Course Code: Schedule: Instructor: John Bezark Office Hours: Thursday 1-5pm. Book here
An introductory course exploring the fundamentals of digital game design and development. This course will use Godot 4 as the primary game creation tool, and it wil cover the basics of game development, coding fundamentals, and game design principles. Students will engage in hands-on projects to develop practical skills in both 2D and 3D game design. Students are not expected to have any prior programming or game design experience.
- Understand the principles of game design and development.
- Gain proficiency in Godot 4.
- Develop basic coding skills relevant to game design.
- Complete three major game design projects: a tabletop game, a 2D game, and a capstone game.
- Enhance writing and oral presentation skills through game-related assignments.
- Be able to better work in teams
- Respond to critical feedback constructively
The work of the class consists of the following:
| Assignment | Description | Due Date | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class Participation | Actively participate in class discussions and contribute to group projects. | 15 | |
| Game Review | Play one of the suggested games and review it! | 10 | |
| Tabletop Game | A playable prototype of a tabletop game | 16 | |
| Tabletop Game Process Paper | Paper which documents process, execution and playtesting of tabletop game | 10 | |
| Labs 1-4 | 4 short coding assignments designed to build proficiency. 6 points each. | 24 | |
| 2D Game Design Document | A brief paper describing your concept for the 2D Game | 10 | |
| 2D Game | A playable prototype of a 2D game | 25 | |
| Capstone Concept Presentation | A brief Presentation describing your concept for the 2D Game | 10 | |
| Capstone Game | A polished game. Can be an evolution of the 2D game or something new. | Final | 30 |
| Total Points Possible | 150 |
All assignments will be graded on the due date. Students are always allowed to revise and resubmit work up until the class before the final.
Attendence: Students are allowed 3 unexcused absences. After this, each unexcused absence will lower your final grade by 1/2 a letter, i.e. B+ -> B or A -> A-
The course is split into 3 distinct modules each with a unique project:
- Week 1-3: Game Design Fundamentals and tabletop design
- Week 4-10: 2D Game Design
- Week 10-14: 3D Game Design/Final Project Development
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FILL OUT THIS FORM so you can tell me if I’m giving you too much homework!
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Who are you/Syllabus Review
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Professor John
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Game Design Fundamentals Break
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The Iterative Game Design Process 20
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Prototyping
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Playtesting
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Group Work
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Homework: Game Review
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Homework: Tabletop Game
- MDA Framework - Systems, Loops and Balance
- Prototyping Tabletop Games: Balancing and Mechanics
- Reading: MDA
- MDA Framework
- Systems, Loops and Balance
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Playtesting
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Getting started with Godot
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Nodes and Scenes
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DUE: Tabletop Game
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Homework: Lab 1
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Hello Godot
- Video turotial on Github and Godot
- Lab 1 review
- Nodes and Scenes
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DUE: Process Paper
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Homework: 2D Game Concept
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Homework: 2D Game
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- Scripts and properties
- Variables
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DUE: Lab 1
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DUE: 2D Game Concept
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Homework: Lab 2
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Lab Review - 20
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Input map
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Using Nodes together
- Area2D
- Camera2D
- Timer
- ChgaracterBody
- CollisionShapes
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Functions/Signals
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Git Collaboration and Branches
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Common Patterns (Time permitting)
- Items
- Enemies
- Checkpoints
- Respawns
- Killboxes
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Homework: Lab 3
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DUE: Lab 2
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DUE: 2D Concept
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Area2D Review
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Assets
- Tilemaps
- Sprite Sheets
- Paralax layers
- Where to find assets
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Sound
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Lighting
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Control Nodes
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Project Development
- Playtesting
- DUE: 2D Game
- Hello 3D
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Introduction to 3D in Godot
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Lighting and Camera Techniques in 3D Games
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Materials, Models
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Light, Sound
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Homework: Lab 3
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Homework: Capstone Game
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Homework: Capstone Presentation
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Materials, Models, Lights, Fog, Camera Attributes
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Animated Characters
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Physics/Sandbox
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DUE: Lab 4
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Review
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Advanced Topics
- Exporting
- NPCs, Classes and Inheritance...
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Capstone presentations
- Capstone presentations
- XR
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DUE: Final project playtest
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Review
- DUE: Capstone Project
- Preparing for the Game Industry: Portfolio and Career Paths
- Godot 4.3 : An open source 2D, 3D and XR game engine.
- Github Desktop: an industry standard version control system
- Godot 4.3 : An open source 2D, 3D and XR game engine.
- Blender : an open source 3D modeling and animation program.
- Github Desktop: an industry standard version control system
John Bezark (he/they) is a Brooklyn based Game Designer, Creative Technologist, Immersive Experience Designer and Video Artist. They graduated from NYU’s ITP with an MPS in Interactive Telecommunications and from Fordham University with a BA in Theatrical Directing. John has made everything from Solar Powered Websites to Immersive Game-shows about Systems Thinking.
Nowadays they like to use the Godot Game Engine to create one of a kind immersive and interactive experiences, games and performance art.
When not creating weird things, John also really likes to work in education and he’s passionate about teaching others how to design immersive spaces, how to make games and how to see the world through the lens of Systems Thinking. Email: [email protected] Portfolio
Office Hours by appointment.