B.DESIGN IN GAME DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT
ACAD is one of the Best Game Design College in India offering a 4-year undergraduate govt. degree program in Game Design & Development.
Game design is the art of applying design and aesthetics to create a game. Game design also refers to how one plays the game. What are the rules? How is the game scored? How does the level of difficulty change with play? What makes the game fun or challenging?
Game designers take the creative lead in imagining and bringing to life video game worlds. Game designers are an important part of a comprehensive team of designers and developers that coordinate the complex task of creating a new video game. Game designers have duties like designing characters, levels, props, user interface, puzzles, game art and animation.
Game Developers use all the characters, assets, levels, sprite sheets, UI, etc. developed by the game designer & develop it into a final game using programming in different game engines.
Gaming is a booming market. The video game industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in the U.S. economy. Digital gaming sales hit record $61 billion in 2015. In 2013, video game companies sold 160 million units, leading to an astounding $15.4 billion in software revenue and $21.53 billion overall.
ABOUT
Game design is the process of designing the content and rules of a video game in the pre-production stage and designing the gameplay, environment, storyline, and characters in the production stage. The designer of a game is very much like the director of a film; the designer is the visionary of the game and controls the artistic and technical elements of the game in fulfillment of their vision. Game design requires artistic and technical competence as well as writing skills.
Game Designers devise what a game consists of and how it plays. They plan and define all the elements of a game: its setting; structure; rules; story flow; characters; levels, the objects, props, vehicles, and devices available to the characters; interface design; and modes of play.
Many graphic elements of games are created by the designer when producing a prototype of the game, revised by the developer based on testing, and then further refined by the artist and combined with artwork as a game is prepared for publication or release. Once the game is devised, the Game Designer communicates this to the rest of the development team who create the computer code that allow the game to be played.
CURRICULUM
Our curriculum makes ACAD the Best Game Design & Development college in India. B.Design in Game Design & Development is a 4 year program. This program is a combination of Game Art, Game Design, Game Development, Level Design, Game Rules & Psychology. The course curriculum is as following:
- Fundamentals of Art – Learn the foundations of visual design, including drawing, color theory, composition, perspective, rendering, and visual storytelling.
- History of Games – Explore the evolution of video games, major gaming companies, iconic titles, industry milestones, and the development of modern game technologies.
- Fundamentals of Game Design – Understand game genres, gameplay mechanics, level design, game production pipelines, basic game AI, brainstorming techniques, and game design documentation.
- Observational Drawing – Develop drawing skills through still life studies, nature studies, perspective drawing, drapery, anatomy, human figure construction, and rendering techniques.
- Game Asset Design – Create game-ready props, characters, and environments while learning concept development, visual design workflows, and digital painting using Adobe Photoshop and Clip Studio Paint.
- Physical Game Project – Design and build board games and physical arcade games while learning game mechanics, prototyping, playtesting, balancing, and player experience design.
- Hypercasual Game Project – Develop a playable 2D game using Unity, covering game prototyping, player controls, UI design, scoring systems, sound integration, level creation, and basic C# scripting.
- Non-Linear Storytelling & Cinematography – Learn narrative design for games, including story structure, character development, branching narratives, player-driven storytelling, camera language, framing, visual storytelling, and cinematic techniques.
- Level Design & System Design – Understand how to design engaging game levels, player progression systems, game economies, reward systems, combat mechanics, crafting systems, balancing, and player psychology.
- Game Engine – Explore how modern game engines work, including game architecture, 3D mathematics, animation systems, gameplay mechanics, rendering pipelines, optimization techniques, debugging tools, and Unity fundamentals.
- Interactive Game Assets 2D – Create original characters, environments, and animations while learning digital illustration, character locomotion, environment design, and 2D animation using Clip Studio Paint and Spine.
- 3D Modelling & Texturing Basics – Learn game asset creation through polygon modeling, hard-surface modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, and digital sculpting using Autodesk Maya & Substance Painter.
- Game Engine – Unity – Develop advanced 2D and introductory 3D games in Unity, covering player systems, animation controllers, UI/UX design, audio integration, level progression, interaction systems, and basic 3D gameplay development.
- Final Game Design Project – Apply game design, art, and development skills to create complete 2D and 3D game projects, covering concept development, gameplay systems, level design, production workflows, testing, optimization, and team collaboration using Unity.
- Game Feel & Interaction Design – Learn how players interact with games through UI/UX design, game feel, player psychology, usability, onboarding systems, interface design, prototyping, and player-centered design principles.
- Artificial Intelligence for Games – Understand how AI is used in games, covering decision-making systems, finite state machines, behaviour trees, pathfinding, dynamic difficulty adjustment, crowd systems, and believable NPC behaviour.
- Defining Rules – Explore the foundations of game systems and rules, including gameplay structures, emergent systems, information systems, feedback loops, game theory, conflict design, and player agency.
