Game Design and Development Decal Spring 2026
Enjoy your Spring Break!
We hope you enjoyed your Spring Break! Now, we Rise and Grind 💪
We are having the 🐺 Alpha Playtest THIS THURSDAY! Consult the Project 3 spec for details, but in general this means most/all mechanics should be in place! Work hard and get your Projects prepared for your next big milestone! :joobicool:
Once again, the corresponding Alpha Playtest will also happen during class that day! You will have to come up with playtest questions and send to your mentor(s) by the night before. (Link will be provided later.)
Finally, as a general reminder, please complete your Progress Reports before class on Tuesdays! They do not need to be high effort.
Date Due Assigned Tuesday (3/31) None! None! Thursday (4/2) Project 3 Milestone 2 (Alpha) Project 3 Milestone 3 (Beta) (due 4/16)
Schedule
Week 0
- Jan 27
- Lecture Infosession
- LabLab 0: Unity Setup
- Jan 29
- Lecture Infosession
- LabLab 0: Unity Setup
Week 1
- Feb 3
- Lecture Intro to Unity
- LabLab 1: Intro to Unity
- ReadingGame Design Principles
- Feb 5
- Lecture Game Design
- LabProgrammer: Lab 2: Basic Scripting / Artist: Lab 3: Pixel Art and Spriting
- ProjectProject 1
Week 2
- Feb 10
- Lecture Game Art Fundamentals
- LabProgrammer: Lab 4: Advanced Scripting / Artist: Lab 5: Tilesets
- ReadingGraphics vs Aesthetics
- Feb 12
- Lecture Fundamentals of Animation
- LabProgrammer: Lab 6: Colliders and Rigidbodies / Artist: Lab 7: Animation
Week 3
- Feb 17
- Lecture Game Loops
- LabLab 8: Animator and Blend Trees
- Reading13 Principles of Gameplay
- Feb 19
- Lecture Git Tutorial
- LabProgrammer: Lab 9: UI and Layering / Artist: Lab 10: UI Asset Creation
- ProjectProject 2: Game Jam
Week 4
- Feb 24
- Lecture User Interfaces
- Lab Programmer: Lab 11: Coroutines / Artist: Lab 12: Environment Design
- ReadingHow to Pitch your Project
- Feb 26
- Lecture Design Docs and MVPs
Week 5
- Mar 3
- Lecture Pitch Day
- ProjectProject 3: Final
- Mar 5
- Lecture Project 2 Showcase
- Lecture 3D Modeling
- ReadingEffectively Organize with a Game Design Document
Week 6
- Mar 10
- Lecture Work Day
- Lab Optional: Lab 13: Transitioning, Saving and Building
- Project Milestone 0: Game Design Doc
- ReadingTeam Structures in Game Development
- Mar 12
- Lecture Work Day
- Lab Optional: Lab 14: 3D Rigging, Skinning, and Animation
Week 7
- Mar 17
- Lecture Tutorial + Level Design
- LabOptional: Lab 15: Raycasting
- ReadingTips for Better Playtesting
- Mar 19
- Lecture Game Feel
- Project Milestone 1: MVP Playtest
Week 8
Week 9
- Mar 31
- Lecture Music and SFX
- LabOptional: Lab 17: Delegates and Events
- Apr 2
- Project Milestone 2: Alpha Playtest
Week 10
- Apr 7
- Lecture Accessibility
- Reading Accessible Controllers
- Apr 9
- Lecture Guest Lecture
Week 11
- Apr 14
- Lecture Work Day
- Reading AI in Gaming
- Apr 16
- Project Milestone 3: Beta Playtest
Week 12
- Apr 21
- Lecture Workday
- Reading Tutorial Designs
- Apr 23
- Lecture Guest Lecture
Week 13
- Apr 28
- Lecture Building and Publishing
- ReadingGamification
- Apr 30
- Lecture Course Postmortem
- Project Milestone 4: Final Submission
Week 15
- May 5
- GDD Showcase