Game Development

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Major, Minor or Concentration

Rize’s Game Development program is uniquely designed in partnership with Unity Technologies, the world’s most used game engine. Upon completion of this program, students will possess the necessary skills to obtain the Unity Certified Associate: Programmer certification and Unity Certified Associate: Game Developer exam. The curriculum covers game mechanics, narrative storytelling, user experience, and collaboration through project-based learning. Students also gain experience with version control, testing, and optimization to prepare for careers in the dynamic field of game development.

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Game Development

Courses

Courses & Curriculum

GDM I - Introduction to Games

Games sit at the intersection of technology, art, and culture, so success within the games industry requires you to understand all three. This course explores why we love games, what role they play in society, and the industry that produces them. You’ll also learn the basics of game development. This course was developed in partnership with Unity and the IGDA to help everyone interested in the games industry start on the right foot. This online class has optional live sessions.

GDM II | Content and Systems Design

If you’ve ever enjoyed the experience of playing a video game, you’ve had a first-hand lesson in how important content and systems design are. The experience of a game is driven by four major components: content, systems, narrative, and user experience. This class will help you learn to design all four components, and build a deeper understanding of the game development process and an introduction to concepts in scripting. This online class has optional live sessions.

GDM III | Unity I, Working with Unity

GDM IV | C# Programming

C# is a modern, general purpose, object oriented programming language with a range of uses, most notably creating desktop applications, web applications, web services and building games using the Unity engine. This course is intended to give students a working knowledge of the C# programming language and the .NET framework, as well as an understanding of C#’s application to the Unity Game Development Engine. This online course has optional live sessions.

GDM V | Unity II, Advanced Unity Programming

This course is intended to provide students with the skills and knowledge to bring their mastery of the Unity game engine and C# programming up to a professional standard. Students will learn how to perform a range of vital code-based tasks within the Unity platform, and will grow their skills in building core gameplay functionality, supporting systems and platform-specific optimizations. This course was built in collaboration with Unity. Upon successful completion, students will be prepared to sit for the Unity Certified Associate: Programmer exam. This online course has optional live sessions.

GDM VI | Capstone Project: Building a Game

This course is intended as a culmination of all a student’s work in the Unity Game Development major. Students will work in groups to build a game in the unity engine that uses real-time 2D or 3D visuals and showcases their understanding of the core principles of game design. Students will pitch their game, design, prototype, build and test their game. Students will be evaluated based on the quality of their game, and their internal project management processes. This online course has optional live sessions.

Rize programs leverage the courses you already have

Our Partnerships Team works closely with you to create a customized program that integrates your existing courses. A potential Project Management major could look like:

Example courses from your institution

Calculus I
Statistics & Probability
Algorithms
Programming I & II
Data Structures
Psychology

Courses
from Rize

Intro to Games
Content and Systems Design
Unity I: Working with Unity
C# Programming
Unity II: Advanced Unity Programming
Capstone Project: Building a Game

Student Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Critically analyze and evaluate games as well as their themes, mechanics, and other components.
Synthesize creative and technological perspectives and apply those principles to the development of games.
Gain an appreciation of the nature of games as an artistic medium, technology product, and cultural force.
Acquire the necessary mastery of programming and the Unity engine to successfully build games.
Apply theoretical principles of game design and product development to the process of game creation.

Certifications

Unity Certified Associate: Programmer
Validates foundational skills in programming within the Unity environment. Covers C# scripting, debugging, asset management, and implementing core gameplay features like player movement, UI, and game mechanics.

Unity Certified Associate: Game Developer
Demonstrates a broad understanding of game development using Unity. Includes skills in animation, audio, lighting, user interface, and basic programming to create fully functional and interactive game experiences.

Skills

Narrative and Interactive Storytelling
Unity Engine Proficiency (Asset Management; Physics; Level Design)
C# Programming for Game Development
Advanced Unity Scripting and Optimization
Project-Based Game Production and Collaboration
Programming Foundations (Python; C#)
Version Control with GitHub
User Experience and Interface Design for Games
Game Testing and Iteration
Application of Calculus; Statistics; and Psychology in Game Mechanics
Critical Analysis of Games and Game Components

Testimonials

Students give these courses rave reviews

"Rize courses have really helped me fall in love even more with my future profession that I want to go down."

Sean G.

Adrian College

“The class experience is amazing!”

Mary D.

University of Mary Hardin-Baylor

“Throughout the class time in Rize, the teacher is going over exactly what we need to do… he gave us the freedom to think creatively, to do our own project and it helped us do what he was teaching us to do on our own.”

Cole B.

Walsh University

“Rize has given me an opportunity to add something to my degree. Something that I wanted to find at my school but wasn’t there.”

Chisunta C.

Albertus Magnus College

“My experience with Rize classes has been extremely positive. I think they’re really well structured, and the professors really care as well - they’re really out there to help you”

Daniel W.

Lasell University

Game Development

Game Development