Game design plays a central role in the creation of a playful experience. It is the art of capturing and bringing forth the very concept of the game, its universe, its systems, its mechanics, its playability, and its interaction design. Game design is conceived and expressed across various mediums: not only video games, but also board games, immersive experiences, installations, or performances. It even enables the creation of projects beyond pure entertainment, inviting experimentation, reflection on our reality, and the democratization of new ideas.
This transversal course is not focused on any specific discipline. It aims instead to broaden the very definition of the game across different domains and encourages the expansion of topics that games can address. The course objective is to develop a physical (board game, card game) or digital prototype, iteratively, while enabling students to master fundamental game design concepts such as game loop, game mechanics, difficulty curve, balance, flow, and interaction design.
The mediums used include physical prototyping tools (paper, scissors, paint, fabrics, 3D printing), as well as writing and UI/UX design tools. They also include image-creation tools (digital and traditional) and digital game-creation tools (Twine, Bitsy, Unity).