Curriculum for Game Design Major

Learn to map out, develop, and create the gameplay that defines a player's unique experience from industry-expert faculty with our Game Design major.

Game Design Curriculum

A successful game designer can adapt quickly to new technology and develop new ideas in the face of changing trends. Working on a team to meet studio deadlines, game design professionals must be effective communicators with strong time management skills.

Our Upside-Down Curriculum allows you to begin taking your Game Design classes beginning in your first semester, giving you four years to hone these professional skills and practice game design work.

Learning Outcomes for Game Design

First Year
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
Second Year
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
- EGD 220 Game Studio I
- EGD 240 Creative Portfolio Tools
- GAA 235 3D Modeling —OR— GPR 250 Game Architecture —OR— INN 300 Interactive Narrative II —OR— IXD 200 Aesthetic Interactions
- GMD 240 Level Design
- COR 203 Core Foundations: Making Meaning Through Culture
- COR 204 Theoretical Perspectives
Third Year
Fall Semester
- GMD 310 Applied Ludology
- GMD 390 Game Design Project
  —OR—
  XXX Game Design Elective
- MTH 180 Statistics, Introduction to —OR— MTH 230 Calculus I
- COR 301 Core Foundations: Connecting Place and Identity
- COR 301 Core Foundations: Connecting Place and Identity
Spring Semester
- EGD 320 Game Studio II
- GMD 390 Game Design Project
  —OR—
  XXX Game Design Elective
- XXX General Elective
- COR 303 Core Foundations: Connecting Past and Present
- COR 304 Digital Methods
Fourth Year
Fall Semester
- CCC 410EGD College Capstone in Game Development
- GMD 390 Game Design Project
  —OR—
  XXX Game Design Elective
- SCI XXX Natural Science w/Lab
- XXX General Elective
Spring Semester
- EGD 420 Game Studio III
- GMD 390 Game Design Project
  —OR—
  XXX Game Design Elective
- GMD 410 Senior Portfolio: Game Design
- XXX General Elective

Students learn the history and basics of computing, as well as the fundamentals of programming. General topics include: the history of computing, number systems and classical computing, Boolean logic, algorithm design and implementation, and modern computer organization. Programming topics include: memory and variables, mathematical operations, basic input and output, decision making, repetitions, functions, and arrays.

Prerequisites
Credits	3

Students will learn the history and basics of computing as well as the fundamentals of Python programming. General topics include: the history of computing, number systems, Boolean logic, algorithm design and implementation, and modern computer organization. Programming topics include: memory and variables, data types, mathematical operations, basic file I/O, decision-making, repetitions, functions, and list basics.

Prerequisites
Credits	3

Game History is an integrated, cross-disciplinary hands-on history class where students actively research the evolution and history of games through the lenses of design, art, technology, business, society and culture. Working with resources from the Game History Teaching Collection, and from the perspective of their discipline as a game developer, students will play, study and research historical to contemporary games. In this way, students will discover the nexus of relationships driving game development.

Prerequisites	Game Design, Game Art, Game Production Management or Game Programming students only. Or receive permission of the Dean.
Credits	3

What's the difference between an FPS and an RPG? Are discovery and exploration important in every style of game, or can they detract from a cool game concept? We answer these questions by examining genres in games and analyzing some of the gameplay styles associated with them. Then, once we've discovered strengths and weaknesses inherent to particular game styles, we'll develop skills necessary to formulate and evauluate our own original gameplay ideas.

Prerequisites	Game Design, CREM or Game Production Management majors only, or permission of Game Design Program Director.
Credits	3

Why go to college? What does it mean to be educated? In this course you'll begin to answer these questions. We'll explore the academic expectations of higher education, college as a diverse community, and the significance of education around the world. By examining how these issues are negotiated and implemented at Champlain and elsewhere, you'll gain perspective on your own education and a deeper understanding of the ways that the college experience can be both liberating and transformative.

Prerequisites	Take Cor-102 concurrently.
Credits	3

Inquiry is about learning how to ask the right kinds of questions, and figuring out how to answer those questions through discussion and reflection. This course introduces you to the types of inquiry necessary to succeed at Champlain and beyond. You will explore the intersections of reading, writing, and thinking by focusing on a specific topic or theme. You will approach that focus through the interrogation of relevant texts and analysis that draws upon multiple analytical frameworks. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-one

Prerequisites	Take COR-101 concurrently.
Credits	3

Communication is at the center of success for a Game Designer. Visual Communication for Game Designers takes an integrated approach exploring technology, visual design aesthetics and principles, and visual design communication forms most often used by game designers to successfully communicate their ideas to their teams and build and test good user interaction models.

