Game Art & Production
Courses
GMAP 101 Game Design Lab I 3.0 Credits
This course will cover an overview of fundamental image creation and editing tools, like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, in the framework of creative experimentation with analog game design exercises using a combination of digital and physical fabrication skills.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
GMAP 102 Game Design Lab II 3.0 Credits
This course will cover an overview of the fundamental design skills of digital games using a variety of game engines, including interactive text, 2d and 3d game engines, and grey-boxing with primitive shapes in-engine and modeling tools, exploiting the systems and existing asset libraries available for rapid experimentation.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
GMAP 121 Overview of Game Playtesting 1.0 Credit
This course introduces various topics under the labels of user research (UR), user experience (UX), usability testing, and quality assurance (QA) software testing, and related fields, as they apply to game development. Students will become familiar with general approaches and techniques through in-class lectures and participation in practical testing of active game projects by student teams in other courses.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
GMAP 123 Basic Portfolio 1.0 Credit
This course focuses on the basics of portfolio creation, editing, and presentation while examining portfolio examples of current professionals in a variety of game development roles that can serve as models for student portfolio development.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
GMAP 211 Game User Interface Design 3.0 Credits
This course covers the design, prototyping, and evaluation of graphical user interfaces for digital games by exploring topics such as human capabilities, input technologies, heuristic evaluation, and design methods, principles and rules. Students will learn how to design aesthetically pleasing and effective game user interfaces, covering important design principles (learnability, visibility, error prevention, efficiency, and visual design) and the human capabilities that motivate them (including perception, motor skills, color vision, attention, and human error).
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
GMAP 214 Concept Art for Games 3.0 Credits
This course introduces students to the process of designing and creating concept art for games as part of the overall development pipeline. Using a variety of techniques including sketching, photo and kit-bashing, and overpainting, students will learn to ideate and communicate concepts and prepare materials for subsequent stages of asset production.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
GMAP 231 Scripting for Game Design 3.0 Credits
This course explores modern game engine scripting languages that are event-driven, control the art assets, provide multiplayer communication, and database access.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Prerequisites: CS 140 [Min Grade: D] or CS 150 [Min Grade: D] or CS 171 [Min Grade: D] or DIGM 131 [Min Grade: D]
GMAP 246 Advanced Portfolio 1.0 Credit
This course focuses on building skills for the career-long practice of producing and maintaining a professional creative portfolio while allowing the students the opportunity to create or refine additional student-driven portfolio work that synthesizes their skills and experience from direct class assignments in their other coursework.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated 4 times for 5 credits
Prerequisites: GMAP 123 [Min Grade: D]
GMAP 260 Overview of Computer Gaming 3.0 Credits
This course presents an overview of computer gaming, including its history, its foundation in traditional games and its contemporary forms. The relationship among genres, platforms and audiences are examined and critical evaluation skills are developed.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Restrictions: Cannot enroll if classification is Freshman
GMAP 301 Game History 3.0 Credits
This course explores the history of video games from their analog roots and examines the video game industry from the earliest arcade entertainments to modern digital distribution networks. It will investigate the people who made technical, design, and business decisions that have had lasting, industry-wide effects that are still with us today.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
GMAP 321 Advanced Game Playtesting 1.0 Credit
In this course students will play the role of a game user researcher (GUR) and learn how to conduct more advanced and rigorous playtests and how to run professional-quality studies that support a better understanding of player behavior and identify usability issues. Students will develop and run a study using an existing game project.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Prerequisites: GMAP 121 [Min Grade: D]
GMAP 340 Entrepreneurial Game Studio Incubator Lab Project 1.0 Credit
In this course, students who are active members of a team in Drexel’s Entrepreneurial Game Studio, produce a professional-level, team-based, interactive project in a real-world production environment. It requires a project that demonstrates the integration of the student's academic and practical knowledge of the field as well as one or more specializations. Students refine their understanding of execution, delivery, and presentation of quality digital media production through implementation of professional best practices, and perfect their written, oral, and visual presentation skills through the power of collaboration, teamwork, and shared missions.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
GMAP 341 Serious Games 3.0 Credits
This course explores development of games for education. Goals include understanding and appreciating the psychology of play and the principles of game design in developing educational games.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Prerequisites: GMAP 377 [Min Grade: D]
GMAP 342 Experimental Games 3.0 Credits
This course explores new ideas and innovative gameplay through constraints of team size and shortened development cycles.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Prerequisites: GMAP 377 [Min Grade: D]
