Introduction to Game Design: Process and Creation (edX)

When you’re designing a game, you’re designing an intricate system, so you will want a series of steps to help you through the game creation process. This course walks you through those steps—from determining a game’s success criteria and conceptualizing new aspects and core concepts to designing and prototyping your game, through to producing and finalizing your game. It explores what’s involved in designing game experiences for the gaming industry and which elements affect player experiences and behavior. It also identifies some key considerations in ideation and video game development: how to establish your game’s situation, design pillars and loops, and document your game ideas.

Topics covered include:

- The game design process

- Designing game experiences

- Envisioning game ideas

This course is part of the Introduction to Game Design XSeries.

What you'll learn

- The design process and how to approach designing a game from scratch

- How to define success for your game, evaluate its viability, and design and prototype the game idea you have selected

- How to produce and finalize your game, including finalizing card games and board games and designing the packaging and a clear rule book

- The elements affecting game experiences and how to envision and create game experiences for your target audience

- The importance of defining criteria for your game, gameplay situations, and narrative in game design and how to concretize your narrative or situations into goals and actions through game pillars and loops

Syllabus

Module 1: Game design process

Defining success for your game

Creating a core concept

Designing and prototyping your game

Producing and finalizing your game

Designing your packaging and rule books

Module 2: Designing game experience

Experiences and your primary intention

Elements affecting game experiences

How to envision an experience

Module 3: Envisioning game ideas

Establishing the narrative and situation

Designing game pillars and loops

Documenting your game ideas