Courses

An overview of the business aspects of making and marketing video games. Students will investigate a wide variety of issues, processes, and forces in the games industry, including marketing, budgeting, contracting, and laws pertinent to game production. Student research of contemporary and historical business models for making games will be particularly important, as will be the critical, faith-based evaluation of current labour practices and other business-related ethical issues facing the games industry.

An introduction to the foundational principles and practices of animation. While students will focus on 2D animation in frequent practical exercises, their acquired skills and theory will be foundational for doing 3D animation. This course is a prerequisite for any subsequent animation courses.

An introduction to the foundational principles and practices of 3D computer animation. Working in a lab setting, students will develop the basic conceptual and technical tools necessary to create and modify elements for game development.

A continuation of GAME 140 - Introduction to Game Design. Students focus on applying game design principles explicitly to the video game medium. By engaging in constant design projects and exercises, students will broaden their knowledge of design theory and develop the necessary skills to rapidly prototype and test game design ideas.

An introduction to project management with a focus on making video games. Students will study and critically evaluate key project management concepts, issues, and procedures, such as different development methodologies, project scheduling, effective communication, workplace ethics, and team building.

A project-based course in which teams of students will work together to create and release simple video games. Each student will contribute on the basis of their specialized training to this point in the program. This is the first of three Game Development project courses, and its primary goal is to introduce students to the experience of working on video games.

Topics vary from year to year.

A survey of the history and current use of sound and music in video games. Students will investigate how audio in video games is unique and where it draws on other media, as well as learn about the tools and best practices used in the creation of sound and music in video games. Through this study, students will become more aesthetically informed critics of the use of audio in video games.

Covers the core components of effective sound design, such as sound effects, voice recording and mixing. This is a hands-on studio-based course in which students will engage in frequent hands-on exercises and in-class activities in order to prepare them to contribute the non-musical audio elements necessary for video game development. Students who are not part of the Game Development program will also benefit from taking this course, as it is also applicable to nongame forms of media production.