Game Design

Students will be able to identify various gaming platforms: Gaming Console Platforms and their significant generations such as Atari, Nintendo, Sega, PlayStation, and Xbox, Computer Platforms and features including Windows 7/8/10, Macintosh OSX, and Linux and Mobile Platforms like Android, iOS, Windows. In this laboratory, students will work to develop at least one game on one of the aforementioned platforms. 

In this class students will learn to write code, using various computer programming languages and integrate assets created into a functional digital platform.

This fundamentals course is designed to teach the skills necessary to understand the complexities of creating computer generated imagery in motion using layered visual elements.  The ability to manipulate visual digital elements in time is a core competency that each student should master for the field of Game Design. Students will distinguish types of digital visual elements, the formats they are housed in and how this format affects how they are composited together to tell a visual story. Students will develop skills capable of synthesizing layered composites to allow for their creative imaginations to take hold.

This course is eligible for three credits through Five Towns College with registration.

This class teaches the fundamental building blocks to develop the core competencies of Interactive Computer Graphics programming. It acknowledges the fact that creative people are visual learners.  Within the first-class students will be programming lines of code to produce shapes and colors on their computer screen.  Using a programming language that was designed from its inception to be used by artists allows students to start down the path of being computational visual designers with a solid foundation in the world of Game Design.

This class is eligible for credit with Five Towns College.

Sound Design for Interactivity and Games involves the artistic and technical application of sound to interactive media. This course will develop an understanding of sound design and its associated components such as: music, dialogue and voice, ambience, and effects. Students will examine a range of topics, technologies, and techniques such as: history of sound in interactive media, game sound interaction, asset creation, sonic iconography, game engines, and audio engines.

This course covers the fundamental elements of producing, designing, and editing sound for film and games. Students learn the basics of audio recording, sound editing, and multi-track sound design specifically for the moving image. Topics covered include microphone techniques, field and studio recording, Foley techniques, and using digital audio multi-tracking software. Students may be involved in projects such as learning to prepare surfaces and simulate specific types of shoes to record footsteps synchronized with picture, select and place the proper microphone(s) for specific situation, and to manipulate metals, wood, glass, rocks, fabrics, everyday items such as jars, gears, balls, and to use vegetables and produce to record sound effects synchronized to moving picture segments.

In this course, students will learn about the history of gaming including arcade console, computer, mobile, and modern devices. They will be able to identify key figures and designers in the history of gaming (Ralph Baer/father of video games, Nolan Bushnell/founder of Atari, Shigeru Miyamoto/key figure in Nintendo, etc.). Students will also become familiar with the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) and its ratings categories. The class will cover early games (Pong, Pac-Man, Donkey-Kong, Space Invaders, Centipede, Missile Command, Asteroids, etc.) so that students can understand the important milestones in gaming history.

In this class students will focus on the process of game testing and releasing the game after it has been developed. This will include Alpha and Beta Testing, Game maintenance, and repairing bugs and glitches. 

Students in this course will engage in an exploration of options available to artists after high school, matching industry requirements with pathways, including, college admissions and cost associated with it. Students will complete portfolios, engage in mock interviewing and develop resume related material. Students will also research related trends in the creative arts sector, types of jobs available and professional organizations affiliated with different sectors. Traits that are valuable for artists to possess will explored and students will learn about advocacy and networking in the professional arts world.

This course explores the role and importance of an artist manager, what they do, and how they impact the career of the artist and their brand. The course begins with the basics: why an artist needs a manager, the keys to finding the right partner, and a typical management contract. From there, students will cover the details of planning an artist’s career, money management and what to do when things go wrong.

Introduction to Arts Entrepreneurship is a survey of a business strategies, including money management, investing, insurance, taxes and all the other details behind a successful career in the arts. This course also emphasizes the importance of entrepreneurial thinking, engages students with the fundamentals of the arts “business”, and explores ways to influence and shape the industry’s future. The course will explore the inner workings of the arts industry, using creative problem-solving exercises, discussion questions, collaborative projects, case studies, and hands-on activities. Students will have firsthand experience with guest experts in the fields of promotion, management, and artist representatives, and thus begin creating their own networks and a path to their future activities in the arts.

This class offers a comprehensive study of media options available for the promotion of artists, products, and services. It includes a brief discussion of marketing plans, followed by a detailed look at both old and new media. Concepts such as integrated marketing communication are melded with creative tools for branding. Students will analyze an existing promotion plan, as well as create one of their own for a new product. Particular attention is given to the use of the internet for communication and the location and retrieval of business-related data.