Game Design and Development 1: 2D Shooter (Coursera)

Game Design and Development 1: 2D Shooter (Coursera)

If you love games and want to learn how to make them, then this course will start you down that path. Making games is a creative and technical art form. In this course you will familiarize yourself with the tools and practices of game development and well as the process. You will get started developing video games using industry standard game development tools, including the Unity 2020 game engine. At the end of the course you will have completed two hands-on projects, including an Intro to Unity project and a 2D Shooter game, and will be able to leverage an array of game development techniques to create your own basic games.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Course 1 of 5 in the Game Design and Development with Unity 2020 Specialization.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
From Game Player to Game Developer
The only thing more fun than playing games is making them. You can make games. All it takes is some time, a willingness to learn and a passion to create. You don't need to be a "coder" to make games. Part of the beauty of games is that they take a variety of skills to make. Art, creativity, and systems thinking are just as important as code. Join us in this journey into game making! This first module will provide you with an overview of this course and the entire specialization. The module will also introduce you to the game design and development process and get you up and running with Unity, the game engine we will use across this course.

WEEK 2
Understanding Core Unity Concepts
One of the reasons we use Unity is its visual editor which makes creating interactive games accessible to both creative and technical individuals. In this module, you will continue working on the Solar System project and from start to finish. Using a variety of graphical and audio assets and a library of scripts, you will create a simple model of our solar system. By the end of the module, you should have a good understanding of the Unity editor, the core concepts of building projects in Unity, and the workflow for creating games.

WEEK 3
Building Your First Game
Unity is a powerful tool for creating games. In this module, you will create your first actual game from start to finish in the form of a 2D Shooter game. This is your right of passage into game development! In the first part of the assignment, follow along with the tutorial videos in this module. In the second part of the project, you will modify the game to make it your own.

WEEK 4
Coding Gameplay Systems and Finishing Up
Now, don't get scared, but games need code. Code is the canvas upon which game systems are painted. However, that doesn't mean you need to be a C# ninja. In this module, you will start to learn the ins-and-outs of programming C# in Unity. In this module, you will also finish up the 2D Shooter project, submit it for peer review, and peer review your fellow learners games. Finish the course strong!

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Constructivism and Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Constructivism and Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education (Coursera)

This course is designed to help participants examine the implications of constructivism for learning and teaching in science, mathematics, and technology focused areas. Course readings, discussions, and assignments will examine constructivist views of learning, research on students' ideas and idea-based interactions, research on instructional approaches taking student ideas into account, and challenges in implementing constructivist perspectives in instruction.

Oct 12th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Get Interactive: Practical Teaching with Technology (Coursera) Coursera
University of London,Bloomsbury Learning Environment

Get Interactive: Practical Teaching with Technology (Coursera)

This course is designed to help you create dynamic, interactive online courses through the use of multimedia tools, student collaboration opportunities, and formative assessment and feedback. Each week we will focus on a particular topic: Using multimedia for teaching and learning; Encouraging student collaboration; Formative assessment and feedback.

Oct 4th 2026
3 Weeks
Creative Programming for Digital Media & Mobile Apps (Coursera) Coursera
University of London,Goldsmiths, University of London

Creative Programming for Digital Media & Mobile Apps (Coursera)

This course is for anyone who would like to apply their technical skills to creative work ranging from video games to art installations to interactive music, and also for artists who would like to use programming in their artistic practice. This course will teach you how to develop and apply programming skills to creative work. This is an important skill within the development of creative mobile applications, digital music and video games. It will teach the technical skills needed to write software that make use of images, audio and graphics, and will concentrate on the application of these skills to creative projects. Additional resources will be provided for students with no programming background.

Oct 12th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Code Yourself! An Introduction to Programming (Coursera) Coursera
University of Edinburgh,Universidad ORT Uruguay

Code Yourself! An Introduction to Programming (Coursera)

Have you ever wished you knew how to program, but had no idea where to start from? This course will teach you how to program in Scratch, an easy to use visual programming language. More importantly, it will introduce you to the fundamental principles of computing and it will help you think like a software engineer.

Sep 28th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Electric Utilities Fundamentals and Future (Coursera) Coursera
University of Colorado System

Electric Utilities Fundamentals and Future (Coursera)

The approach of this course is truly unique in how it approaches and engages learners. It looks at the electric utility industry, which has remained critical to our quality of life, health and comfort from the eyes of numerous industry experts through on-location interviews, compelling visuals, and animation. You will benefit from having the inside track because you see some behind-the-scenes information not covered in news stories, social media or even if we are in the business ourselves.

Oct 12th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Quantitative Model Checking (Coursera) Coursera
EIT Digital

Quantitative Model Checking (Coursera)

The integration of ICT (information and communications technology) in different applications is rapidly increasing in e.g. Embedded and Cyber physical systems, Communication protocols and Transportation systems. Hence, their reliability and dependability increasingly depends on software. Defects can be fatal and extremely costly (with regards to mass-production of products and safety-critical systems).

Oct 5th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Introduction to .NET Core (Coursera) Coursera
Board Infinity

Introduction to .NET Core (Coursera)

This course is an introductory-level course for software developers who want to learn the basics of developing applications with .NET Core. .NET Core is a cross-platform, open-source development platform that allows developers to create applications for Windows, Linux, and macOS. Throughout this course, students will learn the fundamental concepts of .NET Core, including its architecture, programming model, and tools. They will also learn how to create, build, and deploy applications using .NET Core.

Oct 5th 2026
3 Weeks
Algorithmic Thinking (Part 1) (Coursera) Coursera
Rice University

Algorithmic Thinking (Part 1) (Coursera)

Experienced Computer Scientists analyze and solve computational problems at a level of abstraction that is beyond that of any particular programming language. This two-part class is designed to train students in the mathematical concepts and process of "Algorithmic Thinking", allowing them to build simpler, more efficient solutions to computational problems.

Oct 5th 2026
4 Weeks
Build a Modern Computer from First Principles: Nand to Tetris Part II (project-centered course) (Coursera) Coursera
Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Build a Modern Computer from First Principles: Nand to Tetris Part II (project-centered course) (Coursera)

In this project-centered course you will build a modern software hierarchy, designed to enable the translation and execution of object-based, high-level languages on a bare-bone computer hardware platform. In particular, you will implement a virtual machine and a compiler for a simple, Java-like programming language, and you will develop a basic operating system that closes gaps between the high-level language and the underlying hardware platform.

Oct 12th 2026
5-12 Weeks