The device or "platform" that a game is developed for and played on has a massive impact on the game development process. In this hands-on course you will explore how to develop a game for a variety of modern platforms, including Web, Windows, Mac OS X, iOS, and Android. While building a complete game, you will learn intermediate and advanced game development techniques in the Unity game engine. By the end of the course, you will understand how to develop, refine, package, and prepare your game for distribution on a variety of game platforms. Particular attention will be given to developing a 2D platformer game that supports multiple forms of input (keyboard/mouse, controller, and touch), works across multiple forms of output (screen size, screen resolution, sound), and performs well on a variety of computing devices.
This course is part of the Game Design and Development Specialization
Game Development for Modern Platforms
Offered By
21,311 already enrolled!
About this Course
11,921
11,921Skills you will gain
Video Game DevelopmentC Sharp (C#) (Programming Language)Unity (User Interface)Game Design
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week
13 hours to complete
Starting the Project
Hello game developers! Across this course, we will build a complete 2D platformer game as a vehicle to talk about how to develop, refine, package, and prepare games for distribution on a variety of game platforms. This week we will launch right into the thick of it and set up our 2D game, create our player, and give the player control.If you are having troubles with a concept, quiz, or technical issue with Unity, you should post on the Discussion Forum to ask for help. Remember to be a good Coursera community member and help others out when you can.Let’s get started!
16 videos (Total 89 min), 6 readings, 1 quiz
16 videos
Brief History of Game Platforms1m
Modern Game Platforms1m
Project Overview2m
Getting Started7m
Creating Tree Sprite6m
Creating Ground Tiles5m
Creating Platforms4m
Setting up the Player11m
Tags3m
Layers4m
Sorting Layers4m
Player Animations11m
Player Animator Controller9m
Character Controller5m
Using Game Controllers5m
6 readings
History of Video Games10m
Download and Install (the latest) Unity3D10m
Troubleshooting Tips10m
Downloading Project Assets10m
Solutions to Sparty not moving10m
Game Controller Details10m
1 practice exercise
Week 1 Quiz28m
Week
23 hours to complete
Getting the Game Playable
Welcome back!
This week we will continue to build our 2D platformer game, getting into some level design and gameplay enhancements, including adding an enemy to our game. Along the way we will start to introduce some Unity Editor tips and tricks and some more advanced programming concepts.
As always, if you are having troubles with a concept, quiz, or technical issue with Unity or the project, you should post on the Discussion Forum to ask for help. Remember to be a good Coursera community member and help others out when you can.
Onward!
18 videos (Total 134 min), 1 quiz
18 videos
Moving Platforms9m
Project Organization4m
Camera Follow3m
Character Controller Code Part 19m
Character Controller Code Part 212m
Adding Double Jump8m
Death Zone5m
Coins7m
Victory7m
Particle Effects13m
Enemy Setup7m
Enemy Animation7m
Attacking and Stunning Enemy6m
Moving Enemy5m
Enemy Code Part 16m
Enemy Code Part 26m
Player Bounce on Enemy Stun4m
1 practice exercise
Week 2 Quiz20m
Week
32 hours to complete
Building Out the Game
Hi!
This week we will finish our example game, bringing in some visual polish and UI, adding a game manager, and making sure our game controls work across multiple platforms. We will continue to introduce additional design and programming concepts along the way. And, at the end of this week, you will start the process of modifying the game and transforming it into your own creation! How exciting!
As always, if you are having troubles with a concept, quiz, or technical issue with Unity or the project, you should post on the Discussion Forum to ask for help. Remember to be a good Coursera community member and help others out when you can.
Go! Go! Go!
13 videos (Total 96 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz
13 videos
Parallax Scrolling Part 26m
Image Effects4m
User Interface Setup9m
Hiding UI in the Scene View4m
Game Manager8m
Player Prefs6m
Game Manager Code8m
Custom Editor Tools10m
Out-of-Game Scenes7m
The Main Menu6m
Cross Platform Menu Controller Support3m
Supporting Mobile Cross Platform Input11m
1 reading
Course Project Goals10m
1 practice exercise
Week 3 Quiz20m
Week
45 hours to complete
Preparing to Ship!
Welcome back game developers!
This week, while you work on your game, we will discuss how to polish, balance, and optimize your game (and future games), build the game for various modern platforms, as well as bring the game to market. These lectures and readings contain a wealth of game making goodness that I hope will inspire and excite you.
As always, if you are having troubles with a concept, quiz, or technical issue with Unity or the project, you should post on the Discussion Forum to ask for help. Remember to be a good Coursera community member and help others out when you can.
Let the final crunch commence!
9 videos (Total 59 min), 10 readings, 1 quiz
9 videos
Building for WebGL4m
Building for PC and Mac8m
Building for iOS12m
Building for Android6m
Taking Screenshots11m
Creating a Game Web Page6m
Finishing Up51s
End of Course46s
10 readings
Game Polish (aka, Game Feel and Juice)10m
Integrating Analytics10m
Monetization10m
Playtesting and Balancing10m
Optimization10m
Building for iOS and Android Resources10m
Creating a Game Trailer10m
Game Web Page Resources10m
Distribution Channel Resources10m
Additional Resources10m
4.8
132 Reviews50%
started a new career after completing these courses
47%
got a tangible career benefit from this course
Top Reviews
Great lectures from Brian Winn: very clear and his assets very clear as well an organized. It will be very good to complement the lectures with a short document summarizing the theory.
This course was a blast! It dived a bit deeper into Unity compared to "Introduction to Game Development", the course outline and steps worked great and I learned a lot.
Instructor
Brian Winn
Associate ProfessorMedia and Information
About Michigan State University
Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 150 years.
One of the top research universities in the world, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery and forges enduring partnerships to solve the most pressing global challenges while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.
About the Game Design and Development Specialization
Break into the video game industry with theoretical, technical, and business knowledge from one of the world’s best programs.
This Specialization covers the theoretical and practical foundations of video game production using the Unity 3D game engine. The Specialization is taught by faculty at Michigan State University with over fifty years of combined experience building games and teaching game production. Michigan State University is one of the top-rated game design and development programs in North America. You’ll learn to develop a game concept; prototype, test, and iterate on your ideas; and navigate licensing, marketing, and other business considerations. The specialization builds a solid foundation for industry roles as a gameplay designer, level designer, technical designer, technical artist, programmer, or producer. The capstone partner for the specialization is the online game portal Kongregate, which provides an avenue for distribution of the capstone project, as well as a pathway for monetization for aspiring game developers.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
What is the refund policy?
Is financial aid available?
What version of Unity is covered in the course?
The course was originally built with Unity 5.1.x. However, we recently updated lessons to Unity 5.4.x where there were notable differences between 5.1 and 5.4.
More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.
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