Video game design and Development
Video Game Design and Development
Requirements: Grades 11-12 only, Application Required, Full Year Program
Get ready to turn your imagination into an interactive reality! In this project-based course, you’ll design and build your own web-based video games—from the very first spark of an idea to fully playable levels and polished final games. Whether you love storytelling, art, coding, sound design, or just playing games, there’s a place for you here. You’ll get hands-on experience with real game development tools as you dive into: game engines like Scratch, Snap!, Unity, and/or Unreal Engine, character and world design, programming and logic, story and narrative development, Sound effects and music, user experience (UX), and player testing. You’ll work together in game dev teams, just like the pros, building collaboration, creative intelligence, problem-solving, and communication skills. Along the way, you’ll learn how to analyze games, prototype your ideas, and give/receive helpful design feedback—all while using real-world project management and engineering processes. But this class goes beyond just making games. You’ll explore: the history and future of game design, types of games, genre theory, careers in the video game and interactive media industry, game documentation, and portfolio development. You’ll also have the opportunity to join the extracurricular BPA (Business Professionals of America) club to compete in game design, animation, and programming events—and develop leadership skills in a nationally recognized organization. Plus, you’ll compete in the Games for Change (G4C) competition, where student-created games aim to make a difference in the world. You can even earn an industry-recognized credential. To top it off, you’ll build your own portfolio website to show off the games you create—perfect for internships, college applications, or your future studio launch. Field trips and guest speakers from the gaming industry, university video game design/dev professors, and more make the experience even more exciting and real. Articulation is available for Washtenaw Community College, Ferris State University.