GMAP 345 Game Development Foundations 3.0 Credits
This course introduces students to the computer game design process. Students also learn how the individual skills of modeling, animation, scripting, interface design and storytelling are coordinated to produce interactive media experiences.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Prerequisites: (ANIM 141 [Min Grade: D] or ANIM 145 [Min Grade: D] or CS 265 [Min Grade: D]) and GMAP 260 [Min Grade: D]
GMAP 360 Game Design from the Player’s Perspective 3.0 Credits
This course is an introduction to game design from a player's perspective. Students will experience a variety of games and analyze them with respect to the use of game design principles and their consequences for game play.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
GMAP 363 Architecture & Game Level Design Workshop 3.0 Credits
This course is an interdisciplinary look at the overlap between architecture and game-level design. Students will engage with the construction of interactive spaces in both the physical and game worlds using form, space, and color to design virtual environments to guide players, tell stories, facilitate actions, and evoke emotions. The course will reinforce important architectural design concepts in the realm of game-level design and introduce new analysis techniques for wayfinding and visibility. Game design tools will also be introduced to architecture students or reinforced to game design students. The course assignments will be individual, and the final project will be group-based which expects students to synthesize their understanding of architectural and level design concepts and skills.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Prerequisites: GMAP 102 [Min Grade: D] or ARCH 134 [Min Grade: D] or ARCH 224 [Min Grade: D]
GMAP 367 Character Animation for Gaming 3.0 Credits
This course focuses on character animation techniques for real-time graphics, including cyclical animations, procedural animation, motion capture and integration into game engines.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Prerequisites: GMAP 231 [Min Grade: D] (Can be taken Concurrently) and ANIM 211 [Min Grade: D] and (GMAP 345 [Min Grade: D] or CS 345 [Min Grade: D]
GMAP 368 Artificial Intelligence in Gaming 3.0 Credits
This course teaches the use and integration of state machines into game engines, as well as other methods for creating and controlling Non Player Characters (NPCs).
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Prerequisites: (GMAP 345 [Min Grade: D] or CS 345 [Min Grade: D]) and (CS 172 [Min Grade: D] or GMAP 231 [Min Grade: D])
GMAP 369 Mobile Game Development 3.0 Credits
This course explores development of games for mobile platforms. Specifically addressed will be platform issues such as processor speed, screen resolution, user interface and memory.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Prerequisites: GMAP 345 [Min Grade: D] or CS 345 [Min Grade: D]
GMAP 377 Game Development: Workshop I 3.0 Credits
This course examines the roles of the executive producer and the development team in taking a computer game from concept to design document through production. Students will work in small teams to research andplan a production effort that results in a pre-production prototype.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Prerequisites: GMAP 345 [Min Grade: D] or CS 345 [Min Grade: D]
GMAP 378 Game Development: Workshop II 3.0 Credits
This course provides an environment in which the pre-production of GMAP 377 Game Development: Workshop I can be taken through a full production effort. Students work in small teams to bring a selected prototype to completion.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Prerequisites: GMAP 377 [Min Grade: D]
GMAP 395 Advanced Game Design and Production 3.0 Credits
This course will step through the various modules of game engines, enabling students to gain access to real-time shaders and materials, particle systems and animation techniques.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Prerequisites: GMAP 345 [Min Grade: D] or CS 345 [Min Grade: D]
GMAP 464 Audio for Games 3.0 Credits
This course is an advanced introduction into the use of industry standard middleware tools and game engine for designing game audio.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Prerequisites: GMAP 231 [Min Grade: D] or GMAP 345 [Min Grade: D] or CS 345 [Min Grade: D]
GMAP I199 Independent Study in Game Art and Production 0.0-12.0 Credits
Self-directed within the area of study requiring intermittent consultation with a designated instructor.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
GMAP I299 Independent Study in Game Art and Production 0.0-12.0 Credits
Self-directed within the area of study requiring intermittent consultation with a designated instructor.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
GMAP I399 Independent Study in Game Art and Production 0.5-12.0 Credits
Self-directed within the area of study requiring intermittent consultation with a designated instructor.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
GMAP I499 Independent Study in Game Art and Production 0.0-12.0 Credits
Self-directed within the area of study requiring intermittent consultation with a designated instructor.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
GMAP T180 Special Topics in Game Art and Production 0.0-12.0 Credits
Topics decided upon by faculty will vary within the area of study.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
GMAP T280 Special Topics in Game Art and Production 0.0-12.0 Credits
Topics decided upon by faculty will vary within the area of study.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
GMAP T380 Special Topics in Game Art and Production 0.0-12.0 Credits
Topics decided upon by faculty will vary within the area of study.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
GMAP T480 Special Topics in Game Art and Production 3.0 Credits
Topics decided upon by faculty will vary within the area of study.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit