In this subject, students will develop a strong foundation in 2D concept art for games, learning to visually communicate ideas through design, storytelling, and technical skill. Through focused studies in characters, props, environments, and weapons, students will explore the full pipeline of concept creation, from initial sketches to polished presentation pieces. Emphasis is placed on visual storytelling, design fundamentals, and creating artwork that supports gameplay and narrative.

Subject Breakdown:

• Character Design – Crafting expressive and functional characters through silhouette exploration, costume design, and emotional expression.
• Prop Design – Designing purposeful objects with clear shape language, material definition, and production-ready views.
• Environment Design – Building immersive game worlds through perspective drawing, lighting studies, and narrative-driven worldbuilding.
• Weapon Design – Balancing style and utility in the creation of believable and visually engaging weapons for fantasy or realistic settings.

This subject provides students with a comprehensive introduction to the core principles of game design through the creation of a professional Game Design Document (GDD). Students will explore how game mechanics, narrative, and world-building come together to create compelling player experiences, while also learning to clearly communicate their ideas through industry-standard documentation.

Subject Breakdown:

Working across four key areas, students will develop a foundational understanding of:

• Game Mechanics – Designing and balancing core gameplay loops, systems, and feedback to support engaging and meaningful player interaction.
• Narrative Design – Crafting story structures, character arcs, dialogue, and interactive storytelling elements that support the player journey.
• World-Building – Creating immersive game worlds through lore, environmental storytelling, and culturally consistent world elements.
• Game Design Documentation – Translating creative ideas into a structured, clear GDD that includes feature breakdowns, player personas, and project scope planning.

By the end of the subject, students will have produced a complete GDD that reflects thoughtful design thinking, creative vision, and an understanding of how different elements work together to shape player experience.

This subject marks students’ transition from 2D concept art to fully realized 3D game assets. Using industry-standard tools like Blender and Substance Painter, students will bring their original designs to life in a digital 3D environment. The course emphasizes practical asset creation workflows, technical foundations, and game-ready production techniques.

• 3D Modeling – Building both hard-surface and organic models using clean topology, efficient geometry, and real-time optimization techniques.

• UV Mapping & Texturing – Unwrapping models for accurate texture application, baking high-quality maps, and applying materials using Substance Painter.

• Rigging & Animation Prep – Learning the basics of rigging, including Mixamo integration for automated rigging and animation testing.

• Asset Creation Workflow – Translating 2D concepts into complete, game-ready 3D assets prepared for integration into game engines.

In this subject, students take their game design concepts from paper to prototype using Unreal Engine, one of the industry’s leading real-time development tools. Building on their Game Design Document (GDD), students will begin constructing interactive, playable prototypes that showcase core mechanics, narrative hooks, and world-building ideas.

With a strong focus on visual scripting through Unreal Blueprint system, students will develop a functional tutorial level that brings their GDD to life. The subject emphasizes rapid iteration, technical fluency, and creative problem-solving across four core areas:

• Prototyping – Building and testing core gameplay interactions using blockouts and placeholder assets to focus on functionality over form.

• Unreal Engine Fundamentals – Learning essential engine features such as project setup, actor systems, level management, and Blueprint class creation.

• Visual Scripting (Blueprints) – Using node-based programming to implement gameplay logic, event triggers, custom functions, and state management.

• GDD Integration – Translating written design ideas into working systems, including mechanics, narrative elements, and environmental interactions.

Students will also be introduced to advanced Unreal Engine features such as Niagara (VFX), Lumen (lighting), and Nanite (geometry streaming) to enhance the visual quality and performance of their prototypes.

By the end of the subject, students will have a portfolio-ready tutorial level, showcasing their ability to execute game mechanics, apply technical knowledge, and bring design documentation to life in a real-time engine.