Upper-Division

ARTG 118 Character Creation for Video Games

This is a hands-on studio course, intended to give students an understanding of the techniques used to create characters for use in video games. Through this course, students will understand and develop the skills necessary to take a video game character design through all of the stages necessary to have a finished character for use in 2D or 3D video games. You will learn industry tools and techniques to be an effective game artist. (Formerly, Digital Drawing/Painting for Game Design.)

Credits

5

Instructor

Eduard Gregor

Requirements

Enrollment is restricted to junior and senior art and design: games and playable media majors and proposed majors.

Repeatable for credit

Yes

General Education Code

PR-C

Quarter offered

Fall, Winter, Spring

ARTG 120 Game Design Experience

Teaches the concrete skills associated with making a digital game, from start to finish. Activities include establishing a team, concepting, storyboarding, prototyping, producing, and testing a game for release. Students are organized into groups and work together to create and produce a playable game.

Credits

5

Corequisites

Concurrent enrollment in CMPM 120 is required.

Requirements

Prerequisite(s): ARTG 80G or ARTG 80H or ARTG 80I; and CMPM 80K; and FILM 80V; and CSE 30 or CSE 15 and CSE 15L or CMPM 35. Concurrent enrollment in CMPM 120 is required. Enrollment is restricted to juniors and seniors.

General Education Code

PR-E

Quarter offered

Spring, Summer

ARTG 129 Special Topics in Game Design

Allows students to explore game designs related to their ongoing work within their major in either digital or non-digital formats. Students choose a topic and develop game projects that engage players.

Credits

5

Requirements

Prerequisite(s): Two of the following courses: ARTG 80G, ARTG 80H, ARTG 80I. Enrollment is restricted to art & design: games and playable media and computer science:computer game design majors.

Repeatable for credit

Yes

Quarter offered

Fall, Winter, Spring

ARTG 129A Special Topics in Game Design

Gives students an opportunity to explore game designs related to their ongoing work within the AGPM major, in either digital or analog formats. Students develop projects that engage players on a topic of their choosing.

Credits

5

Instructor

The Staff

Requirements

Prerequisite(s): ARTG 80G, ARTG 80H, and ARTG 80I. Enrollment is restricted to art and design: games and playable media and computer science: games and playable media majors.

Repeatable for credit

Yes

Quarter offered

Fall, Winter, Spring

ARTG 131 3D Game Art Production

Studio course in which students learn the highly technical and fundamental skills in the production of 3D art assets for video games. Covers the essential steps in the 3D art pipeline, starting with basic 3D modeling, UV unwrapping, the creation of texture maps, and finally, game engine implementation. Focuses on developing an understanding of the processes and creative thinking necessary to produce industry-level artwork rather than specific software. Students provided with video lectures and demos, and students can expect to produce weekly assignments to practice basic skills and concepts covered.

Credits

5

Instructor

Marcelo Viana Neto

Repeatable for credit

Yes

Quarter offered

Summer

ARTG 132 3D Character Rigging and Animation for Video Games

Gives students an in-depth understanding of the techniques of 3D character rigging and animation for video games. Students understand and develop the skills necessary to be an effective technical artist and animator with a focus on industry standard methods for animating characters to be implemented into a game engine. Course provides students with video and written lectures, video demonstrations, assignments and discussion boards aimed at giving them historical understanding of game animation, the evolution of these techniques, hands-on work to become proficient, as well as the ability to communicate online with other students and the instructor to answer questions and further their knowledge.

Credits

5

Instructor

Eduard Gregor

Repeatable for credit

Yes

General Education Code

PR-C

Quarter offered

Summer

ARTG 134 Spectacular Play: Performance, Ritual, and Making a Scene IRL

What do immersion and interactivity look like outside of virtual worlds? How can we activate social dynamics and public space for the purpose of play? How might we evoke feelings of purpose, or even magic, for players and spectators alike? Students will study and create immersive experiences designed to play out in real life. Drawing inspiration from performance studies, activism, art history, and more, we will transform the everyday into the extraordinary.

Credits

5

Requirements

Two of the following courses: ARTG 80G, ARTG 80H, ARTG 80I.

Repeatable for credit

Yes

General Education Code

PR-C

Quarter offered

Fall

ARTG 136 Digital Sculpting for Video Games

In this studio course, students learn the basics of digital sculpting in ZBrush with a focus on 3D character art. Through a mix of in-class demos and periodic assignments, students learn how to produce high-fidelity digital sculpts and their practical application in the 3D game art pipeline.

Credits

5

Requirements

Prerequisite(s): ARTG 118. Previous 3D modeling experience is encouraged, but not required.

