video game design assignment

Interested in a verified certificate, a professional certificate, or transfer credit and accreditation ?

CS50 Games (“CS50G”) will end 2024-06-30T23:59:00-04:00 . (Re-)submissions of assignments will not be accepted after that date. Afraid requests for extensions to this deadline will not be granted. After that date, the course will be considered retired; its material will remain available for archive purposes.

This course picks up where CS50x leaves off, focusing on the development of 2D and 3D interactive games. Students explore the design of such childhood games as Super Mario Bros., Legend of Zelda, and Portal in a quest to understand how video games themselves are implemented. Via lectures and hands-on projects, the course explores principles of 2D and 3D graphics, animation, sound, and collision detection using frameworks like Unity and LÖVE 2D, as well as languages like Lua and C#. By class’s end, students will have programmed several of their own games and gained a thorough understanding of the basics of game design and development.

How to Take this Course

Even if you are not a student at Harvard, you are welcome to “take” this course for free via this OpenCourseWare by working your way through the course’s twelve weeks of material. If you’d like to submit the course’s twelve projects for feedback, be sure to create an edX account , if you haven’t already. Ask questions along the way via any of the course’s communities !

• If interested in a verified certificate from edX , enroll at cs50.edx.org/games instead.
• If interested in a professional certificate from edX , enroll at cs50.edx.org/programs/games instead.
• If interested in transfer credit and accreditation from Harvard Extension School , register at web.dce.harvard.edu/extension/csci/e/23a instead.
• If interested in transfer credit and accreditation from Harvard Summer School , register at web.dce.harvard.edu/summer/csci/s/23a instead.

How to Teach this Course

If you are a teacher, you are welcome to adopt or adapt these materials for your own course, per the license .

Online Master of Science in Computer Science (OMSCS)

College of computing, cs 6457: video game design, instructional team.

Jeff Wilson

Creator and instructor.

Welcome to CS6457 Video Game Design. The course covers many game design topics including game engine concepts and technologies, structural elements of games, and game design process.

CS6457 is a project-based course and includes both individual assignments as well as a group project. Learning objectives are focused primarily on creating fully three-dimensional games with real time game object control. This includes games that meet the criteria of Game Feel such as Super Mario 64.

Check out the demo reels from Spring 2022 below!

Sample Syllabus

Summer 2022 syllabus (PDF)

Note: Sample syllabi are provided for informational purposes only. For the most up-to-date information, consult the official course documentation.

Before Taking This Class...

Suggested background knowledge.

Students are not expected to be familiar with the Unity Engine. Outside of C# experience, familiarity with a strongly typed object-oriented programming language such as Java is helpful.

Useful prerequisite knowledge for the course includes linear algebra and computer graphics basics. Understanding of affine transformations of homogeneous coordinates, transformation order, quaternions, 3D projection, matrix stacks, scene graphs, graphics lighting models such as the Phong reflection model, are all relevant.

Technical Requirements and Software

All software development is performed with the Unity Engine and the C# programming language. Students need a Windows PC or Mac capable of running Unity.

Academic Integrity

All Georgia Tech students are expected to uphold the Georgia Tech Academic Honor Code . This course may impose additional academic integrity stipulations; consult the official course documentation for more information.

CMN 176v: Video Games

Game design readings.

Flow Chart Tools

• Diagrams.net Diagrams.net is a Google Docs add-on.
• Lucidchart Lucidchart has free features and attaches to Google Docs.
• << Previous: Off-Campus Access
• Next: Final Project >>
• Getting Started
• Off-Campus Access
• Midterm Assignment
• Final Project
• APA Citation Style
• Research & Writing Help
• Additional Resources

Research Support

• Last Updated: Nov 30, 2023 2:38 PM
• URL: https://guides.library.ucdavis.edu/cmn176v

What is Video Game Design Club?

Video Game Design Club teaches kids ages 10 to 18 how to make video games, while also learning about STEM careers. Animation, architecture, programming, engineering – it’s all combined in a single year round program. Members earn badges each month as well as attend a monthly video game party. Additional benefits include a private Minecraft Server and social website for engaging online discussion. Locations in Huntsville and Athens, join the waitlist as spots are filling up fast!

