course-details-portlet

TPD4168

Game Design

Choose study year
Credits 7.5
Level Second degree level
Course start Autumn 2025
Duration 1 semester
Language of instruction English and norwegian
Location Trondheim
Examination arrangement Work
Special deadlines for course registration
Autumn: 2025-06-01

About

About the course

Course content

The course provides an introduction to game design focusing on the mechanics, balancing, storytelling, sound with the gameplay experience as the main goal. Game development methodology, documentation, and the game engine Unity are used in project work. Applications of games in learning, interactive literature, and gamification of applications are discussed. A critical discussion of player culture and ethics is addressed in the context of game genres.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

The student has

  • basic knowledge of the characteristics that distinguish games from other products and services.
  • An understanding of games as rule-based systems consisting of mechanics, balancing techniques and winning conditions.
  • The ability to analyze the design, feedback, flow, narrative, sound with consideration to the experience the game creates with the player.
  • Insight into game design methodology and theoretical perspectives about games, players and games as media.

Skills:

The student can

  • Sketch and prototype games on paper
  • Create a simple and engaging game
  • Use key parts of the Unity3D game engine
  • Write game design documentation

General competence:

The student can

  • Analyze how games work and are built up.
  • Evaluate the quality of games.
  • Consider whether games are the right solution to a communication or learning needs.

Learning methods and activities

Lectures, exercises, a project assignment. Introductory Unity exercises. A mandatory graded project is carried out in groups of three people. The project involves the development of a casual game level with the Unity game engine. A game design document is written as documentation and included in the evaluation. There will be an oral presentation of the results and spilltesting.

This course is offered to international master students.

Further on evaluation

Students have to develop a game (counts 85%) and submit a game design document (counts 15%). It is also expected for students to make a poster and present orally.

  • If failed, you are allowed to submit a new or revised project at the next ordinary completion of the course
  • For voluntary course retake to improve grade, all assessments in the course must be retaken

Specific conditions

Required previous knowledge

The course is reserved for students in the study programme 5 years Master in Industrial Design with specialization interaction design. The course is an elective course for students in 2 year Master in Industrial design in 3rd semester. Students in Master and Bachelor in Music Technology, Master of Science in Informatics within the programme option Interaction Design, Game and Learning Technology can be assigned access to the course in August (second admission).

Prerequisites by study program: Industrial design presupposes TDT4102 Procedural and Object-Oriented Programming and TPD4134 User Interface Design or similar competence. Music Technology presupposes a prior course including Unity. (master students are given priority). Informatics requires admission to the Interaction Design, Game and Learning technologies (7098) master program. Registration deadline in student web is June 1st for all students.

Course materials

Course materials will be stated at the start of the semester

Subject areas

  • Interaction Design

Contact information

Course coordinator

Lecturers

Department with academic responsibility

Department of Design