Game Design Essentials: Tools, Theories and Techniques
Harness the power of game design, psychology and systems thinking to understand your players and how games work.
4.69 (206 reviews)
2,207
students
4.5 hours
content
Apr 2024
last update
$79.99
regular price
What you will learn
Learn to design games understanding all their constitutive parts and how they connect with each other
Learn to play games like a game designer (Analytical play)
Understand Systems Thinking to understand our world and existing games to transfer those experiences into your own games
Use the Design Thinking method to improve your design process
Use psychology to understand your players and create more directed experiences
Create spreadsheet simulations to balance your games
Use GDD and pitching to communicate with your team and different stakeholders
Why take this course?
๐ **Course Title:** Game Design Essentials: Tools, Theories and Techniques
๐ฅ **Headline:** Harness the power of game design, psychology, and systems thinking to understand your players and how games work.
๐ **Course Description:**
This course offers a **comprehensive** framework to **understand** and **practice** game design at an essential level. ๐ฎ As you progress through the modules, you'll gain insights into the multifaceted role of a game designer, delve into the core components that make games engaging, and explore the intersection of psychology, player behavior, and systemic design. By the end of this course, you will have the **tools** and **thinking** processes to discern why some games captivate players for hours on end, while others struggle to engage.
**WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:**
- ๐ค Understand the roles within game development and how they contribute to a successful project.
- ๐ฑ Discover what skills you need to keep improving as a game designer.
- ๐ Grasp the fundamentals of game parts, mechanics, and dynamics โ the building blocks of game design.
- ๐ก Harness the power of Design Thinking to enhance your Empathy, Ideation, and Prototyping capabilities for game development.
- ๐ง Utilize Psychology to gain insights into player motivation and perception.
- โ๏ธ Learn what a Game Design Document (GDD) is and how to create one.
- ๐ฌ Understand the elements of a successful game pitch and how to present your ideas effectively.
- ๐คซ Master communication strategies for conveying your game concept to team members.
- โ๏ธ Explore the relationship between math, probability, and game mechanics in both board and video games.
- ๐ Create game models using Google Spreadsheets to test and refine your game design early in the process.
- ๐ค Employ random, procedural generation, and systems thinking to craft games with systemic gameplay that are as interesting to play as they are to watch.
- ๐ Analyze real-world and game systems to create meaningful games that connect players to their surroundings and experiences.
**HOW YOU WILL PRACTICE WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED:**
- ๐ You will design and develop your very own card game from scratch, applying all the concepts you've learned throughout the course.
- โ๏ธ Each activity is meticulously crafted to reinforce the lessons and ensure practical application of the theories discussed.
- ๐ Your card game will be a living project that you can continue to refine and enhance even after completing the course.
**What is NOT included in this course:**
- ๐งน Programming languages (although understanding how games function at a code level can be beneficial, this course focuses on the design aspect rather than coding).
- ๐จ Art asset creation (this course concentrates on the conceptual and design aspects of game creation).
By enrolling in "Game Design Essentials: Tools, Theories and Techniques," you're taking the first step towards a new level of understanding in game development. Get ready to immerse yourself in a world where theory meets practice, and your creativity can run wild! ๐
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Reviews
Valerii
August 30, 2023
Really amazing and full-of-info course from real game designer. No garbage, no lie - only real thing, that is why I would love to recomend it.
Ekincan
August 16, 2023
Course is broad, well thought with many practices. Just the sound a little bit low but no big deal. Thank you Gabriel!
Aida
May 11, 2023
That was really good for me, but i had a problem the language of the game was a little bit hard for me, but again this course was really helpful for me. thanks
Yana
May 7, 2023
Bad sound and articulation of the trainer :( Not easy to listen to him and understand him, even though I see he has an expertise
Dimitri
March 29, 2023
Understanding Players and System Thinking sections are clearly what I was looking for, but I expected these sections to be more in-depth materials.
If you don't already know GDC or some game design analysis Youtube channel, this is a really good "Where to start" course.
Also, the trainer responds quite quickly on Discord and takes the time to answer your questions with great accuracy and enrichment
Ann
March 16, 2023
so far it has been very helpful in introducing the game design as a career and the game industry as a whole
Alexandre
November 12, 2022
Really good course! Very detailed and very well explained with rich examples!!! I recommend for anyone that would like to dive into the world of "Game Design". Thank you so much!!!
Gustavo
October 21, 2022
It was a good surprise, great course!
I especially liked the psychological approach of game design.
recommended.
รzcan
October 12, 2022
Nice course with a good overview of game design and theoratical approaches. It also has some practical assignments.
Paul
August 20, 2022
The course was exactly what I expected, which was to go more in-depth on how to conduct analysis and get to know better the essentials of game design theory.
Claudia
June 13, 2022
So far it's been simple, easy to follow and well-paced. I think the teacher gets to the root of the game design, which is very important and thank you for breaking it down so nicely.
Arthur
December 25, 2021
Well-informed videos with great content, I loved the idea of having a progress card, but the videos could be more dynamic, maybe more editing would help.
Gokul
October 7, 2020
yes it is, this is what i expected from this course and m expecting so much deeper into the concepts upcoming
Josep
August 20, 2020
Excellent course, highly recommended for people starting as game designers. Probably the best course on this topic currently available on Udemy. Perhaps what I missed most was a deeper approach on some of the topics and better practical insights on the concepts explained. For example, I would have found very useful if the course had deconstructed a popular game (or game level) over the different lessons and produced practical documentation showcasing each new concept learnt (Eg: process to design that game/level, GDD documentation, top systems found in the game/level, etc). That is something left to the student but certainly a detailed case study would help making this course even better.
Aldo
June 30, 2020
There's just a problem with video 20 in section 2. The title is Csikszentmihalyi's Flow Theory but the video is the same as the number 14, Design Thinking Process.
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udemy ID
3/30/2020
course created date
12/1/2023
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