EdX

History of Game Design: 2010 to present (edX)

Offered by LaSalle College, LaSalleX,
History of Game Design: 2010 to present (edX)

Learn about the modern age of gaming, the move towards mobile and the future of gaming. We will now turn our attention to the consoles of the eighth and ninth generations and learn about advances in computer gaming and related gaming technologies, including a decline in physical game media in favor of digital downloads, the emerging virtual reality (VR) gaming sector, and the rise of esports as a major commercial enterprise.

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

You will also learn about the history of independent video games and why they are relevant to video game history. Your journey continues with the evolution of handheld, mobile and social media games and how microconsoles have impacted the industry.
Finally, you will explore the resurgence in experimenting with mixed and virtual reality technology. After all, what could be better than playing a video game—other than living inside one?
Topics covered include:

  • The end of generations
  • Independent games
  • Mobile games, social games, microconsoles and mixed reality

This course is part of the History of Games XSeries.

What you'll learn

  • Advances in computer gaming and related gaming technologies and their significant impact on the industry
  • The defining features and major game releases of the eighth- and ninth-generation consoles
  • The relevance of independent games to video game history
  • Why Vancouver is recognized as a hub of video game production and development
  • How the evolution of games played on mobile devices and social media and the phenomenon of microconsoles have changed the direction of video game history
    • How mixed reality technologies have developed and how they may affect the future of gaming
Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Building Interactive 3D Characters and Social VR (Coursera) Coursera
University of London,Goldsmiths, University of London

Building Interactive 3D Characters and Social VR (Coursera)

Meeting another person is one of the most amazing experiences you can have in Virtual Reality. It is quite unlike communicating through any other medium except a real life face-to-face conversation. Because the other person is life size and shares a virtual space with you, body language works in a way that cannot be done on a flat screen. This course will enable you to create realistic social interactions in VR.

Sep 28th 2026
4 Weeks
Game Design and Development 3: 3D Shooter (Coursera) Coursera
Michigan State University

Game Design and Development 3: 3D Shooter (Coursera)

If you love games and want to learn how to make them, then this course is your third step down that path. In this course you will learn the fundamentals of game design, including an understanding of level design, game balancing, prototyping, and playtesting, as well as game asset creation techniques. You will continue 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 a 3D First-Person Shooter game, and will be able to leverage an array of game development techniques to create your own basic games.

Sep 28th 2026
4 Weeks
Revit for Structural Engineers (edX) EdX
University System of Maryland - USM,USMx

Revit for Structural Engineers (edX)

Learn how to model basic building structural systems in Autodesk Revit. Building Information Modeling (BIM) has initiated a sea change in the way that buildings are designed and constructed. Old methods rooted in two-dimensional thinking have been pushed aside to make way for new three-dimensional approaches that leverage the latest advancements in computing technology.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Introduction to Game Design: Game Systems and Balance (edX) EdX
LaSalle College,LaSalleX

Introduction to Game Design: Game Systems and Balance (edX)

Learn the deep mechanics of good system design that is both fun and rewarding for the gamer. Game designers create the ideas and worlds of games—they design the environment, characters, game mechanics, goals and user experience. Successful game designers do this by applying the fundamentals of game system design and logic.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Character Design for Video Games (Coursera) Coursera
California Institute of the Arts

Character Design for Video Games (Coursera)

In this course you will explore concepts and approaches involved in creating successful character designs that can be applied to video games. Following a first week delving into some foundational concepts for successful character design, each of the remaining three weeks are structured as a "master class" where you will observe three professional character designers at work in the studio: Andy Ristaino (Adventure Time), Jacky Ke Jiang (Journey), and Robertryan Cory (SpongeBob SquarePants).

Sep 28th 2026
4 Weeks
Shooters and Game Engines in Level Design (edX) EdX
LaSalle College,LaSalleX

Shooters and Game Engines in Level Design (edX)

Shooter games have been and continue to be the dominant genre in video games. Learn about this important genre in game design. Do you want to learn more about game genres and subgenres? This course continues your exploration of level design by introducing you to an important genre: the shooter. The shooter genre is huge in the game world, containing a wide variety of subgenres with their own gameplay needs.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Game Design and Development 1: 2D Shooter (Coursera) Coursera
Michigan State University

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.

Sep 28th 2026
4 Weeks
Models in Architecture – design through physical & digital models (edX) EdX
Delft University of Technology,DelftX

Models in Architecture – design through physical & digital models (edX)

Learn to develop your architectural designs by using scale models as well as Virtual Reality representations. Physical and digital design skills are key to practitioners in art, design, and engineering, as well as many other creative professions. Models are essential in architecture. In design practice all kinds of physical scale models and digital models are used side by side.

No sessions available
5-12 Weeks
History of Game Design: Prehistory to the late 1980s (edX) EdX
LaSalle College,LaSalleX

History of Game Design: Prehistory to the late 1980s (edX)

Discover how board and arcade games evolved into ground-breaking video game consoles. Want to take a fascinating journey through the history of gaming? Then this course is for you. Our journey begins with an exploration of how ancient board games evolved into modern board games and arcade games. Then we will explore the development of first- and second-generation video games, and finally, innovative third-generation game technology.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Emprendimiento y métodos ágiles de desarrollo en videojuegos (Coursera) Coursera
Universidad de los Andes

Emprendimiento y métodos ágiles de desarrollo en videojuegos (Coursera)

¡Bienvenido al curso de emprendimiento y métodos ágiles de desarrollo en videojuegos! Este curso es parte del Programa Especializado Coursera en Diseño y Desarrollo de Videojuegos, en la cual aprenderás a diseñar y programar cierto tipo de videojuegos, aumentarás tu comprensión acerca del mercado actual de videojuegos y de lo que se requiere para crear un juego exitoso comercialmente.

Sep 28th 2026
5-12 Weeks