Start creating your world. A game world is not just a backdrop for your game—be it minimal or detailed, contained or part of a much bigger universe, it provides the context for your player. Ultimately, a game world should feel alive and wholly unique to any player who will experience it.
In this course, we will explore game worlds in existing games and study the art and influences that inform their themes and styles. We will also investigate key components of environment and level design as well as strategies designers use to define gameplay or advance it. We’ll also look at navigation and the elements that make your world as real (or unreal) as you want it to be. A weekly challenge will prompt you to explore styles and inspirations for possible game worlds, and you’ll learn effective ways to communicate your ideas from concepts to presentation-worthy proofs of concept.
This course is part of the Game Design: Art and Concepts Specialization
World Design for Video Games
4.4
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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week
12 hours to complete
Introduction to World Design
During this first week, we'll start with a brief overview of game worlds and game design. We’ll also examine environments and larger world-based concepts to see how games incorporate a macro-level view of how they progress. At the end of the week, a short assignment prompts you to examine, analyze and comment on games that marked or interested you in terms of their environment design.
4 videos (Total 9 min), 4 readings, 1 quiz
4 readings
About this course5m
Causes and Consequences3m
Considering Game Worlds3m
Example: Week 1 Assignment5m
Week
23 hours to complete
Do Your Research
Where do you start when designing a world? Where should you begin to look for sparking that creative impulse? This week we will be exploring ideas and presentation techniques for a game’s environment and world design. I encourage you to draw inspiration from other art practices, artists, video games or even your everyday surroundings. The assignment at the end of the week challenges you to present a proposal for a possible world through concept artwork for peer evaluation.
7 videos (Total 18 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz
7 videos
Aesthetics & Gameplay3m
Clockworks1m
Questions3m
Back to the rulebook2m
Make it yours1m
Shuffle your ideas1m
2 readings
Strategies for shuffling your ideas1m
Example: Week 2 Assignment8m
Week
33 hours to complete
The Way You Move
How do you move in a video game world? This week we’ll discuss fundamental components and concepts in world and level design. Naturally, these evolve as the gameplay progresses but there are specific strategies you can use to create the finer details in a game environment. At the end of the week, you are challenged to take the previous week’s visual research exercise and expand upon it, giving it shape and volume.
9 videos (Total 21 min), 4 readings, 1 quiz
9 videos
Level Design2m
Bordering the World1m
The Garden3m
Navigation and Time1m
Moveset2m
From point A to point B3m
Linear vs. Non-Linear2m
The Grey Box1m
4 readings
The Bigger Picture8m
Two types of navigation8m
Level design in local spaces8m
Example: Week 3 Assignment8m
Week
43 hours to complete
A Whole World
Bring your game world to life. In this final week, we’ll be putting down what will eventually define the look, ambience and atmosphere of your world, learning specifically how to convey a mood for a unique and engaging game environment. Go back to your assignment from Week 2 to pull from your inspirations and models. Build on your volumetric model from Week 3 and add details. Define the light, the color palette and the overall visual context of your game space.
6 videos (Total 17 min), 4 readings, 1 quiz
6 videos
Anchoring the world down4m
An Atmosphere1m
Lighting is key3m
Colors1m
Final Round2m
4 readings
In the Shadows8m
Color your world5m
Example: Week 4 Assignment8m
Course Credits2m
4.4
131 Reviews50%
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Top Reviews
I'm not a effective learner so I can't get much from it, but I certainly learn some rules for building world, I would review these contents some days, thank you so much for your teaching!
The videos are nice and clear, and I love seeing examples for the homework, it really helped. I also loved reviewing my peers and having them review me, they had awesome ideas!
Instructor
Théotime Vaillant
Instructor, Experimental AnimationSchool of Film/Video
About California Institute of the Arts
CalArts has earned an international reputation as the leading college of the visual and performing arts in the United States. Offering rigorous undergraduate and graduate degree programs through six schools—Art, Critical Studies, Dance, Film/Video, Music, and Theater—CalArts has championed creative excellence, critical reflection, and the development of new forms and expressions.
About the Game Design: Art and Concepts Specialization
Stemming from the principles of storytelling and design established in CalArts’ renowned Animation programs, this Specialization lays a primary foundation for experimentation and exploration of video game design, story, character development, and winning gameplay before programming begins. These four courses emphasize the self-reliance and personal expression of the gaming artist, and encourage you to take conceptual risks and develop new modes of expression and form through gaming. In the final Capstone Project, you’ll put your creative skills to work by generating an engaging game design document for a personal game project, outlining the conceptual, narrative and aesthetic elements of your game.
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?
More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.
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