What are the benefits of membership?

Monthly membership is $195. It’s definitely more than a drawing class or even a few video games. However, VGDC strives to provide the highest value to our member families as we greatly value your investment in our program.

8 Hours of STEM

Members can attend up to 4 sessions of two hours, totaling 8 hours of monthly STEM activities.

Real Badges

Like Scouts, every month is a new activity with the opportunity to earn a new physical badge.

Paid Software

Part of the cost includes software that members own from here on to practice and play.

Minecraft Server

Members can play on an exclusive server that only they have access to from home.

3 Hour Video Game Party

Every month, we get together and play video games, board games, and VR at a social event at DiVRgence of Huntsville!

Social Site

Access to the site also includes a safe and secure social media hosted in this site for interacting.

Join the Waitlist

Earn a new badge every month.

Browse Course Material

Course info.

• Clara Fernandez-Vara

Departments

• Comparative Media Studies/Writing

As Taught In

• Game Design
• Digital Media

Learning Resource Types

Introduction to videogame studies, assignments, advice on completing assignments, choosing the game.

Choose your games or game carefully. [ Read More ]

Game Analysis Guidelines

This is a list of general guidelines to analyze a videogame or a specific segment of it. [ Read More ]

Some Basic Advice

You can find general paper writing advice in the document “Big Red Flags that Give Away a Weak Paper.” The advice is broken down in different sections, which correspond to the different aspects that will be graded in the assignment. [ Read More ]

Written Assignment 1 (1000–1200 words): Report on the practical issues of videogame conventions. Due Ses #5.

Written Assignment 2 (1200–1500 words): Videogame contextualization of a game or games chosen by the student. Due Ses #9.

Mid-term Exam: Three hour written exam; review of the basic concepts covered in class and discussion of theoretical concepts. Exam will take place during the lab session in Week #8 (between Ses #12 and 13).

Written Assignment 3 (1500–1700 words): The final assignment is an in-­depth analysis the game or games discussed in the Written Assignment 2. Due Ses #24.

Class Presentation : Each group will present on the historical significance of one game from a specific list. Due during the lab session in Week #10 (between Ses #16 and #17).

For Graduate Students Only: the written assignments for graduate students will be 20% longer. The presentation assignment will be individual, not in groups.

About Your Written Exercises

For those students who may not feel confident about their writing, or are less familiar with humanities essays, you can make an appointment at the MIT Writing and Communication Center .

About Plagiarism

Use of another’s intellectual work without acknowledgement—is a serious offense. It is the policy of the CMS Faculty that students who plagiarize will receive an F in the subject, and that the instructor will forward the case to the Committee on Discipline. Full acknowledgement for all information obtained from sources outside the classroom must be clearly stated in all written work submitted. All ideas, arguments, and direct phrasings taken from someone else’s work must be identified and properly footnoted. Quotations from other sources must be clearly marked as distinct from the student’s own work. For further guidance on the proper forms of attribution, consult the style guides available in the Writing and Communication Center and the MIT Website on Plagiarism .

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Turn a Story into a Video Game: Creative Assignment For Any Novel or Short Story

Are your middle school ELA students obsessed with video games? I know that lately, gaming is all that some students want to talk about!  I also know that leaning into students’ interests creates instant buy-in. With this in mind, I came up with a multi-stage assignment that brings elements of video games into the middle school  ELA classroom. Combining the creativity of video games with the literacy skills required in English language arts keeps students engaged through the entire learning process.

Turning a Story into a Video Game Assignment is a flexible, appealing, and open-ended project that works at the end of almost any short story unit or novel study. What I love most about it is how versatile it is – you can use each of its eight components individually, or combine them into one large culminating assignment. 

It’s especially great for reluctant readers, or anyone who needs to make an outside-the-box connection with middle school ELA students. Best of all, both printer-friendly and digital versions of this assignment are available to help you meet the needs of all your learners. Here’s how it works:

Letter to the Video Game Developer

To begin, I like to invite my students to imagine that the story or novel they just read has become a best-seller. What happens to best-selling books? They need a video game tie-in, of course!

