LaSalle College Courses

Introduction to Psychological Aspects of Game Design

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Are you ready to take the first step from gamer to game designer? Then this course is for you!This course is an introduction to the basic concepts of game development and design theory, and explores how these concepts affect the ways we design and interact with games. What are games? What are their structures and rule systems? What are their mechanics and dynamics? How does behavioral psychology impact game design? This course answers all these questions and many more! This course explores the tenets of game design, core game structure, the components of a game, and the different areas of specialization within game design. We look at theoretical design frameworks as conceptual models for approaching design and the fundamental concepts in game psychology, motivation and game experience. The course describes the models that explain the various player types and play styles (what types of people play games, and what motivates and interests them).Finally, you will learn about core game mechanics and challenge dynamics, and how your designs can be improved by thinking about them from a psychological, player-centric perspective. Throughout this course, we use classic video game examples such as Pac-man, Space Invaders and Solitaire to see what they can teach us about games and game design. Topics covered include: Introduction to game designGame design frameworksBehavioral game psychology and play stylesThe psychology of game mechanics and dynamics

Types of Games in Level Design

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There are many categories of video games, often classified by their characteristics or goals—not by the type of gameplay they contain. Are you curious to learn about the growing variety of genres and subgenres? Want to discover which game genres appeal to you? No matter what your interest, this course takes you through what you need to know about genres in the game world.In this course, you will learn about the types of games that exist in the industry and their unique characteristics. You will explore platforming, racing and strategy games, and identify the factors and requirements that level designers must consider when designing these video games. Game genres can also have subgenres, and many games fit into multiple genres! We will explore the subgenres of games that branched off from other genres, taking advantage of their mechanics to create entirely new genres, each with their own level design considerations.

Introduction to Game Design: Game Systems and Balance

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Game designers create the ideas and worlds of games—they design the environment, characters, game mechanics, goals and user experience. Successful game designers do this by applying the fundamentals of game system design and logic. This course explains what game system design is, how it works, and how it relates to game mechanics, designing rules, and logical thinking and reasoning. Game balance is a crucial component of game design and development, so in this course we will focus on what game balance is and why it is important in terms of its relation to simplicity and complexity, dominant strategies, and skill and chance. This course also dives into game balancing tools you can use to make your game a success, including risk and reward, physical and mental challenges, gameplay duration, and freedom versus control.Topics covered include: Game system design and logicGame balanceGame environmentsGame balancing tools

Introduction to Game Design

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Are you interested in becoming a game designer? Would you like to learn how to create and describe a game concept and what specifically makes a game compelling? If the answer is yes, then this program is for you!The Game Design XSeries program will give you the basic skills you need by teaching you the fundamentals of game development design theory, terminology, principles, processes and practices. You will learn about the entire development cycle for a traditional non-digital game, including identifying the target audience, envisioning a game idea, pitching, prototyping, playtesting and creating the final product. This introductory program is based on the Game Design and VFX School at our LaSalle College Vancouver campus, which has been crowned the #1 undergraduate school in Canada for video game design by the Princeton Review 10 years in a row. Now you can turn your passion for video games into a rewarding, high-paying career.

History of Game Design: Prehistory to the late 1980s

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Want to take a fascinating journey through the history of gaming? Then this course is for you.Our journey begins with an exploration of how ancient board games evolved into modern board games and arcade games. Then we will explore the development of first- and second-generation video games, and finally, innovative third-generation game technology. In this course, you will learn about the history of game design, features and applications of the earliest video games and the second-generation video game consoles developed in the 1970s and 1980s. You will also discover how the American video game industry crash of 1983 paved the way for game developers and game companies around the world—particularly Nintendo and Sega from Japan—to dominate the video game market of the late 1980s and develop the third generation of consoles. Topics covered include: Pre-electronic gamesBirth of an industryExplosion and crashRebirth of an industry

History of Game Design: 2010 to the beginning of 2021

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We will now turn our attention to the consoles of the eighth and ninth generations and learn about advances in computer gaming and related gaming technologies, including a decline in physical game media in favor of digital downloads, the emerging virtual reality (VR) gaming sector, and the rise of esports as a major commercial enterprise. You will also learn about the history of independent video games and why they are relevant to video game history. Your journey continues with the evolution of handheld, mobile and social media games and how microconsoles have impacted the industry.Finally, you will explore the resurgence in experimenting with mixed and virtual reality technology. After all, what could be better than playing a video game—other than living inside one? Topics covered include: The end of generationsIndependent gamesMobile games, social games, microconsoles and mixed reality