- Game Engine – Unreal – Develop interactive 3D game experiences using Unreal Engine, covering Blueprint scripting, gameplay systems, UI implementation, AI behaviours, level design, optimization, and real-time game development workflows.
- 3D Animation & Game Cinematics – Learn professional animation and cinematic production pipelines through rigging, character animation, body mechanics, motion design, camera work, storytelling, and real-time cinematics using Maya and Unreal Engine.
- World Building for Games – Create immersive game environments by learning landscape creation, procedural content generation, environmental storytelling, advanced materials, lighting, atmosphere, optimization, and world-building workflows using Unreal Engine and Twinmotion.
- Advanced Studio Practices I – Students choose one specialization elective based on their career interests and develop advanced industry-focused skills –
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- Advanced 3D Modelling & Texturing – Create professional game-ready assets, weapons, vehicles, and characters while mastering advanced modeling, topology, UV mapping, baking, and texturing workflows using Maya and Substance Painter.
- Advanced 2D Art & Animation – Develop story-driven portfolios through advanced character design, environment design, world-building, weapon design, and animation using Clip Studio Paint and Spine.
- AR / VR Development – Design immersive augmented and virtual reality experiences, covering interaction systems, spatial gameplay, UI design, and optimization using Unity or Unreal Engine.
- Advanced Level Design 3D – Learn professional level design workflows, including player navigation, mission design, environmental storytelling, quest systems, gameplay flow, and spatial design within modern game engines.
- Game Psychology – Understand player behaviour, motivation, engagement, emotional design, game addiction, gamification, and psychological frameworks that influence how players interact with games.
- Game Marketing, Publishing & Monetization – Learn how games are marketed, published, and monetized through branding, audience research, community building, app store optimization, publishing platforms, monetization models, analytics, and live operations.
- Game Production & Management – Explore professional game development pipelines, project management methodologies, team coordination, budgeting, scheduling, publisher relationships, quality assurance, documentation, and production workflows.
- Portfolio Development – Build a professional industry-ready portfolio by specializing in a chosen domain, developing high-quality projects, creating case studies, personal branding materials, resumes, demo reels, and online portfolio platforms.
- AI Tools in Game Development Pipeline – Learn how AI tools are integrated into modern game production for concept generation, asset creation, design support, programming assistance, procedural content generation, workflow optimization, and rapid prototyping.
- Advanced Studio Practices II – Students choose one specialization elective based on their career goals and develop advanced professional skills aligned with industry requirements.
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- Advanced 3D Sculpting – Master high-end character and creature creation through digital sculpting, anatomy, cloth creation, retopology, UV workflows, texturing, and AAA asset production using ZBrush, Maya, Marvelous Designer, and Substance Painter.
- Professional 2D Art Pipeline – Learn studio-level 2D art workflows by creating production-ready characters, environments, props, and world-building portfolios while understanding professional game art pipelines and industry standards.
- Advanced Game Engine (Unity / Unreal) – Develop advanced gameplay systems, AI implementations, optimization workflows, rendering techniques, engine architecture, and production-grade game systems using Unity or Unreal Engine.
- Advanced Game Design – Focus on high-level game design, player experience, level architecture, progression systems, gameplay balancing, player psychology, retention mechanics, playtesting, and systems design.
- Final Game Design Project – Create a comprehensive capstone project that demonstrates professional-level game development skills through design, production, implementation, testing, optimization, presentation, and portfolio-ready outcomes.
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
ACAD has a dedicated placement cell to provide internships & placement to all its graduates. The video game industry is one of the few markets that continues to grow, even during recession. In India, joining salaries are around Rs 7 – 20 lakh per annum for game designers. Abroad – The average salary across the entire game industry is $60,000 – $80,000 (40 Lacs – 56 lacs per annum).
Game designers can work in –
- Big Gaming Companies like EA, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Rockstar Games, Blizzard Entertainment, Sega, etc.
- Small Gaming Companies like 19Studios, 99Games, Games2Win, GameEon Infotech, Zebu Games, etc.
- Animation Production Houses
- In Colleges as lecturers & teachers
- Start your own Gaming Company.
APPLY NOW
Admissions at Artemisia college degree courses are through the ACAD Entrance TEST or through Portfolio Submission which is followed by a Personal Interview. To apply for admission please read and do any of the following –
A. Complete the online admission form by clicking the button below and pay the Admission Test Fee of Rs. 1000/- online to give the ACAD Entrance Exam.
OR
B. Students can apply for early admission by submitting their creative work (portfolio). Their work will be evaluated upon submission. If approved, the student will not have to give the ACAD Entrance Test & will be granted admission after personal interview. If the student’s work is not approved, he/she can still sit for the ACAD Entrance Test. Students can upload their portfolio & apply for early admission by clicking the button below.