GDC Courses

The Making of Divinity - Original Sin 2

A GDC talk on the strategies Larian Studios used to improve Divinity: Original Sin 2, from feedback loops and dialog to armor and release.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 3 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Conference Talk

Into the Breach Design Postmortem

A postmortem of Into the Breach’s iterative design process, showing how constraints, cut content, and balancing shaped the final game.

• YouTube
• 59 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Conference Talk

Level Design in Hitman - Guiding Players in a Non-Linear Sandbox

Explores how HITMAN's level design uses tutorials and linear guidance to help players navigate an open-ended sandbox.

• YouTube
• 1 hour
• Self-Paced
• Conference Talk

Looking Back and Moving Forward with Pillars of Eternity

A postmortem on updating the classic PC RPG genre in Pillars of Eternity, covering art, UI/UX, mechanics, narrative, audio, testing, and post-launch support.

• YouTube
• 53 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Conference Talk

Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition - Postmortem of an App-Integrated Board Game

A postmortem on the design successes and failures of integrating an app with a modern board game.

• YouTube
• 1 hour
• Self-Paced
• Conference Talk

Successful Freelancing in Game Audio

Learn how game-audio freelancers find clients, build networks, negotiate contracts, set rates, and balance freelance work with side jobs.

• YouTube
• 32 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Conference Talk

The Shapes in Your Story - Narrative Mapping Frameworks

Learn to use story maps and narrative frameworks to design and analyze branching game stories.

• YouTube
• 30 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Conference Talk

Design in Detail

A detail-oriented approach to designing games through subtle, powerful, portable, and manageable design choices.

• YouTube
• 59 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Conference Talk

Breaking Through - Psychosis and the Making of Hellblade

How Ninja Theory researched psychosis and used performance capture, visual perception, and narrative techniques to create Hellblade’s thoughtful depiction.

• YouTube
• 1 hour
• Self-Paced
• Conference Talk

How to Find and Engage a Great Artist - A Non-Artist Primer

A non-artist primer on finding, engaging, and budgeting for an artist who can help an indie game shine.

• YouTube
• 30 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Conference Talk

Ahead of the Curve - The SpaceChem Postmortem

Explore how SpaceChem’s design-based puzzle format works, from player learning and difficulty to custom puzzles and community features.

• YouTube
• 24 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Conference Talk

There's Goofs in Them Thar Hills - The West of Loathing Approach to Comedy in Games

A game creative director explains how West of Loathing builds comedy through dialogue, mechanics, character mood, and unexpected interactions.

• YouTube
• 30 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Conference Talk

Procedurally Generating History in Caves of Qud

A game-development talk on generating believable histories by creating events first, then rationalizing them into coherent narratives.

• YouTube
• 31 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Conference Talk

Networking Etiquette for the Modern Games Industry Professional

Practical etiquette and conversation strategies for aspiring game developers to build professional connections and feel more comfortable networking.

• YouTube
• 20 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Conference Talk

Potionomics Animation Show and Tell

A behind-the-scenes look at how animation, storytelling, and design considerations shape Potionomics.

• YouTube
• 31 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Conference Talk