Game Design Fundamentals
Carnegie Mellon University
An introductory course covering core game design principles, rapid prototyping, and the full production pipeline from concept to playable demo.
Course Overview
Game Design Fundamentals introduces students to the theory and practice of game design. By the end of the semester, each student ships a playable game demo.
Topics Covered
- Core design pillars: challenge, feedback, agency, and emergence
- Rapid paper prototyping and playtesting methodology
- Unity 2D/3D implementation of core game systems
- Level design, player psychology, and difficulty balancing
- Publishing to itch.io and writing design documents
My Role
As Teaching Assistant, I ran weekly lab sessions, graded design documents and code, and provided 1:1 playtesting feedback for student games.