The Spring 2026 version of IAT-165Game Design & Development
On this page:
Course overview
Important information for an overview of Game Design & Development.
Projects and exercises
Course-work for the term.
Projects
Longer and more complex.
P1: Pitching
- Individual project.
- From January 7 to January 21.
- Worth 10% of final grade.
P2: A Tiny Game
- Group project.
- From January 21 to February 11.
- Worth 20% of final grade.
P3: Playtesting
- Group project.
- From February 11 to March 4.
- Worth 10% of final grade.
P4: A Mini Game
- Individual project.
- From March 4 to April 8.
- Worth 30% of final grade.
Coding exercises
Short weekly practice in coding.
E1: Development setup
- From January 7 to January 14.
E2: Mapping variables
- From January 14 to January 21.
E3: Functioning
- From January 21 to January 28.
E4: Acting on command
- From January 28 to February 4.
E5: Pause and play
- From February 4 to February 11.
E6: Listing
- From February 11 to February 25.
E7: Repetition
- From February 25 to March 4.
E8: Building an object
- From March 4 to March 11.
E9: Using an object
- From March 11 to March 18.
E10: Survey
- From March 18 to April 8.
Critical play reflection
Written reflections on playing games.
Critical play #1
- From January 7 to February 4.
Critical play #2
- From February 11 to March 18.
Lectures
All lectures slides for Spring 2026.
Is fun? (January 7)
An introduction to game design and thinking critically about games.
Bits and bobs (January 14)
Models of game design and the components that make a game.
Mechanicals (January 21)
An introduction to game mechanics.
How to act (January 28)
Working with user input and accessibility considerations.
Going with the flow (February 4)
Planning out your game and prototyping.
Aligning bits (February 11)
Translating a concept into gameplay and organizing your game development.
Play play play! (February 25)
Planning and running playtesting of a game.
The core (March 4)
Debugging, feedback and iteration in game design and development.
The grid (March 11)
User interface fundamentals for game design.
It's complicated (March 18)
An overview of different disciplines involved in game design.
From the 'real world' (March 25)
Guest lecture on topics about game design and development.
Gameday (April 1)
Final debugging, playtesting and critique of projects.
The game cabinet (April 8)
Final presentation of games in the course game cabinet.