Spring 2026
This is a tentative schedule and subject to change.
Note: Some of the class readings and tutorials below have been gleaned from a variety of gaming and gaming-related courses, most notably CMU's ETC Game Design course, UCSC's gaming track courses, Brown's Computer Animation course, Jason Leigh’s and Mark Tulewicz’s Videogame course etc.
Please access all readings and assignments through your UIC google account, due to distribution restrictions.
Date | Topic | Readings | Assignments (due) | Additional Materials |
**** | INTRODUCTION TO GAME DESIGN: The Pitch, The Design Process, Prototyping | **** | ||
01/12 | Unity3D Hands On Tutorial slides (and the recorded tutorial) | Install Unity3D on your machine (includes links to scripts and BB8 model) | ||
01/19 | ***MLK holiday, no class*** | |||
01/26 | Formal Elements I (Players, Objectives) E01: Identify Players and Objectives (see slides and Piazza) Formal Elements II (Procedures, Rules, Resources, Conflict, Boundaries, Outcome) E02 and E03 (see slides and Piazza) | Fullerton textbook | E01, E02 and E03 exercises due in class Asgn 1 due | |
02/02 | E04 (Simple Multiplayer FEs) Networking Tutorial (1.5 hrs) and Scripts (recorded video) On your own: List your favorite 10 games, along w/ main objective; record the top objective; add it to your E05. E05 (Personal Background) | Fast-Paced Multiplayer (Gambetta) | Assignment 2 out (Networking and Serious Games) E04 (simple game FEs) exercise due E05 Personal background (due on Piazza by next class) | |
02/09 | Game Ideas: Techniques for the IDEABASE Offline: Demo Assignment 1 (portfolio); check out each others’ solutions, as posted under Piazza | How to Prototype a Game in 7 Days (no slot) Hendrick: Hiring Game Designers Hoffman: Nobody will steal your game idea. Ever. | Class discussion begins 3 slots | |
02/16 | Project idea peer feedback Assignment 2 presentations | Split Fiction Cooperative Writing | Asgn 2 due Fri before this class E06: Ideabase due | EDIT: 2 slots, 1 rescheduled to 03/02 (was 3 slots) The art of storytelling in games (no slot) |
02/23 | Midterm: Game Pitches (prototype and idea) Make teams | Asgn 3/Midterm due; post slides by 11:59pm workday before class. | ||
**** | UNDER THE HOOD | **** | ||
03/02 Class discussion Sanjana tutorial (Liz out, professional duty) | Intro CG: Geometry, Scenegraphs, Camera (recorded lecture part 1 and part 2) Intro CG II: Lights, Textures, Billboards (recorded lecture) SparkHacks 2nd place demo Intro to EVL technology: CAVE2/VR in Unity3D tutorial | Factorio (rescheduled) | EDIT: 3, not 2 slots Mechner: Story-based Games (no slot) Designing Myst (no slot) | |
03/09 | Career Preparedness | Water Interaction Model for Boats | Assignment 4 (Physics, Textures and Lights) out | 2 slots |
03/16 | Team structure and dynamics; The design document; Project Management Level design hands on (see Asgn 5) | The Joel Test (no slot) Joel Spolsky: Painless Bug Tracking De Jong: The Whys and Hows of Level Design (no slot) | Asgn 4 due the workday before class E08 and E09 due in class Assignment 5 (Design Document, Tools, Sw Prototype; and Level Design) out Assignment 5 due (level design due by the end of class) | 2 slots |
**** | GAME IMPLEMENTATION | **** | ||
03/23 | ***** No class (Spring Break) | ********* | ||
03/30 | Mecanim tutorial (~20 mins) | Ambinder: Playtesting at Valve | Assignment 5 due the school weekday before class Assignment 6: AI and Mecanim out | 3 slots |
04/06p | Assignment 6 due in class Assignment 7 out (alpha, sound, UI and testing) | If you’ve never heard of Disco Elysium, skim first through its wikipedia page What to do when you’re screwed Linear Algebra Notes (no slot) | Assignment 6 due (electronic) Assignment 7 out (alpha, sound, UI and testing) | 3 slots |
04/13 | Alpha release; testers, file the Alpha review form (10:45) 5:1 praise to complaint ratio (!)
Assignment 8: Shaders and Beta Release out | Assignment 7 (electronic) due and demo due in class Assignment 8: Shaders and Beta Release out | ||
04/20 | Working in the gaming industry Gaming Industry; Getting a job Assignment 9: (public demo) out Beta release (11:40am) | IDGA Developer Survey 2024 (older surveys: 2019); additional infographics 2024 updates) Fluorite, but see also Verge, FluoriteEngine, and any additional resources you may find Thomson: The Minecraft Generation (it’s reasonably uplifting and a good capstone) | Assignment 8 (electronic) and demo due in class Assignment 9: (public demo) out | 3 slots |
04/27 | Public demos Assignment 9, including Completed Design Document and peer evaluation due Exercise 11 due | Exercise 11 due Public release due the day before class Assignment 9 design document and peer eval due by 11:59pm | ||
Exam week (05/08) | Final exam only for doctoral students doing a WCP | 10:30am - 12:30pm ERF 2068 | Final exam cancelled, since no student would benefit numerically from retaking one quiz, and we have no doctoral students doing a WCP. | |