Game Design Courses and Certifications

GDC

Bringing a Star Wars Cantina to Life in Jedi: Survivor

Explore the creation of Pyloon's Saloon in 'STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor', featuring hundreds of state-based NPC interactions that bring the iconic Star Wars cantina atmosphere to life.

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

GDC

Adapting Classics for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - Design Philosophy

Explore design philosophies for adapting classic games, balancing nostalgia with innovation. Learn key strategies for reimagining beloved franchises while maintaining their essence and appeal.

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

GDC

Building Cognitive Accessibility Into Your Games

Experts discuss best practices for enhancing gaming experiences for players with cognitive disabilities, exploring benefits and implementation strategies for inclusive game design.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 2 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

GDC

From Pitch to Pancakes - How Bear and Breakfast Blended Genres to Succeed

Explore the journey of 'Bear and Breakfast', a genre-blending game, from concept to launch. Learn how mixing management and adventure elements created a unique niche, overcoming challenges in development and marketing.

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

Unity

How to Avoid Major Pitfalls of Skill Tree Design - UI Best Practices and Implementation

Explore the dos and don'ts of video game skill tree design with Unity experts as they analyze popular games and demonstrate how to build effective skill trees using UI Toolkit.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 40 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Stylized Station

What the F**k Happened to Video Game Physics?

Explore the evolution and changes in video game physics over time, examining how physics engines have transformed gameplay experiences.

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

UNF Games

How to Decorate Big Environments in Unreal Engine 5

Master techniques for decorating large environments in Unreal Engine 5, enhancing your game design skills with effective strategies for expansive virtual worlds.

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

GDC

Urban Planning in Games - Creating Readable and Distinguished Game Environments

Discover essential urban planning principles for creating immersive, readable game environments that enhance player navigation and spatial understanding.

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

GDC

How Interactive Should My Game Story Be?

Explore the balance between interactivity and storytelling in game writing, examining when player agency enhances or hinders narrative impact in different types of game projects.

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

Code Monkey

The Door Problem - Understanding Game Development Complexity

Discover why game development is deceptively complex through the famous "Door Problem" - exploring the countless design decisions, technical challenges, and team coordination required.

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

Stylized Station

How a Solo Artist Creates Entire Game Towns and Cities

Discover efficient techniques and workflows for creating expansive game environments, from individual buildings to complete towns and cities, as a solo artist.

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

GDC

The First 30 Years of Warcraft - The Making of a Game Universe

Delve into the evolution of Warcraft's universe as Blizzard's John Hight reveals how this legendary franchise adapted across decades, genres, and changing player expectations.

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

GDC

Rules of the Game - Five Tricks of Highly Effective Designers

Discover five unique game design techniques from experienced designers who share their personal "tricks" for crafting compelling gameplay in this GDC session.

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

GDC

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

GDC

Cursed Problems in Game Design

Explore four design paradigms to tackle challenging game design issues, presented by Riot Games' Alex Jaffe in this insightful session on overcoming development obstacles.

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