Prerequisites	Game Design majors only.
Credits	3

In this course, students will learn how to exercise, practice and cultivate creativity. Students will learn the value of the creative process, the role of creativity in play and culture and how to develop their ideas through iterative processes. Students will employ a variety of creative tools and techniques to develop a lasting creative practice.

Prerequisites	Game Design and CREM majors only or permission of Game Design Program Director.
Credits	3

Game designers need an essential skill set that allows them to realize their concepts through working prototypes. In Game Technology I students learn how to develop and manipulate game mechanics and environments through visual and traditional scripting tools. This class is the first in a series that supports skills needed for level editing and design, prototyping, and working in game engines.

Prerequisites	CSI-140 or CSI-160 and Game Design, CREM or Game Art majors only, or permission of Game Design Program Director.
Credits	3

What makes an argument good or bad? What counts as evidence in our post-truth world? How can you understand and assess the truth value of a claim when you're not an expert? In this course you'll learn rhetorical strategies about how to examine arguments and types of evidence in different disciplines and fields of study. To help learn these strategies, you will do close readings of texts from a variety of disciplines in the liberal arts and sciences, popular culture, and social media.

Prerequisites	Take COR-104 concurrently.
Credits	3

This course introduces you to interdisciplinary inquiry using applied, project-based, and/or experiential methods. Regardless of the specific course focus, you'll have opportunities for making and doing interdisciplinary knowledge creation through a variety of approaches and activities. You will collaborate with other students, iterate on ideas, and work to develop a project. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-one

Prerequisites	Take Cor-103 concurrently.
Credits	3

This course builds on the content from Introduction to Programming. Students study the Object Oriented Programming (OOP) Paradigm with topics such as objects, classes, encapsulation, abstraction, modularity, inheritance, and polymorphism. Students examine and use structures such as arrays, structs, classes, and linked lists to model complex information. Pointers and dynamic memory allocation are covered, as well as principles such as overloading and overriding. Students work to solve problems by selecting implementation options from competing alternatives.

Prerequisites	Complete CSI-140 with a C or better
Credits	3

This course is an introduction to the foundation principles of 3D modeling and texturing for games. Students will learn to create optimized and aesthetically successful textured 3D models that work within the constraints of graphics production for real-time 3D game engines.

Prerequisites	Game Art, Animation, Game Design, Game Programming, Creative Media students only or by permission of Game Art Program Director.
Credits	3

Prepare for professional work in interactive narrative in this rigorous but fun class, where you'll completedo actual on-the-job projectsassignments to hone your skills and get your creativity flowing. We'll analyze important games and interactive works, learn industry tools and create works to build your narrative portfolio.

Prerequisites	COmplete INN-110.
Credits	3

The Principles of Game Design focuses on preparing the game designer to lead in the development of a game. The course covers the full spectrum of a game designer's role and responsibilities including conceptualization, documentation, team management, and defining all aspects of the design from target market to the world and gameplay.

Prerequisites	Game Design or CREM majors only, or permission of Game?Design Program Director and complete GMD-110 with a C or?better and complete GMD-200 or be taking GMD-200?concurrently. Take GMD-200 previously or concurrently.
Credits	3

Acquire the integration skills needed to successfully build a 3D game. In Game Engine I we explore both the technical construction and practical design of games in a 3D game engine. The technical skills required to use the game engine software are combined with knowing how and when to use spaces in a level, construct an interface, establish moods, and direct a player's attention through sound effects, lighting, camera angles, and text to create a complete working game.

Prerequisites	Game Design majors only or permission of Game Design Program Director and complete GMD-200 with a C or better.
Credits	3

Science holds an elevated place in society. The knowledge and meaning that science makes are seen as having a particular and special value. This course explores knowledge and meaning making in order to allow a thoughtful analysis of, and then engagement with, science as a way of knowing, and then engages with the methods and theories of the sciences themselves, to understand the analytical, creative, and generative possibilities of science.

