Become a Video Game Designer
The video game industry is one of the largest sectors in the world. Within this booming industry, video game designers are among the first to kick off game development, defining game rules, characters, and the central storyline. This 100% online course will help you design and create your own video game for the PC. You will be prepared to join a video game development team or strike out on your own as an independent designer.
Job Outlook for Video Game Designers
- According to Payscale.com, the median annual salary for video game designers was $64,800.
- As the video game industry grows, so does the opportunity to specialize. For instance, VentureBeat found that the eSports field grossed over $1 billion in 2019 alone.
- Opportunities for video game designers are growing in the Southern United States, especially in emerging tech hubs like Austin, Texas, and Atlanta, Georgia.
Course Objectives
- Create your own video game as a portfolio piece
- Learn how to design and create video games for PC
- Understand the technical and aesthetic fundamentals for creating a successful game
- Master the math, programming language, and game engine knowledge needed to design video games
Prerequisites
To succeed in this course, you will need basic computer skills and a high school-level understanding of mathematics.
Curriculum
- C++ PROGRAMMING FOR GAME DEVELOPERS I
Learn the fundamentals of creating a C++ program. You'll understand console input and output, arithmetic operators, functions, and more. - C++ PROGRAMMING FOR GAME DEVELOPERS II
Discover template classes and functions, how to handle errors, number systems, data representations, and bit operations. - GAME MATHEMATICS
Move on to learning game mathematics, including algebra, set theory, polynomials, trigonometry, and more. - GENERAL GAME MODELING
Learn about interface and rendering modes. Find out everything you need to know about primitives, meshes, and mesh editing. - GAME TEXTURING
Understand pivots and manipulators, the 3D cursor, object joins, separation, and duplications. You'll also learn about polygon structure and count, and how to model with bevel, extrude, and multi-resolution. - UNREAL ENGINE FOUNDATION
Create projects and understand the user interface. Learn about viewport navigation, as well as how to view modes and show flags. Discover how to place objects in a level, as well as how to manage content and lighting.
Instructor
FRANK LUNA
Frank Luna has programmed interactive 3D computer graphics for more than a decade. He has 15 years of C++ programming experience, having worked as a contractor, with Hero Interactive, and on the open source Scorch 3D engine. Since 2004, he has taught C++ and mathematics for games at the Game Institute. He has also written a number of best-selling textbooks on game and graphics programming, including "Introduction to 3D Game Programming with DirectX 11.0."
JOHN DEGOES
John DeGoes began writing software and designing digital logic circuits during the early 1980s. He has been actively involved in the fields of computer science, mathematics, and game development for more than fifteen years. He has authored two games programming books, "3D Game Programming with C++" and "3D Game Programming with C++ Gold Edition" and several published articles on the subject. DeGoes holds a bachelor's degree in applied mathematics from Montana State University-Billings and is working on his doctorate in applied mathematics.
Registration and Enrollment
This course is 100% online. Start anytime.