Shooters and Game Engines in Level Design

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Do you want to learn more about game genres and subgenres? This course continues your exploration of level design by introducing you to an important genre: the shooter. The shooter genre is huge in the game world, containing a wide variety of subgenres with their own gameplay needs. This course outlines some of these subgenres and identifies common shooter mechanics, level design considerations, and examples to help you understand how these concepts are applied. This course also provides you with the development tools that video game level designers use to build their levels. No matter what genre of game you are designing for, the process of creating a level is similar. It requires planning, forethought, and constant testing and iteration. To ensure you’re on the right track, we finish off by reviewing all the key concepts you have learned throughout the three courses for the Level Design Professional Certificate, including the principles and terminology of good level design, specific considerations for certain genres, and the level design process.

Introduction to Game Design: Process and Creation

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What is good game design? How do you come up with good game ideas? How do you start documenting your ideas? How do you create an experience? How do you write a rule book? These are some of the questions that will come up during the game design process, and this course will enable you to answer them.When you’re designing a game, you’re designing an intricate system, so you will want a series of steps to help you through the game creation process. This course walks you through those steps—from determining a game’s success criteria and conceptualizing new aspects and core concepts to designing and prototyping your game, through to producing and finalizing your game. It explores what’s involved in designing game experiences for the gaming industry and which elements affect player experiences and behavior. It also identifies some key considerations in ideation and video game development: how to establish your game’s situation, design pillars and loops, and document your game ideas. Topics covered include: The game design processDesigning game experiencesEnvisioning game ideas

History of Games: 1990 to the late 2000s

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It’s now time to continue your captivating journey through the history of gaming.In this second course, you will learn about the technological advancements of the early 1990s and the development of the fourth- and fifth-generation video game consoles—some of which survived even after their successor generation entered the market.You will also explore the proliferation of corporate video game mascots during this era. Finally, your journey will end with the sixth- and seventh-generation gaming consoles. You will discover the consoles and games that made these generations great, and the improvements made to the user experience through high-definition technology, motion controls and digital storefronts. Topics covered include: Mascot warsA new dimension A changing of the guardThe dawn of high definition

Introduction to Level Design

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Do you have a love of video games and a desire to take your creativity and eye for detail to a whole new level? You may be asking yourself: What does a level designer do? What makes a successful video game level? The Introduction to Level Design XSeries program will help you answer all these questions. You will be introduced to game development through level design theory, terminology and the development process. You will also learn how to create actions, events and objects in 2D and 3D, and environments that support character development and player experience—all leading to a logical outcome while meeting the objectives of the game. The program focuses on deconstructing, analyzing and documenting various pre-existing levels from shipped games, as well as designing and building multiplayer and single-player levels in a game engine.This program is based on the Game Design and VFX School at our LaSalle College Vancouver campus, which has been crowned the #1 undergraduate school in Canada for video game design by the Princeton Review 10 years in a row. Get ready to take your knowledge to a higher level!

The Basics of Level Design

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This course introduces you to the fundamentals of game level design—a crucial aspect of video game design that centers around the creation of playable spaces. As a level designer, you will be required to create well-designed levels that direct the movement of the player(s) through the game—often without the player consciously recognizing they’re being directed. This course will introduce you to the core concepts involved in designing a game level, along with important steps in the design process. The course explores what a level is, who is responsible for designing levels, and the different roles involved in game level design. Using different sample designs, such as dungeon design and other popular genres of roguelikes and adventure games, we will identify the elements of the various stages of the design process used in the game industry and how they have evolved through time.

History of Games

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Do you love playing video games and want to take a deep dive into where they come from and how they are developed? Learning the history of popular games will not only increase your love of games but also your appreciation for the work that goes into their development.In this History of Games XSeries program, you will explore over 5,000 years of gaming history. The program provides a historical and analytical approach to the evolution of game design, including how game design has been shaped by cultures and societies around the world, from board games to video game consoles, and the impact that games have had on how people play, learn and connect with each other today. This program is based on the Game Design and VFX School at our LaSalle College Vancouver campus, which has been crowned the #1 undergraduate school in Canada for video game design by the Princeton Review 10 years in a row. With this newfound understanding of the evolution of games, you can begin to make choices about what design elements you might want to include in your own video games.