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104.
Credits	3

While each section of COR 202 addresses a different problem, issue, or topic, they all focus on interdisciplinary research. You will collect, analyze, and assess information from different disciplines in order to recognize patterns, contextualize arguments and synthesize ideas while collaborating on a project. Emphasis will be placed on helping you translate and apply what you learn about interdisciplinary research to other professional contexts. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-two

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104.
Credits	3

In Game Studio I, students from all of the degrees of the Game Studio work together in small, multidisciplinary teams to rapidly conceptualize, plan and prototype a variety of 2D game prototypes. Students explore development for both PC and mobile technology, while learning collaborative skills in communication, agile project management techniques, and version control.

Prerequisites

All - GDES, GMRT, GPMG, GMSD, GPRO, INAR only Game Design majors, complete GMD-200 and GMD-210 with grade C or higher. Game Art majors, complete GAA-205 with grade C or higher. Game Programming majors, complete CSI-240 with grade C or higher. Game Production Management majors, complete MGT-140 with minimum grade of C. Game Sound Design majors, complete SON-120 with minimum grade of C. Interactive Narrative majors, complete INN-200 with a minimum grade of C.

Credits

In the Creative Portfolio Tools course, students explore and develop a variety of portfolio tools to assist in a successful launch of their careers in the creative industry. These include websites, presenting portfolio, creating a personal image, business cards, cover letters and resumes, developing reels and other video based promotions, and using social media and networking. The course is modular and self paced, allowing students to work on materials specific to their area of employment, and their needs for gaining internships and/or employment.

Prerequisites
Credits	1

Building on the fundamental skills developed in Introduction to 3D Modeling & Texturing, students create detailed 3D models that are optimized for use in real-time game engines. Focus will be on refining high poly to low poly baking techniques, texture creation workflow, and in-engine material and lighting techniques.

Prerequisites	Take GAA-135, grade C or higher.
Credits	3

Game Architecture explores components and subsystems of electronic games and their associated architectures. Topics include game state representation, time management, the main game loop and game subsystems. Game design and planning from first concept to start of development are explored in detail. In addition to game architecture, we will also look into the issues of game design, team building, and management. The focus will be on those implementations that work well, and will include situations to avoid and how to fix errors.

Prerequisites	Complete CSI-240 with a minimum grade of C.
Credits	3

Interactive Narrative II builds on the concepts, tools and skills from Interactive I. In this course you'll create narrative structures beyond simple branching, as you gain a deeper understanding of narrative design theory. You'll hone your player-facing writing skills to write professional-quality dialogue and text. Projects in this class will challenge you to complete real-world assignments on time and to specifications. You'll gain proficiency with industry-standard tools and bring your analysis, critique and revision skills to a professional level. This course provides a strong foundation for the Advanced Seminar and eventual work in the field.

Prerequisites	Complete INN-200.
Credits	3

Screen-based interactive environments, whether they take the form of games, mobile apps, informational kiosks or interactive data visualizations are aesthetic and communicative products. In Aesthetic Interactions, students learn how to design for interactive media productions in ways that support specific visual design and user experience goals.

Prerequisites	COMPLETE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING: IXD-100, GMD-200, GAA-205, or VCD-206.
Credits	3

A level designer controls moment by moment what a player sees, hears and feels during the game experience. Following the broader direction of the game designer, the level designer creates the setting and crafts the challenges for each individual level. The style and content of individual game levels must establish the right mood, support the anticipated functionality, advance the storyline, and satisfy the idiosyncratic requirements of the players. Building on the design foundation of Conceptual Design, this course teaches students how to successfully design, draft, document, and implement successful game levels.

Prerequisites	Game Design majors only or permission of Game Design Program Director and complete GMD-200 and GMD-210 with a C or better.
Credits	3

Culture impacts everything we do, experience, and learn, but what is culture? Where does it come from, how does it form, and why does it have such a wide and deep impact on people's lives? This course explores culture as a system of meaning and meaning-making in order to allow for a more thoughtful analysis of, and then engagement with, cultural texts and media using different methodological approaches.

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104.
Credits	3

In this course, you will go in depth about a theoretical perspective that asks you to interrogate systems of power and power relationships. You will learn about the history of that perspective, including how it too was shaped by multiple contexts and compares with other viewpoints. You will use that perspective to analyze a specific topic, collection of texts, or cultural phenomena. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-two

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104.
Credits	3

Students learn to apply methodologies of modern ludic theory in both the deconstruction and analysis of games and their systems, as well as the generation of innovative gameplay solutions. We will cover an array of topics that range from understanding forms of logic and reasoning to evaluating gameplay analytics in an effort to develop a comprehensive framework for game design problem-solving.

