Please enable JavaScript to use CodeHS

Game Design in Unity (Bailey)

View Syllabus Overview
Intro to Game Design
Description

In this lesson students learn about the course objectives, the definition of game design, and the purpose of using game engines to design and build video games. They’ll complete a self-reflection assignment to help better understand their interest in game design and previous experience.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Describe the objectives of the course
  • Define game design
  • Explain how game engines benefit game designers and developers
Description

In this lesson, students learn about the basic history of video games and the industry. Students will reflect on how video games evolved with technological improvements and changes to game design and development in the early years of the industry.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Describe the basic evolution of video games
  • Explain how technology improvements evolved the video game industry
  • Describe early users of video games and how the industry became more mainstream
  • Explain the primary reason for the video game industry crash in the early 1980s and how it was revived
Explore the Industry
Description

In this lesson students learn about careers in the video game industry. They’ll watch videos highlighting various careers and opportunities in the industry and complete self-reflection assignments to consider various careers.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Describe various careers in the gaming industry
  • Begin to describe roles on a game production team
  • Explain the importance of communication among design and development teams
Description

In this lesson students learn about video game studios and research a studio of their choice. Students then develop a one-page web presentation to share their findings and reflect on types of roles within game studios.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Describe a specific role or career in the video game industry
  • Explain the job requirements of a chosen career
  • Explain the education requirements or skills required to obtain a chosen career
Description

In this lesson students learn about video game studios and research a studio of their choice. Students then develop a presentation to share their findings and reflect on types of roles within game studios.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Describe different types of video game studios
  • Describe the qualities studios look for in team members
  • Explain the design or creative process of a chosen game studio
Get Started with Unity
Description

In this lesson students learn about the Unity game engine and ways it’s been used in the video game development industry. Students reflect on how Unity is used to efficiently and effectively develop various types of video games.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Describe how Unity is used to design and develop games
  • Describe game engines and how they’re used in industry
  • Explain the benefits of using a game engine, like Unity, to design and create video games
Description

In this lesson students learn how to set up a Unity account and install the Unity software with Unity Hub.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Access their Unity account
  • Install Unity Hub and Unity software
  • Manage Unity software versions and projects with Unity Hub
Description

In this lesson students learn about submitting Unity projects and use the Unity software and CodeHS platform to send projects and assignments to their teacher.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Set up a process for sharing their Unity projects
  • Submit Unity projects to their teacher by zipping a Unity project folder
  • Use Unity’s documentation as another resource for learning about the software
Create Interactive Game Worlds
Description

In this lesson students learn about Unity’s interface and GameObjects. Students will create a GameObject, add a material, and transform it.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Navigate Unity’s user interface
  • Create a GameObject
  • Add material to a GameObject
  • Use transform to manipulate a GameObject
Description

In this lesson, students learn about scene design and develop their own unique scene using a collection of polygon prefab assets.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Comfortably incorporate and manipulate prefabs in their scenes.
  • Understand the difference between prefab and object property changes.
  • Design their own scene from scratch.
Description

In this lesson, students dive into rigidbodies and colliders, learning more about the Unity’s built-in physics engine.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Define the purpose of rigidbody components.
  • Define the purpose of collider components.
  • Apply rigidbody and collider components to their GameObjects.
  • Use a script to trigger collision events.
Legal and Ethical Consideration
Description

In this lesson, students will learn what copyright laws are and how to avoid copyright infringement. They will explore how these laws relate to video game design and take a look at one of the first copywriter law cases to involve video games.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Explain what copyright laws are and why they are important
  • Explain how copyright laws impact video game design
  • Understand the importance of the Atari v North American Phillips case
Description

In this lesson, students will learn the role of governing bodies and developers in creating games that are ethical. The lesson presents different points of view for students to consider and explore.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Explain the role of the ESRB and how it differs from a government agency
  • Explain the role of developers with regards to ethical issues
Description

In this lesson, students will learn about securing their video games from cyber threats. They will then research the CIA Triad which is are widely-accepted security measures that should be guaranteed in every secure system. It stands for Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability.

  • Confidentiality is the protection of information from people who are not authorized to view it.
  • Integrity aims at ensuring that information is protected from unauthorized or unintentional alteration.
  • Availability is the assurance that systems and data are accessible by authorized users when and where needed.
Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Explain the importance of security in video games
  • Identify what the CIA triad is and how it relates to cybersecurity
  • Identify which part of the CIA triad has been broken in a given scenario
Description

In this lesson, students learn about the impacts of having a diverse team for the creation of computer science games.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Identify different types of biases present within the tech industry.
  • Quantify the benefits of establishing diversity within the tech industry.
  • Do your part in establishing equality in technology.
Project: Your First Game
Description

In this lesson, students dive deeper into common elements that all fun games possess.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Explain common elements that are present in most fun games.
  • Identify how common elements manifest in familiar games.
Description

In this lesson, students learn about their final project and spend time brainstorming and refining their ideas.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Understand the guidelines for the final project.
  • Describe their game concept and their plan for its development.
Description

In this lesson, students develop working prototypes of their games, have peers test them and provide feedback, and complete the final games!

