refining topics, identifying the
audience, developing a purpose, and revising written work.
Fundamentals of Physical Science
The Fundamentals of Physical Science course teaches students how to interpret the world
through a variety of scientific concepts such as Newtonian mechanics, properties of matter,
electromagnetism, the nature of waves and sound, and cosmological phenomena.
Application of physical theories and mathematical formulas are explored through the
interpretation of real and dramatized events.
Project and Portfolio I: Game Design
In Project and Portfolio I: Game Design, students will create a basic software program
using code outside of a game engine rather than working within one. Through this work,
students will gain experience with procedural logic in a scripting language, linear thinking,
and data-driven behavior. They will then revise their project inside of a AAA game engine
to illustrate the difference between working with an engine and without one. By the end of
the course, students will understand programming fundamentals and game-engine basics.
Introduction to Programming

Use of programming and scripting principles is essential to digital interactive design.

Introduction to Programming covers the basics of data use as well as storage, operation,
and control flow. Focus is placed on problem-solving and encouraging students to apply
and translate the concepts taught in this course to resolve issues across various
programming and scripting languages.

Introduction to Game Design

The Introduction to Game Design course examines the active role of game designers by
breaking down game ideas into discrete, functional, and logical systems. Since designers
are responsible for all features of any given game, such as player goals, choices, and game
rules, students will observe and analyze different game designs to understand how these
elements interact. They will further hone their design and technical-writing skills by
creating game prototypes and revising and editing flowcharts, outlines, and research data
through multiple iterations of analog games.
Design Tools
In the Design Tools course, students will gain exposure to the tools used by game
designers in the industry. Students will learn the structure of game-industry teams and
how different tools are used in team environments. Students will also learn how to create
game design documentation, simulate using spreadsheets, brainstorm effectively, and
present ideas in a group setting. The intent of the course is to provide a solid foundation
of the basic tools that game designers use.
Discrete Mathematics
The Discrete Mathematics course provides an introduction to basic concepts of
mathematics and mathematical reasoning. Students will explore propositional and symbolic
logic, sets and relations, sequences, functions, algorithms, matrices, number theory,
combinatorics, probability, and Boolean algebra. Students will also use sets, truth tables,
and other data structures to recognize and express mathematical ideas graphically,
numerically, symbolically, and in writing.
Technology in the Entertainment and Media Industries
The Technology in the Entertainment and Media Industries course examines the impact of
technology and technological innovations across various industries. Students will explore a
variety of interactive forms, media types, programming languages, and organizational
structures and will also learn how these various components can be combined to create
professional technology-based projects. In addition, students will learn how emerging
technologies are shaping entertainment and media industries and how to prepare for
careers in this dynamic field.
Psychology of Play
In the Psychology of Play course, students will explore how the field of psychology values
the concept of play as a mechanism that allows a person to apply game strategies to
accomplish life goals. Students will examine how the action of play shapes the brain,
develops critical-thinking skills, and strengthens the ability to collaborate with others in
social and professional settings. By exploring the key works of historical and current
researchers and theorists, students will learn about the value of play and how to apply
techniques of play in developing cognitive strategies to complete creative, professional,
and social tasks. This course enables students to utilize perspectives in psychology to
examine how play relates to their life, education, and chosen creative field.
Creative Presentation
In the Creative Presentation course, students will learn the foundations of oral
communication and basic principles of speech by building and delivering presentations of
their own. Through guided exploration, students will learn to effectively utilize storytelling
techniques, create meaningful content, and develop communication tactics. Multiple
learning activities will allow students to examine the core aspects of public speaking and
presentation, including audience, delivery, and message.