SXU offers course in video game design
Saint Xavier University (SXU) offers a wide variety of courses to students. Within many programs, students have the option to choose specific courses that will streamline the direction of their degree. For those students who are computer or design majors, SXU is proud to offer a course in video game design.
The course is designed to take students through the entire process of designing and developing a video game. Students will cover everything from the motivation of the consumer to buy and play video games to the actual process of building the pieces of the finished product.
"In the beginning of the course, we mainly worked on character building, world building and understanding what went into the storytelling aspect of video games," said Graphic Design major Erin Kelly. "We wanted to understand, psychologically, why people play them, why people enjoy them so much."
The course is taught in a team setting, where students work in groups to plan and execute the design of their very own game. The groups have creative freedom as far as the plot, characters and look or feel of the game are concerned. They work together to come up with an idea and breakdown each layer of story and model to create the final output.
"What I hoped to get out of this course was the ability to design my own games, program them from start to finish, be able to develop my own game that was representative of what I want to see in a video game," said Computer Science major Husain Mahmood.
The video game course is perfect for students who hope to pursue a career in video game design, but it can also be enjoyed by those who just want to learn more about the process behind developing their favorite pastime.
"I think this class was a great asset to me and it is something that I will continue to benefit from in the future as I create my own little indie games and expand my skillset," said Mahmood.