Brief Introduction to Game Design

This is a brief introduction to game design by Dr. Lewis Pulsipher (see Wikipedia), designer of several published games (e.g. Britannia), retired teacher (computer networking, later game design and game production), and author of the 2012 book "Game Design: How to Create Video and Tabletop Games, Start to Finish" (McFarland).

A much longer and more comprehensive course ("Learning Game Design") is also available.

The general goal is to realistically understand the nature of game design

• Understand what game design is and isn't
• Know the best ways to learn how to design games
• Recognize that there's nothing magical about game design
• Understand why you won't get rich in game design
• Understand that being an expert game player has nothing to do with game design

Intended audience: aspiring game designers, whether video or tabletop

Course requirements: basic familiarity with games

Comment from LinkedIn:

"Fantastic course, Dr. Pulsipher. I'm in school for Game Dev (which, of course, does involve programming), and while my last instructor is a veteran in the field, the textbook didn't emphasize the required aptitude for Game Design. This one nails it without sugarcoating it." By Michael Thompson

LinkedIn comment (may not work if you're not a member)

A recent reviewer at Udemy (Santiago Eximeno) gave the course 3 stars, so I asked him what I could do to improve it. He said:

"Your course is fabulous. I have given it 3 stars because it's a first step. I really enjoy contents but, as its name says, it's an introduction to game design and I think that a wannabe game designer must continue studying and working on it.

So I don't think that you must improve this course, it's just that for me is a first step and for that I have given it a 3 stars rate.

I'm sure that "Learning Game Design: as a job or a hobby" (I have starting it now) will be great . . ."

And it's certainly true that this course is only a start.

This course has run on Udemy.com for 3,500 people, but it costs 50% more there.

Excerpts from other reviews for my Brief Intro to Game Design at Udemy:

"Very Informative and useful. Thank you a lot!" Víctor Jesús Arroyo Reyes

"A very good intro course

No frills reality check on what to expect."

Scott Mayton

Good Course

The lecturer is very knowledgeable and has a lot of experience so knows exactly what he is talking about. He also tells it how it is and doesn't give any 'false hope' that the game industry is a get rich quick scheme or an always fun environment.

Shane Robinson

awesome

excellent

Mauricio

"As a novice video game maker of three years now, I have seen many people online talk about an "awesome" idea but never begin to make it.

Dr. Pulsipher discusses some of the common pitfalls when designing a game, the steps it takes to actually make a playable game, and some of the less-than-glamorous realities of the game industry.

I will definitely use what I have learned when designing my next game and I highly recommend it."

Louvie Tuckerg

Brief Free Intro to Game Design, comment to an Answer:

"Thank you very much for the fast and detailed answer, I really appreciate that you take your time to discuss these subjects with an aspiring junior, like me."

János Glöckl?

private message:

"I have but finished watching both your courses here on Udemy, and i praise you for your straightforward and realistic approach on the subject of game design and the games industry."

Marcelo Melo

There are no discounts for this class, or any others on this site. I am actually more likely to raise prices than to offer discounts, because discounts can be disrespectful to people who pay the full price. These classes are already much lower priced than the same classes on Udemy.