GDC Courses

Building Big Impact, One Brick at a Time - Marginal Gains in LEGO Horizon Adventures

Discover how to implement marginal gains methodology in game development, using LEGO Horizon Adventures as a case study to create compound improvements across your entire team.

• YouTube
• 29 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Marketing Your Game Under the New Steam Rules

Discover how to adapt your game marketing strategies to Valve's 2024 Steam visibility changes and learn from successful developers who've navigated these new rules effectively.

• YouTube
• 30 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Rules of the Game 2025 - Uncommon Techniques from Insightful Designers

Discover uncommon game design techniques from experienced designers who share their personal methods for creating engaging gameplay in 10-minute focused presentations.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 5 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Evolving Worlds from Chaos - The Art-Led Approach of Darkest Dungeon 2's Procedural Generation

Discover how Red Hook Studios revolutionized procedural generation by prioritizing art direction over traditional programming approaches in Darkest Dungeon 2's world creation.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 1 minute
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Three Steps to Becoming a Better Artist Immediately

Discover three actionable steps to instantly enhance your artistic skills, focusing on visual design, expression, and effective communication in game development.

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

Building Headquarters - The Social Hub in Call of Duty WWII

Explore the creation of Headquarters, a 48-player social hub in Call of Duty WWII, featuring interactive storefronts, minigames, and community engagement opportunities.

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

Narrative Nuances on Free-to-Play Mobile Games

Explore techniques for crafting compelling narratives in free-to-play mobile games, focusing on audience engagement, pay-offs, and unique storytelling approaches for the platform.

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

Whose Game Is It, Anyway? How Community Relationships Shape Games - Lessons from Warframe

Explore how Warframe's success stems from strategic community engagement, balancing feedback, and evolving game-as-a-service strategies in this insightful Digital Extremes presentation.

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

How the Speed Cubing Community Turned Rubik's Cube into a Competitive Genre

Explore the transformation of Rubik's Cube into a competitive sport, examining organization, innovation, and community-building strategies in speed cubing.

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

Triage on the Front Line - Improving Mafia III AI in a Live Product

Discover techniques for enhancing AI in live games, focusing on Mafia III's enemy reactions and testing methods to improve player experience.

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

Winding Road Ahead - Designing Utility AI with Curvature

Explore intuitive AI behavior design using curvature in utility systems. Learn knowledge representation, influence data, and natural language considerations for creating dynamic game characters.

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

What Successful Product Managers Do Differently in Free-to-Play Games

Explore key strategies successful product managers employ in free-to-play games, focusing on core loops, data analysis, and leveraging knowledge for improved game performance and player engagement.

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

The Reinvention of Tomb Raider

Crystal Dynamics shares insights on modernizing Tomb Raider, focusing on survival elements, character development, and production strategies to create a compelling reboot of the iconic franchise.

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

Crash Course in Online Features for Programmers

Explore essential online features for game programmers, from platform-provided tools to custom solutions, covering connectivity, data management, community building, and server infrastructure.

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

Cold, Hard Cache - Insomniac's Cache Simulator

Explore Insomniac Games' Cache Simulator tool for optimizing CPU code performance and gaining insights into cache utilization in game development.

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