Academy of Game Design & Programming
Launch of our New Online Gaming Curriculum

Would you like to become a video game designer working on the Play station 3, Xbox 360, or Nintendo Wii? Well, you're not alone. Read a bit further, and we'll show you that you might not be that far away from your dream career. Learn how to become a video game designer and programmer.  These high school career paths offer students a look at real world career options while they are still in high school.

  

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Game Design Foundations 1.0 Credit This course is designed to provide an introduction to game and simulation concepts and careers, the impact game and simulation has on society and industry, and basic game/simulation design concepts such as rule design, play mechanics, and media integration.  This course compares and contrasts games and simulations, key development methodologies and tools, careers, and industry-related information. This course also covers strategies, processes, and methods for conceptualizing a game or simulation application; storyboarding techniques; and development tools. Hands-on activities using an entry-level game development tool such as Game Maker or Alice is integrated into the curriculum. The culminating activity is the creation of a playable game

Game Design and Programming 1.0 Credit This course covers fundamental principles of designing a game or a simulation application, in particular Human Computer Interface (HCI) principles, rules and strategies of play, conditional branching, design and development constraints, use of sound and animation, design tools, and implementation issues.  Extensive use is made of evaluating and analyzing existing games or simulations. Hands-on activities using an entry-level game development tool such as Game Maker or Alice is integrated into the curriculum.  The culminating activity is the creation and presentation of a playable game with design documentation

History of Video Games 1.0 Credit This course presents an amazing journey, from video game roots in the giant mainframes of the mid-twentieth century to today's multibillion dollar worldwide industry.

Game and Simulation Audio/Sound Effects 1.0 Credit This course is focused on students acquiring skills in designing, producing, editing, and integrating audio and sound effects into a game or simulation application

Game and Simulation Video/Special Effects 1.0 Credit This course is focused on students acquiring skills in designing, producing, editing, and integrating video and special effects into a game or simulation application

Game and Simulation Programming 1.0 Credit This course is focused on students acquiring the appropriate programming skills for rendering a game or simulation product, including program control, conditional branching, memory management, score-keeping, timed event strategies and methodologies, and implementation issues

Multi-User Game and Simulation Programming 1.0 Credit This course is focused on students acquiring the appropriate programming skills for rendering a game or simulation product, including program control, conditional branching, score-keeping, timed event strategies and methodologies, and implementation issues specific to multi-user game/simulation products.

Introduction to 2D Game Programming 1.0 Credit This course is focused on students acquiring skills to create, refine, and integrate realistic 2D graphics into a game or simulation product. Students will essentially learn how to use a graphic software package, file maintenance strategies, and migration techniques and issues.

Introduction to 3D Game Programming 1.0 Credit This course is focused on students acquiring skills to create, refine, and integrate realistic 3D graphics into a game or simulation product. Students will essentially learn how to use a 3D animation software package, file maintenance conventions, and migration techniques and issues

C++ Programming For Game Developers I 1.0 Credit The C++ programming language plays the major role in programming video games and this course teaches you object oriented C++ from scratch, starting with concepts that first appeared in C.

C++ Programming for Game Developers II 1.0 Credit You will learn about fundamental graphic concepts such as double buffering, sprites, animation and timing, and masking. By the end of the course, you will have developed a fully functional 2D game, complete with graphics, physics, artificial intelligence, and input via the .mouse. After completing this course, you will be adequately prepared for your first course in 3D graphics programming

Math for Game Programmers 1.0 Credit Mathematics is the basis for many topics in game and graphics development. Without mathematics, there would be no fancy computer-generated images or moving characters in a game. This course introduces basic principles used in computer graphics and game applications as well as advanced topics like Quaternion's and Frustum Culling, needed by every application. During this course you will develop a full-featured mathematics library, which is ready to use immediately. 

Digital Character Animation 1.0 Credit Digital Character Animation focuses on enhancing your ability to tell a story through character and movement: knowing how to animate life where there is none.  Digital Character Animation combines cinematic storytelling skills, classical animation technique, and digital operating environments.

Graphics Programming with DirectX I 1.0 Credit The focus throughout these early lessons is on the core features of the DirectX 9 fixed-function rendering pipeline. This includes loading and drawing geometric objects, the use of lighting and textures to provide scene detail, developing camera systems for viewing simulation environments in real-time, and using alpha components for controlling object transparency to produce effects like glass and water.

Artificial Intelligence for Game Developers 1.0 Credit This Artificial Intelligence Programming for Video Game Developers course primarily explores two of the most significant areas of game AI: decision making and environment navigation. Decision making allows your artificial intelligence entities to appear to make intelligent choices about how they will interact with the world around them and how they will react to various events that take place in that world.