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Learn Game Design Essentials

Level Up Your Skills: Online Game Design for Beginners with Industry Experts

Overview

Learn essential tools and techniques to begin your game design journey

Uncover what makes a video game compelling and start building your knowledge in designing game systems while you explore industry-used software, including Unreal Engine and Photoshop.

Why study game design with us:
  • Receive mentorship from professional game designers
  • We are an Unreal Academic Partner and Authorized Training Center
  • Discover industry techniques and workflows
  • Private 1-on-1 or small group classes (max. 4 students)

Learn the basics of game design through systems and mechanics, understand different job roles and team structures, deconstruct games to reveal intricate design decisions, and start designing and building your own game!

game-design-level-overview
Qualification

Industry Certificate

Duration

3 months

Commitment

20 hrs weekly

Skill level

Beginner

Start date

January 6th, 2025

February 3rd, 2025

March 3rd, 2025

Delivery Mode

Weekly live online classes
Video lectures
Mentor feedback
Access to vibrant community
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Curriculum

Industry-approved curriculum to help launch your career as a game designer

Term 1: 12 weeks

Foundations 1: Essentials of Game Design

Before you can begin building a game you need a basic understanding of game design theory. We'll look at HOW things should be designed, WHY they work, and WHAT you need to do to make a compelling game. See how a platform can change the game design in fundamental ways, and how the differences must be adapted across genres.

Expect to play a LOT of games in the name of research. Every great designer must know how to analyze, deconstruct and understand how each game differs and why. You'll achieve this by learning how to paper design and concept, getting the hang of writing a level design specification, and ensuring level functionality and other technical needs are met.

*This short course is equivalent to the first term of the Game Design Foundations course. If you continue your learning journey, you'll be eligible to join the Foundations course from Term 2 onwards.

  • Understand what a game and game systems are and how to design them
  • Design compelling game systems, quests & objectives
  • Design core gameplay mechanics
  • Add visuals to enhance levels
  • Start learning the Unreal game engine and building simple prototypes

Portfolio projects: Game pitch document, game design document, UE gameplay prototype.

  1. Introduction to Game Systems
  2. System Design
  3. Communicating
  4. Visual Design
  5. Game Genres
  6. Core Systems
  7. Development Process
  8. Single Player Design
  9. Technical Design
  10. Level Design
  11. Prototyping
  12. Creating a Prototype
Course Structure

Your Pathway to the Industry

This short course is equivalent to term one of the Foundations course. On completion of the Essentials course, if you decide to progress further with your studies, you'll enroll straight into term two of the corresponding Foundations course which means you'll already be one-third of the way through your studies! Continue your learning journey towards an exciting career in the industry by enrolling into the Foundations Career Track.

Pathway illustration for Essentials 3 Month Course
Mentors

Develop your game design skills led by video game experts

Receive training, support, and personalized feedback from video game experts with years of industry experience.

Eric Jensen's Work
Eric Jensen

Eric Jensen

Eric is a Design Manager at PlayStation's Bend Studio. He is excited to share his journey and knowledge he has gained with others.

Mentor of Game Design

Known for Days Gone

Heath Smith's Work
Heath Smith

Heath Smith

Design Director at RiffRaff Games, Heath has 17+ years of game design experience at top studios across North America and Australia.

Mentor of Game Design

Known for Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Anthony Cardahi's Work
Anthony Cardahi

Anthony Cardahi

Anthony is a passionate gamer working in the industry for 10+ years. He loves sharing ideas and perspectives, and hopes his experience in the industry can help newcomers.

Mentor of Game Design

Known for Metro: Exodus

Travis McGeathy's Work
Travis McGeathy

Travis McGeathy

Mentor of Game Design

Known for Diablo III

Daniel Pinch's Work
Daniel Pinch

Daniel Pinch

Daniel's worked on games like World of Tanks, Damaged Core, and more! He currently works at People Can Fly as a Senior Game Designer.

Mentor of Game Design

Known for World of Tanks

Stephan Logier's Work
Stephan Logier

Stephan Logier

Mentor of Game Design

Known for Beyond Good and Evil 2

Glenn Storm's Work
Glenn Storm

Glenn Storm

Mentor of Game Design

Known for Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Mathieu Bissonnette's Work
Mathieu Bissonnette

Mathieu Bissonnette

Mentor of Game Design

Known for Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Scot Bayless's Work
Scot Bayless

Scot Bayless

Scot helped create the first Advanced Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, and was responsible for hits like Falcon 3.0, Crimson Skies, 007: Everything or Nothing and DMC.

Director of Game Development

Known for DMC

Michael Cameron's Work
Michael Cameron

Michael Cameron

While at award-winning game studio Blazing Griffin, Michael released titles like Murderous Pursuits, The Ship: Remasted, Distant Star: Revenant Fleet and Dino Tribes.

Mentor of Game Design

Known for Distant Star: Revenant Fleet

Tim Huntsman's Work
Tim Huntsman

Tim Huntsman

Tim is in his fourth decade of designing and producing video games. He has a number of top-selling and award-winning titles to his name.

Mentor of Game Design

Known for Disney Infinity

Pascal Luban's Work
Pascal Luban

Pascal Luban

Mentor of Game Design

Known for Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow

Philippe Baude's Work
Philippe Baude

Philippe Baude

Philippe is a Lead Game Designer at Ubisoft. He specializes in 3Cs, Rational Systems Design, Meta-game/Economy Design, and Designer Mentorship. He’s worked on Far Cry, Watch Dogs, and Hyperscape.

Mentor of Game Design

Known for Watch Dogs

Casey Bradley's Work
Casey Bradley

Casey Bradley

Casey is a multi-disciplined designer—he creates levels, designs gameplay systems, and leads design teams. He’s operated in the industry for over a decade and currently works at Traega Entertainment.