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Understand the final game requirements.
  • Demonstrate their working game prototypes.
  • Finish a game based on their prototypes and user feedback.
Description

In this lesson, students publish their games to a web format and create a presentation about their game design process.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Publish a Unity game in WebGL to the Unity website.
  • Finalize a game design document.
  • Summarize their game development process and present to an audience.
Create Visual and Sound Effects
Description

In this lesson students learn how visual and auditory effects impact gameplay. They study ways game designers use these special effects to provide players with feedback and important information during gameplay.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Describe various types of gaming special effects.
  • Describe the process for improving the visual effects in a game.
  • Explain different ways visual and auditory effects are used to assist players during gameplay.
Description

In this lesson students learn about camera settings, angles, view frustums, and how multiple cameras can be used to provide players with top-down map views and two-player split screens.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Configure camera properties to optimize rendering and gameplay views
  • Create perspective and orthographic camera views
  • Create multiplayer split screen views
Description

In this lesson, students learn how to create different lighting effects in Unity to provide players with feedback and set the mood of a game scene.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Create and configure three different light types in a game scene.
  • Create glowing or spotlight effects using different light types.
Description

In this lesson, students learn how to use particle systems to guide players and give them feedback.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Add particle systems to their Unity scenes.
  • Adjust the properties of particle systems in order to created unique particle effects.
  • Use particle systems to add visual appeal to their scenes and/or convey information to the player.
Description

In this lesson, students learn about the roles sound effects can have in a game and how they can add them to their Unity scenes.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Explain how sound effects and music are used effectively in games.
  • Add a audio listener to a scene.
  • Add audio sources to a scene and configure their properties.
Description

In this lesson, students apply their knowledge of Unity effects in a scene of their own making.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Use assets to create a scene of their own.
  • Apply lighting effects, sound effects, and particles systems to enhance their scene.
  • Establish the main camera that follows the player.
  • Use a C# script to control a character.
Project: Design Your Game
Description

In this lesson, students are introduced to their final project, learn more about the organization they’re developing for, and begin brainstorming game ideas.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Describe the Keep America Beautiful (KAB) organization and their mission.
  • Understand the goal of their project for KAB.
  • List a handful of initial game ideas.
Description

In this lesson, students learn about the storyboarding technique and what it’s like to be a storyboard artist.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Explain what a storyboard is and how it’s used.
  • Create their own storyboard for an aspect of a video game.
  • Understand more about the storyboard artist role.
Description

In this lesson, students choose two game ideas to flesh out and receive feedback on, ultimately narrowing down to one and drafting their first Game Design Document.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Describe their KAB game idea with more detail.
  • Explain how their KAB game idea may address each of the 4 game elements.
  • Develop a first draft of their Game Design Document.
Description

In this lesson, students create storyboards of their original game and get more feedback from peers.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Create storyboards for their original game story.
  • Explain their current ideas about their game flow.
Create Components and Mechanics
Description

In this lesson, students will build their own drivable monster vehicle from start to finish using Unity primitive shapes and components.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Develop a complex GameObject with a parent/child hierarchy.
  • Apply colors and textures to GameObjects.
  • Configure rigidbodies and colliders for complex GameObjects.
  • Successfully set up wheel colliders that respond to a vehicle control script.
Description

In this lesson, students learn more about character animations and movement.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Understand the different pieces involved in animating and controlling a character, like animations, animator and character controllers, avatars, and scripts.
  • Connect animations in the animator controller with specific conditions.
  • Link the animation pieces in the character’s components.
Description

In this lesson, students learn how to add simple User Interface (UI) elements, like a player score or start menu, to their games.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Understand how 2D UI elements are integrated into a 3D game.
  • Add a player score to live gameplay.
  • Add a start menu where users can start the game, configure game options, and quit the game.
Description

In this lesson students learn about artificial intelligence (AI) in video games and create waypoints for GameObjects in Unity.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Add AI GameObjects to a scene
  • Add waypoints to GameObjects
  • Manipulate waypoints and AI targets in a scene
Project: Prototype and Test Your Game
Description

In this lesson, students learn more about prototyping and play testing techniques that are used in game design.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Describe what prototyping is and is not, and how it is used in game design.
  • Describe what the MVP and play testing is in game design.
  • Be able to block out a scene as a quick prototype.
Description

In this lesson, students start prototyping elements of their own game and receive early feedback from peers.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Prototype elements of their game.
  • Consider feedback from others when deciding how to adjust prototypes.
Description

In this lesson, students will develop the minimal viable product for their game and receive testing feedback from peers.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Develop a minimal viable product.
  • Give and receive feedback.
  • Consider feedback when making changes to the product.
Project: Finish Your Game
Description

In this lesson, students add details to their minimum viable product and create their final game!

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Plan the final development of their game.
  • Implement details to enhance the visual appeal and experience of their game.
  • Present their game design process and find product.
Description

Students learn about promoting their game by designing and creating a gameplay trailer.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Understand the purpose of a gameplay trailer
  • Define the common structures of a gameplay trailer
  • Create a gameplay trailer to promote a game