GSD 390

Fall 2026 All Classes

All Classes

Special Topics in Game Studies & Design

Credit: 1 TO 3 hours.

Advanced study or skills-based instruction in an emerging or special topic related to Game Studies and Design not covered in normal course offerings.

Approved for both Letter and S/U grading. May be repeated if topics vary.

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GSD 390 class schedule data for fall 2026
CRN	Type	Section	Time	Day	Location	Instructor	Section Details
81732	Laboratory-Discussion	2AA	1:00PM -2:50PM	F	FAB LAB Art-East Annex, Studio 2	Ballenger, S	Availability: Open Part of Term: A Date Range: 08/24/26-10/16/26 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: 2D Game Art Fundamentals Section Info: This course explores art elements and design fundamentals through the lens of 2D game art. Students develop skills in shape language, value, color theory, composition, and movement while applying them to character and environment design. Emphasis is placed on clarity, visual communication, and stylistic cohesion. No prior art making experience is required, this course is for beginners but useful for intermediates as well. This 8-week course will utilize traditional art materials like drawing and painting. Students are encouraged to bring their preferred media but supplies will be provided.
81733	Laboratory-Discussion	2AB	1:00PM -2:50PM	F	Location Pending	Ballenger, S	Availability: Open Part of Term: B Date Range: 10/19/26-12/09/26 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: 2D Game Art Fundam - Digital Section Info: This course explores art elements and design fundamentals through the lens of 2D game art. Students develop skills in shape language, value, color theory, composition, and movement while applying them to character and environment design. Emphasis is placed on clarity, visual communication, and stylistic cohesion. No prior art making experience is required, this course is for beginners but useful for intermediates as well. This 8-week course will utilize digital illustration methods for creating art assets. It’s recommended that students bring and use their own digital illustration tools, but it’s not required.
77859	Laboratory-Discussion	AN2	1:00PM -3:40PM	F	0060 Siebel Center for Design	Velazquez, J	Availability: Open Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 08/24/26-12/09/26 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: Animation for Games Section Info: This course is designed to build a strong foundation for Game Art Animation. You will become familiar with Blender’s interface and navigating both 2D and 3D workspaces, build a strong working knowledge of the basics for animation and design.
78560	Laboratory-Discussion	BLN	9:30AM -12:10PM	F	0060 Siebel Center for Design	Velazquez, J	Availability: Open Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 08/24/26-12/09/26 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: Intro to 3D Game Art Section Info: This course is designed to build a strong foundation for Game Art Development. You will become familiar with Blender’s interface and navigating the 3-D workspace, build a strong working knowledge of the basics for 3-D modeling and design. You will learn the basic skills needed to create 3d models and apply textures and lighting and get a feel for animating, and rendering. Blender is available for Windows and Mac OS.
78029	Laboratory-Discussion	DBU	3:30PM -4:50PM	MW	146 Armory	Baird, D	Availability: Open Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 08/24/26-12/09/26 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: Introduction to Unreal Section Info: This course is intended to be a beginning introduction to the video game development engine Unreal Engine. Starting from the ground up, it will introduce you to the interfaces, systems, structure, and general workings of UE. Over the course of the class you will be putting together a simple game that can act as both a personal reference for what you’ve learned as well as a demo for your portfolio. No programming experience required.
78600	Laboratory-Discussion	DHP	2:00PM -3:50PM	MW	322 David Kinley Hall	Hopping, D	Availability: Open Part of Term: B Date Range: 10/19/26-12/09/26 Credit: 2 hours Section Title: Improv for Games Section Info: Whether you've seen it in your favorite Tabletop Role Playing game, on a television show like Whose Line is it Anyway, or in person at Second City, improvisation is everywhere. In this course, students will learn and practice basic improvisational techniques, with the goal of exploring fictional characters and scenarios in and around games and game design. Students will also get the opportunity to create new Improv games, and approach the space from a designer's perspective. No theater or game design experience is required!
81636	Laboratory-Discussion	EB	3:30PM -4:50PM	TR	215 Gregory Hall	Butt, E	Availability: Open Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 08/24/26-12/09/26 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: Exploring Escape Rooms Section Info: This course will explore the history and practice of Escape Rooms alongside foundational concepts in design for physical puzzle games. Students will survey the history of “escape” games, from the genre’s roots in mystery novels, live-action roleplaying games, immersive theatre, and point-and-click adventure games, to current implementations. After the course, students will be able to trace the historical media influences on modern escape rooms, discuss current challenges in escape room design, and prototype simple puzzle games in a medium of their choice (analog or digital).
78012	Online	JGP	2:00PM -3:20PM	TR	n.a.	Hurtado Duarte, P	Availability: Open Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 08/24/26-12/09/26 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: AI Systems in Games Section Info: Guided exploration of AI tools and how they can be used to design and build games.
78069	Laboratory-Discussion	MCR	9:00AM -11:40AM	W	1002 Siebel Center for Design	Curtin, M	Availability: Open Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 08/24/26-12/09/26 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: Concept Art for Video Games Section Info: This course teaches students how to collaboratively generate video game concept art, gain industry perspective, and prepare for the role through a simulated studio’s pre-production lifecycle. Students will leave the class with a visual record of their work to showcase to potential employers. To fully benefit from the course, a level of proficiency and confidence in drawing is recommended. Students can work in either traditional or digital mediums (BYOL for digital).
80772	Laboratory-Discussion	U2D	9:30AM -10:50AM	TR	146 Armory	Baird, D	Availability: Open Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 08/24/26-12/09/26 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: 2D Digital Game Design Section Info: An introduction into the design behind 2D digital games. Students will study the design decisions behind 2D games, what stories that can tell, and the beginning skills to make their own. By the end of the course students will have a design doc and the beginnings of a prototype of their own game.
79791	Online	URP	ARRANGED	n.a.	n.a.	Bregermann, J	Availability: Open Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 08/24/26-12/09/26 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: Unreal Programming Section Info: In the Unreal Programming (C++) course for beginner-level students, I would introduce the fundamentals of C++ programming within the Unreal Engine environment. We would start with the basics of C++ syntax, including variables, data types, loops, and conditional statements. Next, students would learn about object-oriented programming concepts such as classes, inheritance, and polymorphism, and how these are applied in Unreal Engine. I would cover essential topics like memory management, pointers, and references, which are crucial for efficient game development. Students would also gain hands-on experience by writing and integrating C++ code with Unreal Engine to create simple game mechanics, manipulate game objects, and handle player inputs. Additionally, we would explore Unreal Engine’s API and how to use it to extend the functionality of games. By the end of the course, students would have a solid foundation in C++ programming and be capable of developing basic games and interactive applications in Unreal Engine.
79793	Online	UTP	6:00PM -9:00PM	R	n.a.	Song, A	Availability: Open Part of Term: B Date Range: 10/19/26-12/09/26 Credit: 2 hours Section Title: Unity Programming in C# Section Info: The focus of this course is learning to write clean, efficient C# scripts in the Unity game engine to control gameplay mechanics, user input, physics interactions, UI systems, and more. Through a series of guided projects and creative challenges, you’ll gain practical experience with object-oriented programming concepts, the fundamentals of C# and Unity's core tools and architecture. Prior programming experience isn't required, but it is helpful.