Repeatable for credit

Yes

Quarter offered

Winter

ARTG 137 Experimental Tabletop RPG Design

Explores experimental mechanics, dynamics, themes, and aesthetics within the tabletop RPG form. In groups and individually, students will play, run, design, write, workshop, and print/produce experimental tabletop RPGs, as well as conduct usability tests focused on layout, design cohesion, and accessibility.

Credits

5

Requirements

Prerequisite(s): ARTG 80G, ARTG 80H, and ARTG 80I.

Repeatable for credit

Yes

Quarter offered

Winter

ARTG 138 Feminist Games

Feminist games including intersectional feminist games, transfeminist games and queer feminist games, will be created by students in this course. Students will study the existing history and present of these genres of games, including game mods, personal experience games, narrative games, alternate reality, augmented reality and electronic literature. Students will work individually to create games as art and activism building on critical theories of race, gender, sexuality and algorithms.

Credits

5

Cross Listed Courses

FMST 138

Requirements

Prerequisite(s): Two courses from the following: ARTG 80G, ARTG 80H, or ARTG 80I.

Quarter offered

Fall, Spring

ARTG 140 Writing for Interactive Narrative

Discusses a variety of aspects of writing found in videogames and other interactive forms of media. Using a mix of creative writing projects and in class discussions, students will practice and critique existing work as well as their own.

Credits

5

Quarter offered

Summer

ARTG 141 Introduction to Virtual Reality

Introduction to Virtual Reality is an introductory course with a combination of theory and practice. Students are exposed to the history of Virtual Reality and hands-on experience in making VR and developing their own VR project. By introducing broad topics around VR, such as immersive spectacle, virtual embodiment, sonic immersiveness, students will gain knowledge about cultural, historical, and practical perspectives of VR. Students will also learn technical skills in developing VR in Unity 3D. 3D modeling experience is not required in this class. This class is an integration of the production of 3D and 360 degree VR experience. Photogrammetry, 360 degree video production and editing, and other expressive media will also be introduced for advancing the development of VR.

Credits

5

Quarter offered

Summer

ARTG 145 Non-Digital Game Design

Looks specifically at the design of non-digital games. Surveys a variety of game types and designs. Students prototype card or board game, culminating in a final project that engages players on a socially relevant topic.

Credits

5

ARTG 170 Game Design Studio I

Students create novel, interesting game concepts and outline and polish a game pitch for their yearlong project, starting with concept ideation and storyboarding to prototyping and presenting the game idea. This course is part one of the art and design: games and playable media capstone requirement.

Credits

5

Requirements

Prerequisite(s): satisfaction of the Entry Level Writing and Composition requirements and ARTG 120 and CMPM 120. Enrollment restricted to senior art and design: games and playable media majors.

Quarter offered

Fall

ARTG 171 Game Design Studio II

Students craft the core loop of their yearlong game project. Students build the game, examine player feedback, and repeat the process to make the game better. This course places particular emphasis on advanced production techniques for working in teams, as well as software engineering practices for software design, software testing, and build management. This course is part two of the art and design, games and playable media capstone requirement.

Credits

7

Instructor

Robin Hunicke

Requirements

Prerequisite(s): ARTG 170. Enrollment is restricted to senior art and design: games and playable media majors.

Quarter offered

Winter

ARTG 172 Game Design Studio III

Students scope and polish their final game designs. Students work towards releasing one specific game platform while coordinating across disciplinary boundaries to create and integrate all the necessary code, art, animation, and sound assets for their game. This course is part III of the art and design: games and playable media capstone requirement.

Credits

7

Instructor

Robin Hunicke

Requirements

Prerequisite(s): ARTG 171. Enrollment is restricted to senior art and design: games and playable media majors.

Quarter offered

Spring

ARTG 176 Game Design Collaborative

Supports students who are collaborating with the ARTG/CMPM 170-series teams on the creation of their capstone game projects. Enrollment is restricted to students who are working with senior game-design project groups, and by permission of the instructor,

Credits

2

Instructor

The Staff, Robin Hunicke

Repeatable for credit

Yes

Quarter offered

Winter, Spring

ARTG 199 Tutorial

Individual study in areas approved by sponsoring instructors. Tutorial may not be used to satisfy major requirements. Petition required, approved by instructor and department; petitions available on the program website.

Credits

5

Repeatable for credit

Yes

Quarter offered

Fall, Winter, Spring

ARTG 199F Tutorial

Individual study in areas approved by sponsoring instructors. Tutorial may not be used to satisfy major requirements. Petition required, approved by instructor and department; petitions available on the program website.

Credits

2

Repeatable for credit

Yes

Quarter offered

Fall, Winter, Spring