Pixel Art for Video Games (Coursera)

Pixel Art for Video Games (Coursera)

This course is aimed to give you the tools and knowledge you need to start creating simple art for video games made in the Unity game engine. Through the aesthetic of pixel art we will explore artistic principals like shape language, color theory, and composition as well as show you a step by step workflow for creating assets that you can use to make your own games.

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

The course is broken into 4 main modules, props, environments, characters, and animation. Each of these courses will have a series of video lessons alternating between artistic and technical skills culminating in a peer-reviewed project based assignment. The last module will challenge you to take the knowledge learned in the previous 4 and use it to create your own pixel art asset pack.
This course is aimed at art novices who are interested in creating art for their own games or contributing to game projects. If you are a game designer or programmer, you will find this course helps give you a glimpse into the world of game art. You will be able to better work with artists, or create your own prototype or final artwork. If you are an artist or visual designer who is interested in bringing your style to the world of video game development, this course will give you the workflow to properly interface with a game engine and help contextualize how your artistic sensibilities can enable gameplay.
If you have ever wanted to start making art for video games but have no idea how to start, this course is the perfect for giving you a solid foundation while teaching you usable practical skills. Our goal is to give you a sense of the whole pipeline from creation to setting up in a game engine.
Course 1 of 4 in the Art for Games Specialization.

Syllabus

Week 1: Introduction to Pixel Art
Week 2: Pixel Art Environments
Week 3: Pixel Art Characters
Week 4: Pixel Art Animation
Week 5: Pixel Art Project

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

Related Courses

Visualizing Data in the Tidyverse (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

Visualizing Data in the Tidyverse (Coursera)

Data visualization is a critical part of any data science project. Once data have been imported and wrangled into place, visualizing your data can help you get a handle on what’s going on in the data set. Similarly, once you’ve completed your analysis and are ready to present your findings, data visualizations are a highly effective way to communicate your results to others. In this course we will cover what data visualization is and define some of the basic types of data visualizations.

Nov 2nd 2026
4 Weeks
Story and Narrative Development for Video Games (Coursera) Coursera
California Institute of the Arts

Story and Narrative Development for Video Games (Coursera)

In this course, you will examine how storytelling acts as a vital mechanism for driving video gameplay forward. Looking at several historical and contemporary games, you will be asked to evaluate and interpret different story styles with the goal of identifying themes and procedures for your own game ideas. We'll examine traditional narrative story processes, such as three-act structure, and how they fit into game story flows and the strategic elements of gameplay. Ultimately, you will learn how to define character, setting, and structure to create a compelling game concept.

Oct 26th 2026
4 Weeks
Problem Solving, Python Programming, and Video Games (Coursera) Coursera
University of Alberta

Problem Solving, Python Programming, and Video Games (Coursera)

This course is an introduction to computer science and programming in Python. Important computer science concepts such as problem solving (computational thinking), problem decomposition, algorithms, abstraction, and software quality are emphasized throughout. The Python programming language and video games are used to demonstrate computer science concepts in a concrete and fun manner. However, a learner can take the knowledge and skills from this course and apply them to non-game problems, other programming languages, and other computer science courses.

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
World Design for Video Games (Coursera) Coursera
California Institute of the Arts

World Design for Video Games (Coursera)

Start creating your world. A game world is not just a backdrop for your game—be it minimal or detailed, contained or part of a much bigger universe, it provides the context for your player. Ultimately, a game world should feel alive and wholly unique to any player who will experience it. In this course, we will explore game worlds in existing games and study the art and influences that inform their themes and styles. We will also investigate key components of environment and level design as well as strategies designers use to define gameplay or advance it. We’ll also look at navigation and the elements that make your world as real (or unreal) as you want it to be.

Nov 2nd 2026
4 Weeks
Game Design and Development 2: 2D Platformer (Coursera) Coursera
Michigan State University

Game Design and Development 2: 2D Platformer (Coursera)

If you love games and want to learn how to make them, then this course is your second step down that path. In this course you will learn the fundamentals of game design, including an understanding of the game world, storytelling, gameplay, user experience, and game technology. You will continue developing videogames using industry standard game development tools, including the Unity game engine. At the end of the course you will have completed a 2D Platformer game, and will be able to leverage an array of game development techniques to create your own basic games.

Oct 26th 2026
4 Weeks
Introduction to C# Programming and Unity (Coursera) Coursera
University of Colorado System

Introduction to C# Programming and Unity (Coursera)

This course is all about starting to learn how to develop video games using the C# programming language and the Unity game engine on Windows or Mac. Why use C# and Unity instead of some other language and game engine? Well, C# is a really good language for learning how to program and then programming professionally. Also, the Unity game engine is very popular with indie game developers; Unity games were downloaded 16,000,000,000 times in 2016! Finally, C# is one of the programming languages you can use in the Unity environment.

Oct 26th 2026
4 Weeks
Developing AR/VR/MR/XR Apps with WebXR, Unity & Unreal (Coursera) Coursera
University of Michigan

Developing AR/VR/MR/XR Apps with WebXR, Unity & Unreal (Coursera)

This third course in the XR for Everybody specialization is geared toward the technical development of XR experiences. The course provides learners with a more technical mental model of XR technologies and the tools to approach XR development with confidence. It walks through the stages of development for both VR and AR projects, introducing the main XR development platforms as well as the key methods and tools. This third course also helps learners infer advanced XR requirements from physical/digital prototypes and teaches them how to differentiate major technical concerns, estimate development costs, and plan research necessary to advance XR.

Oct 26th 2026
4 Weeks
Gameplay en videojuegos (Coursera) Coursera
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Gameplay en videojuegos (Coursera)

¿Cómo se estructura y funciona un programa de videojuego? Es lo que comúnmente se conoce como 'gameplay', y que constituirá nuestro núcleo de estudio en este curso. Su análisis detallado nos permitirá comprender su importancia, y qué funcionalidades debe tener. Analizaremos también la interface gráfica del usuario (GUI), que finalmente condiciona el hecho de que el jugador pueda interaccionar correctamente con el videojuego. Para definir y comprender mejor los conceptos se usan ejemplos y referentes de videojuegos de la industria.

Nov 2nd 2026
4 Weeks
Creative Writing: The Craft of Character (Coursera) Coursera
Wesleyan University

Creative Writing: The Craft of Character (Coursera)

At the center of a good story are the characters in it. In this course aspiring writers will discover how to build and bring to life complex, vivid and unforgettable characters. We will study the choices a writer makes to bring all characters to life on the page, and we will perform written exercises in order to develop a variety of writing and pre-writing techniques, in order to create a variety of characters.

Nov 2nd 2026
4 Weeks
Game Design and Development 4: 3D Platformer (Coursera) Coursera
Michigan State University

Game Design and Development 4: 3D Platformer (Coursera)

If you love games and want to learn how to make them, then this course is your fourth step down that path. In this course you will learn the fundamentals of game design, including an understanding of game idea generation, design documentation, the business side of games, and social issues in games. 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 Platformer game, and will be able to leverage an array of game development techniques to create your own basic games.

Oct 26th 2026
4 Weeks