Prerequisites	Game Design or CREM majors only. Must have completed GMD-210 with a C or better.
Credits	3

Teaches a statistical approach to decision making under uncertainty. Topics are descriptive statistics, probability distributions, inferential statistics, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, linear regression and correlation.

Prerequisites
Credits	3

This course teaches the common application of calculus theories. You will investigate basic topics of differential and integral calculus with a specific emphasis on applications. You will perform differentiation and integration of algebraic and transcendental functions, apply optimization techniques, and learn to formulate and solve differential equations.

Prerequisites	Complete MTH-125 or receive a passing grade on the Calculus Readiness Test.
Credits	3

Where we are shapes how we understand ourselves and each other. In this course, we will dig into the relationship between place and identity. We will learn how to think spatially, recognizing how one's identity is situated within and constructed through movement through different spaces--be they natural and built environments, rural and urban, or actual and virtual. COR 301 will help us understand the complex meanings of identity in a world defined by movement and change.

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104, COR-201, COR-202, COR-203, COR-204
Credits	3

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104, COR-201, COR-202, COR-203, COR-204
Credits	3

In Game Studio II, students from all of the degrees of the Game Studio work together in large, multidisciplinary teams to rapidly conceptualize, pitch, plan and develop a 3D game. Students utilize the latest in game technology, while perfecting their collaborative, communication skills, and agile project management techniques.

Prerequisites	GDES.BS, GART.BS, GPRO.BS, GPMG.BS, GMSD.BS, GMBP.BS only. EGD-220, minimum grade of C. Game Design Students: EGD-300, minimum grade of C Game Art Students: EGD-235, minimum grade of C Game Programming: GPR-250, minimum grade of C Game Sound Design: SON-300, minimum grade of C Game Business & Publishing: GBP-200, minimum grade of C
Credits	3

By learning from the past, we can make sense of the present and prepare for the future. In this course, we will learn how the 21st century has been and continues to be shaped by past social practices, ethical frameworks, power relations, and discourses. COR 303 is a course about how we know what we know about the past, and the ways different narratives about the past shape the present. Making connections between past and present will help us better understand how to live and make decisions in a globalized world defined by constant change.

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104, COR-201, COR-202, COR-203, COR-204
Credits	3

Digital methods are widely used forms of inquiry that employ technological tools to interrogate research questions important to the humanities and sciences (including the social sciences). Some examples include digital archiving, data mining, and story mapping. In this course, we will use one or more digital methods or tools to research a topic, theme or question that varies by section, with the express purpose of critiquing and reflecting on its application. This includes an examination of the values, flaws, and impacts of the methods or tools we are using, paying particular attention to their ethical implications and power dynamics. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-three

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104, COR-201, COR-202, COR-203, COR-204
Credits	3

The college capstone in Game Development is an opportunity for students in the Game Studio to pursue a self-directed experience in a collaborative Game Development environment that intentionally integrates their liberal learning in the Core curriculum with their degree learning. Students spend the semester working in teams conceptualizing and building a proof of concept that they may choose to pitch to a faculty panel for selection for production in the second semester.

Prerequisites	GDES, GMRT, GPRO, GMSD, GPMG, GMBP, and INAR only. All must complete COR 301, COR 302, COR 303, COR 304. EGD 320, C or better.
Credits	5

In EGD 420, Game Studio III, seniors successful in pitching their games during the college capstone in the Fall semester continue into full production. Forming large production teams, games are taken to the perfect polished state of gold master, ready for publication. Academic emphasis for the class is focused on working successfully in a professional studio environment, preparing for entrance into the job market, and taking personal craft to the next level.

Prerequisites	CCC-410EGD with a minimum grade of C or better. GDES, GMRT, GMSD, GPMG, GPRO, GMBP, and INAR only.
Credits	5

Looking to land a job as a game designer? In today's fast changing industry, you'll need to demonstrate top-notch skills, get attention, and stand out from the crowd. This class allows you to define, refine, and develop an individual body of work that will capture the attention of hiring managers. Emphasis is on presentation, editing, and organization of a personal portfolio, under the guidance of faculty to ensure a professional product.

Prerequisites	90 credits completed, GDES.BS students only, or by permission of the CCM Division Dean.
Credits	3

Become Champlain Ready

Take the Next Step

Visit Us Request Info