About this course: In the game design and development capstone, you will create an original game from initial concept through implementation and then launch it to the world! Along the way, you will have the opportunity to put your game ideas in front of your peers and for the best-of-the-best you will have the chance to get feedback from game industry professionals. The capstone experience gives you the opportunity to push your skills further and demonstrate your newfound skills as a game developer. The capstone also contains guest talks from game industry professionals at Riot Games, Deep Silver Volition, Iron Galaxy, Radiant Entertainment, Goodgame Studios, Stardock, GREE, Heart Shaped Games, Kongregate, and more.
Created by: Michigan State University
Taught by: Brian Winn, Associate Professor
Media and Information
Taught by: Casey O'Donnell, Associate Professor
Media and Information
| Basic Info |
Course 5 of 5 in the
Game Design and Development Specialization.
|
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
What's in the Capstone?
Welcome to the Game Design and Development Capstone. In this module we'll give you a little bit of a sense of what to expect over the coming weeks. We're going to be honest with you though, this is going to be a fair amount of work. As you have learned, making games takes time and effort. And the goal of the Capstone is to prove that you have the knowledge, skills, and attitude to make games. So, get ready to flex those game design and development muscles that you have developed across the specialization.
2 videos, 3 readings
- Reading: Capstone Overview
- Reading: FAQ
- Reading: Industry Guest Talks
- Video: "What is Success in Video Game Development" by Ziba Scott, Founder, Popcannibal
- Video: "Game Design Problem Solving Basics" by Scott Brodie, Founder and Lead Designer, Heart Shaped Games
WEEK 2
Milestone 1: Your Game Idea
You're going to notice a lot of overlap in terms of the kinds of activities we're asking you to do in this capstone and the things we already asked you to do in the previous courses. This isn't because we're lazy, it is because making games is how you get better at making games. So, the first thing you need to do is come up with a new idea. The next thing you need to do is convince us that it is worth giving you our time and hopefully money to explore that idea.
1 video, 3 readings
- Reading: Getting Started
- Discussion Prompt: High Concept Discussion
- Reading: High Concept Document
- Reading: Getting Better at Talking about Your Game
- Video: "Finding An Art Style for Your Small Game" by Marie Lazar, 3D Environment Artist, Goodgame Studios
Graded: High Concept and Pitch
WEEK 3
Milestone 2: Early Prototype, Blueprint, and Progress Report
Now you have to start the process of making your game a reality. No matter how you do this, either as a non-digital prototype or a digital prototype, you need to start building and testing some of your core gameplay systems and mechanics.
1 video, 2 readings
- Reading: Early Prototyping
- Reading: Blueprint (vs. Design Document)
- Discussion Prompt: An Early Progress Report
- Video: "Programming Best Practices" by Matthew Vorce, Programmer, Pixo Group
WEEK 4
Milestone 3: First Playable and Fun Test (aka, playtest)
The next step is to get something that you can start putting in front of people to begin getting feedback and working to "find the fun." Good luck.
1 video, 1 reading
- Reading: First Playable Prototype
- Video: "User Interface and User Experience for Games" by Charles Roman, Senior Software Engineer, Radiant Entertainment
Graded: First Playable Playtest
WEEK 5
Milestone 4: Alpha Build
Once you've found that core game idea, the next step is to begin building enough of it that it can begin feeling like a game. Your goal at this point is to continue iterating on that core game idea and build out enough features and content that you move beyond the prototyping phase (goodbye cubes and spheres) and on to something that really starts to look and feel like your game.
3 videos, 1 reading
- Reading: Alpha Build and Reflection
- Discussion Prompt: An Alpha Progress Report
- Video: "Game Production Overview" by Chris Bray, Studio Head and Senior Producer, Stardock
- Video: "How to Be a Producer" by Greg Donovan, Senior Producer, Deep Silver Volition
- Video: "Project Management" by Jared Riley, Engineering Manager, GREE International
WEEK 6
It is Crunch Time!
Now is the time to finish all the features, build all the levels, and begin polishing. You're not going to be done yet, but that's what you're working toward.
3 videos, 3 readings
- Reading: Beta Build
- Reading: Thinking about Your Release Now
- Reading: Distributing your capstone game through Kongregate
- Video: "Intro to Kongregate" by John Cooney, Director of Launchpad, Kongregate.com
- Video: "An Overview of the Business of Free Games" by Anthony Pecorella, Virtual Goods Director, Kongregate.com
- Video: "Introduction to the Kongregate API" by Matt Starsoneck, Virtual Goods Analyst, Kongregate.com
WEEK 7
Milestone 5: Beta Build and Beta Testing
You are in the final crunch leading up to the beta testing! Good luck and try to keep up your energy level with your project.
3 videos, 1 reading
- Reading: Polish it up and test it!
- Video: "Optimization in 3D Video Games" by Jon Moore, Graphics Engineer, Iron Galaxy Studios
- Video: "Empowering Content Creators" by Eric Arnold, Studio Architect of Programming, Deep Silver Volition
- Video: "Games as a Service" by Will Bonner, Associate Test Engineer, Riot Games
Graded: Beta Testing
WEEK 8
Milestone 6: Ship It!
Rule #1 of GameDev: If you don't ship, it doesn't exist. In this module, it is time to say, "Enough is enough," and ship your game. We're literally asking you to create a final build of something and put it somewhere where the world can see it. That can be Kongregate, the iOS App Store, Google Play or wherever you think is most appropriate.
10 videos, 4 readings
- Reading: When to Release Your Game?
- Reading: Release Build(s)
- Reading: Create Supporting Materials
- Reading: Introduction to Career Journey and Advice Guest Talks
- Video: Marie Lazar, 3D Environment Artist, Goodgame Studios
- Video: Eric Arnold, Studio Architect of Programming, Deep Silver Volition
- Video: Will Bonner, Associate Test Engineer, Riot Games
- Video: Jon Moore, Graphics Engineer, Iron Galaxy Studios
- Video: Matthew Vorce, Programmer, Pixo Group
- Video: Chris Bray, Studio Head and Senior Producer, Stardock
- Video: Greg Donovan, Senior Producer, Deep Silver Volition
- Video: Scott Brodie, Founder and Lead Designer, Heart Shaped Games
- Video: Jared Riley, Engineering Manager, GREE International
- Video: Charles Roman, Senior Software Engineer, Radiant Entertainment
Graded: PEER REVIEW: Has it Shipped?
FAQs
How It Works
Coursework
Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.
Help from Your Peers
Connect with thousands of other learners and debate ideas, discuss course material, and get help mastering concepts.
Certificates
Earn official recognition for your work, and share your success with friends, colleagues, and employers.
Creators
Michigan State University
Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 150 years.
One of the top research universities in the world, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery and forges enduring partnerships to solve the most pressing global challenges while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.
Pricing
| Audit | Purchase Course | |
|---|---|---|
| Access to course materials | Available | Available |
| Access to graded materials | Not available | Available |
| Receive a final grade | Not available | Available |
| Earn a shareable Course Certificate | Not available | Available |
Ratings and Reviews
Tight schedule, but it's really pushing you move forward to next stage and finally ship you game.
u will get a real experince about making a game from scratch starting from game idea untill u shipping it , u will face some problems but u will handle it , u will improve your programming skills using c# according to your game
This capstone project was a perfect way to build my skills and confidence as a developer. The previous classes provided a robust knowledge base that this class capitalized on. Focus was given to completing and publishing the project, making for a full overview of the development process. I highly recommend it.
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exceptionally excellent course