In this initial task, they need to write a letter to a video game developer . The purpose of the letter is to persuade the developer to make the story into a video game. As they write, middle school ELA students need to make a compelling argument for why the characters or conflict of the story would make for a fun game to play.

Select Your Players

Once the letter is complete, I like to ask students to choose three characters from the book or story, and determine how they will be controlled in the context of their video game.

Two of the characters they choose will be “playable” characters (PCs), meaning they can be controlled by the gamer. A third character will be a “non-playable” character, whose actions are controlled by the game. 

As part of this exercise, I like to encourage students to draw the characters and describe them in detail. To extend this exercise, you can also get your students to consider characters’ backstories, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

Design Your World

In my opinion, one of the most engaging things about video games are the rich and complex worlds the characters live in. To bring this element of video games into the middle school ELA classroom, I like to have my students design the main “world” (AKA the setting) where most of the action of the game will take place.

During this process, I like to encourage students to use specific evidence from the novel or story to create their setting. As they create their design, students should consider where and when the story takes place, as well as the objects, structures, and potential obstacles they need to include.

Video Game Box Cover

What would a video game be without creative cover art ? I like to begin this task by leading a quick brainstorming session about the type of designs that would encourage someone to buy a video game.

After the discussion, I outline the necessary features of a video game box cover, including the title, author, image, and a slogan. As part of this process, I sometimes ask them to write a brief persuasive description of the game to include on the back of the “case,” as well as a quote or snippet from a “five-star review!”

When bringing the idea of a book-turned-video game into the ELA class, one project students will often spend the most time on is storyboarding the game itself.

I usually start by explaining that video game developers use storyboards – comic-book-like versions of the video game – to plan key scenes. After this discussion, students create a sequence of drawings to either show the levels of the game, or an important scene or event. Then, they explain and justify their choices, using evidence from the book or story to support their thinking.

Video Game Composer

I think that one of the most underrated parts of any video game is its score. Music has the power to set the mood and tone of any scene, and the dramatic scenes of a video game are no exception!

In the Video Game Composer task, I begin by asking students to think of three songs they would like to include in their video game adaption of a short story or novel.  

First, they need to explain which part of the video game each song would be used in. Next, they give details about how the lyrics or melody of each song connect to specific moments in the story or novel. I find this is a really effective way to encourage students to justify their thinking!

Game Conflict

Bringing video games into the ELA classroom presents a great opportunity to discuss the various types of conflicts in narrative writing. I usually begin by explaining the different types of conflict in the context of gaming – player vs. player, player vs. self, player vs. environment, and player vs. society.

After this discussion, students choose a conflict for players to encounter during their game, and explain their choice. Once they make their choice, I invite them to consider this conflict in terms of its impact on the characters of the game, as well as the overall mood and tone. Specifically, I might have them discuss how the conflict affects the relationship between the various characters. As an alternative, they could also write about how the game developer conveys different emotions through the conflict.

Game Time Interview

In the final task for Turn A Story Into a Video Game , students take on the role of the developer who created the video game adaptation of the story or novel. I start by asking students to imagine that they are being interviewed for Game Time magazine. With this in mind, they consider the answers to questions like:

• What kind of person would like to play this game?
• What do you think gamers can learn from the story told in this video game?
• What was the most difficult scene from the game to create?

As they respond to each question in short paragraphs, students explain their thinking with specific references to the plot and characters from the novel or short story. Once their drafts are complete, you could even have your students design and format the interview as it would appear in an actual gaming magazine, complete with images and pull quotes!

I hope these ideas help you find creative ways to incorporate video games into your ELA class , and connect with the gamers in your school! The digital version of this activity is available here .

Looking to give students more autonomy when it comes to reading? Transform your middle school ELA classroom with the Empowered Readers course !

Check out my post on 10 Tips to Engage Reluctant Readers in Middle School for more ideas to support your students.

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