Pre-College Game Design

To be a good game designer, you must understand the fundamental principles of game design, the computer science that goes into designing a video game, the art and animation production process, and the storytelling and character creation skills necessary to bring video games to life.  Having strong knowledge of all technical and creative aspects of the game development process is important to create the engaging, interactive experiences today’s players expect.

During this four-week program, you will get to experience what life is like for DigiPen college students who are working on completing their Bachelor of Arts in Game Design. The students in this track will take three (3) core academic classes plus the game project lab that involves students from all of the Pre-College tracks working together to complete a game:

• GD: Principles of Game Design
• CS: Applied Computer Science for Designers (includes Lab)
• GAT: Interactive Narrative and Character Creation (includes Lab)
• GAM: Game Project Lab

Prerequisites:

• No prior experience or knowledge is required, but participants must be entering their Junior or Senior year of high school or have graduated high school within the last 18 months. 

Schedule:

• Each day, students will take two academic courses in the morning, plus the game project studio in the afternoons.

Technical Requirements:

Students must have access to a computer as well as additional hardware and software. For the Game Design track, students will need to have "Tabletop Simulator," which can be purchased for $20 by going to the STEAM Store.

Some programs or courses may indicate additional technology requirements, and not all programs are Mac compatible.

• Windows PC or Mac computer
• Display with a minimum resolution of 1024 x 768. While it is not mandatory, it is recommended to have a second monitor connected to the computer to extend the desktop. This allows the student to more easily follow what the instructor is demonstrating while concurrently seeing the software environment that the student is working within.
• Headset with microphone
• Three-button mouse
• Broadband internet connection
• Current, major internet browser (Chrome, Firefox)
• Latest version of Adobe Reader
• Printer