Game Development

(former Mobile Computing, since 2016)

Schedule

The class is held in the Fall semester. Please confirm the schedule with the official site:

  • Monday, 14-16, room N14
  • Tuesday, 09-12, room N14
Survey Exam Guests

Topics

From a technical point of view, we will study videogame history, anatomy of game engines, Unreal Engine, Blueprint scripting, programming best practices, OpenGL and GPU basics, animation and rigging, game physics. As videogames are a product of connecting art and techinques, we will also study gameplay, storytelling and narrative. We will also introduce Unity and Godot game engines.

No textbook is required, but if you want to buy one, "Game Engine Architecture" by Jason Gregory is a very comprehensive book that covers every aspect for an initiation to game development.

Note for Mobile Computing students. This class will continue with lessons on Mobile Computing to allow old students to continue their studies. This means that we will have classes on Flutter and Dart, MAUI and C#, UI and UX, Internationalization, User Engagement, Backend (REST, DBs, AWS), Accessibility, Privacy and OAuth2, AppStores, iOS and Android.

Unreal Engine
Blueprint Scripting
Storytelling
Best Practices
Graphics Pipeline
Animations
Colors and UI
Videogame History


Professional Guests

Lorenzo Aurea

Ubisoft

Technical Director at Ubisoft, he was Lead Online Architect for Rainbow Six: Siege. He worked on several MMOs.

Carlo Ivo Alimo Bianchi

Storm in a Teacup

CEO and Game Director of Storm in a Teacup, he was Senior and Lead Artist at Ubisoft, Square Enix, Warner Bros Games, Crytek and others.

Mirko Minenza

GameDev Stars

Founder of GameDev Stars, a pro bono initiative aimed at helping students navigate the gaming job market. He was a professinal recruiter for the gaming industry.



Submit your Exam

Exam Grading

Students will choose a group project (min 1, max 5 persons) and will present their results. If you need a suggestions, there will be specific lessons where we will discuss projects and ask for comments and help. Do not hesitate to contact me for any doubt. Record a live screencast making visible the game engine used for the project, and provide the URL of your git repository.

Note for Mobile Computing students. You will develop a multiplatform app or game (no iOS-only or Android-only), and record a live screencast on a real device, a smartphone or tablet, but no simulators are allowed.

Deadlines

In order to be graded, you should send, at least 7 days before the end of each exam session, regardless of the date on GOMP. So, translated, the exam form will be open:

  1. Spring session: January 7–February 21;
  2. Summer session: June 1–July 23;
  3. Fall session: September 1–September 23.

The deadline is here so that, if I encounter an error with GOMP, I will have time to ask for support.