Search 6,000+ CA Community College Courses

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

Michigan State University

Game Design and Development 1: 2D Shooter

Michigan State University via Coursera

Go to class Write review

Overview

If you love games and want to learn how to make them, then this course will start you down that path. Making games is a creative and technical art form. In this course you will familiarize yourself with the tools and practices of game development and well as the process. You will get started 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 two hands-on projects, including an Intro to Unity project and a 2D Shooter game, and will be able to leverage an array of game development techniques to create your own basic games.

Syllabus

  • From Game Player to Game Developer
    • The only thing more fun than playing games is making them. You can make games. All it takes is some time, a willingness to learn and a passion to create. You don't need to be a "coder" to make games. Part of the beauty of games is that they take a variety of skills to make. Art, creativity, and systems thinking are just as important as code. Join us in this journey into game making! This first module will provide you with an overview of this course and the entire specialization. The module will also introduce you to the game design and development process and get you up and running with Unity, the game engine we will use across this course.
  • Understanding Core Unity Concepts
    • One of the reasons we use Unity is its visual editor which makes creating interactive games accessible to both creative and technical individuals. In this module, you will continue working on the Solar System project and from start to finish. Using a variety of graphical and audio assets and a library of scripts, you will create a simple model of our solar system. By the end of the module, you should have a good understanding of the Unity editor, the core concepts of building projects in Unity, and the workflow for creating games.
  • Building Your First Game
    • Unity is a powerful tool for creating games. In this module, you will create your first actual game from start to finish in the form of a 2D Shooter game. This is your right of passage into game development! In the first part of the assignment, follow along with the tutorial videos in this module. In the second part of the project, you will modify the game to make it your own.
  • Coding Gameplay Systems and Finishing Up
    • Now, don't get scared, but games need code. Code is the canvas upon which game systems are painted. However, that doesn't mean you need to be a C# ninja. In this module, you will start to learn the ins-and-outs of programming C# in Unity. In this module, you will also finish up the 2D Shooter project, submit it for peer review, and peer review your fellow learners games. Finish the course strong!

Taught by

Brian Winn

Tags

Reviews

5.0 rating, based on 1 Class Central review

4.7 rating at Coursera based on 476 ratings

Start your review of Game Design and Development 1: 2D Shooter

  • Erick Calabrano
    Well structured course that is a nice introduction to game develpment. Something to highlight is that once you're done with this course, you will have worked in two projects, a 3D simulation of the solar system and a 2D shooter. You get plenty of a…
Go to class

Never Stop Learning.

Get personalized course recommendations, track subjects and courses with reminders, and more.

Sign up for free
Someone learning on their laptop while sitting on the floor.