Mentor of Game Design

Known for America's Army franchise

Jason Roberts's Work
Jason Roberts

Jason Roberts

Mentor of Game Design

Known for Diablo IV

Ryan Laley's Work
Ryan Laley

Ryan Laley

Mentor of Game Design

Known for Online Education

Roozbeh Madanipour's Work
Roozbeh Madanipour

Roozbeh Madanipour

Mentor of Game Design

Known for Watch Dogs: Legion

Max Tishakov's Work
Max Tishakov

Max Tishakov

Mentor of Game Design

Known for Outriders Worldslayer
Frequently asked questions

Game Design Essentials course FAQs

Learn more about the prerequisites for this course and the game development careers you could explore in the future. For general questions about studying at CG Spectrum, visit the main FAQ page or contact us.

Age Minimum
The general minimum age to be able to enroll in our industry certificate courses is 16. We require parent or guardian consent during the enrollment process for applicants under 18.

Students under 16 will require a further assessment before they can officially enrol. This may include an interview with a course advisor and the creation of a study plan to ensure they have considered how they will manage a college-level workload.

English Proficiency
We expect our students to have a good understanding of written and spoken English. There’s no specific ’level'; however, you must be able to understand video tutorials in English (no subtitles) and speak with your mentor in English during your live Q&A session.

Computer Literacy
To be successful in this program, you will need basic computer skills and a computer that meets the minimum specifications (see next question).

 

Software:

Students are required to use Unreal Engine, which is free to download. 

We also recommend that you purchase Photoshop/Illustrator (photography plan only) for the duration of your course. Free alternatives to Photoshop include GIMP/Inkscape.

Hardware:

Students will need a dedicated graphics card and a computer that meets the minimum requirements for Unreal Engine and Photoshop. 

Please note: as the software we use is regularly updated, please check the specs against the latest available version at the time of enroling.

At CG Spectrum, occasionally, it is possible to skip ahead and start studying in later terms. We highly recommend that most students do not skip ahead as each subject covers a tremendous amount of information and skills that will be used throughout the entire program (and will require some catching up in your own time if skipped).

Term one is still incredibly challenging and covers a lot of material. It includes over 25 hours of lecture videos and there are over a dozen assignments students need to complete. All of the future course material will build upon this foundation.

The course will cover some basic concepts, teach the basics of using the Unreal Engine, teach the fundamentals of system and level design, and teach you how to deconstruct games properly and design using a systemic approach. 

If you have not released an indie game or worked professionally to design PC/Console AAA games, we highly recommend you do not skip the first term. Even if you have designed mobile games, VR, or other genres or platforms of games, we do not recommend skipping it as the nuances are different in each platform.

If you want to be considered for skipping the first term, you must submit a portfolio to be reviewed and considered. The portfolio must include:

  • Example Pitch Deck, Game Pitch, and a Game Design Document (GDD) for a major action, adventure, role-playing, shooter or other mainstream AAA PC/console game.
  • Whitebox level prototype in Unreal Engine or Unity.
  • Example PLAYABLE level or game built in Unreal Engine or Unity. It must also be action, adventure, role-playing, shooter, or other mainstream AAA PC/console game.

This will ensure that you are familiar with the right materials, concepts, and tools to design new game concepts and build them in a game engine.

If you are unsure if your skills are sufficient, send us your portfolio when you apply, and we'll arrange for the department head to review it and, depending on the circumstances, a student interview.

This short course will get you started on your creative journey, but in a competitive industry, we advise continuing your studies with the full career track.

The game design career track includes the Game Design Foundations and the Game Designer Specialization (available early 2025). It is designed to better prepare you for a job in the industry and help increase your employment opportunities.

The career track ensures you build strong foundational skills before moving on to more complex techniques and workflows. You will also dedicate time to career development and preparing a polished portfolio while you gain invaluable industry insights.

Some of the junior game design jobs you could pursue after completing the full study pathway include:

Discover more about these game development jobs, tips, and salary expectations on our careers page:

CG Spectrum prepares you to work as a professional game designer from day one.

The most impressive quality CG Spectrum offers is a course that makes study as if you were on your first job. If you are willing to put the energy into studying and do the assignments as if you were on the job, and if you are ready to hear your mentor's suggestions and challenge yourself to push your limits, you will get an experience very similar to the workplace. 

Loris C
Loris C
Game Design

CG Spectrum is the perfect place to gain focus, understanding, an encouragement for your journey.

If you are looking for a supportive place to gain or hone skills in game design or other verticals, CGS is a fantastic and worthy place to dive in.

Shaul H
Shaul H
Game Design

I would recommend CG Spectrum to anyone interested in what the school has to offer.

I am really impressed with CG Spectrum: from the classwork, the feedback, the lively student portal as well as all the help provided from all other teams like financial as well as student support.

Elisna S
Elisna S
Game Design

CG Spectrum is helping me grow as a game designer and as a person.

Both my mentor Andrejs Verlis and Dept. Head, Troy Dunniway, have been so encouraging and empowering. It doesn’t even feel like school. I’m finally seeing so many of my interests culminate, and I’m excited to leverage the great networking and career development here for a beautiful future.

Eli B
Eli B
Game Design

All-encompassing 'under the hood' vocational platform for aspiring AAA designers.

The course spells out all the skills you need to succeed in a AAA studio and then gives you the resources to do it for yourself. My mentor takes great interest in steering and supporting me through the design of my own major game concept. I recommend this course to anyone who is up for the challenge of learning to conceive and design their own games, then bringing them to life as working prototypes.

Chris F
Chris F
Game Design

The community at CG Spectrum is amazing!

People are passionate about what they study and do. It's a great study and work environment.

Alexios V
Alexios V
Game Design