Game design courses can help you learn level design, character development, storytelling techniques, and game mechanics. You can build skills in prototyping, user testing, and balancing gameplay to enhance player experience. Many courses introduce tools like Unity and Unreal Engine, that support creating interactive environments and implementing game logic. Additionally, you might explore programming languages such as C or C++ to bring your ideas to life, along with graphic design software for creating compelling visuals.

California Institute of the Arts
Skills you'll gain: Game Design, Prototyping, Software Design Documents, Video Game Development, Ideation, Conceptual Design, Software Visualization, Design Reviews, Graphic and Visual Design, Peer Review, Creativity
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months

Skills you'll gain: Code Reusability, Interactive Design, User Interface (UI), Computer Graphics
Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

Michigan State University
Skills you'll gain: Unity Engine, Animations, 3D Modeling, Storyboarding, Color Theory, Animation and Game Design, 3D Assets, Video Game Development, Game Design, Adobe Photoshop, Autodesk Maya, Computer Graphics, Visualization (Computer Graphics), Design Elements And Principles, Conceptual Design, Graphics Software, Photo Editing, Computer Graphic Techniques, Graphical Tools, Design
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

Skills you'll gain: Unreal Engine, Video Game Development, Game Design, Animation and Game Design, 3D Assets, UI Components, Animations, Computer Graphics, User Interface (UI), Virtual Environment, Visualization (Computer Graphics), User Interface (UI) Design, Interactive Design, Event-Driven Programming, Scripting, AI Integrations, Artificial Intelligence, Code Reusability, Simulations
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

Skills you'll gain: Game Design, Video Game Development, Unreal Engine, Data Persistence, Virtual Environment, Interactive Design, Computer Graphics, 3D Assets, Computer Graphic Techniques, Visualization (Computer Graphics), Scripting, Data Management, Data Store, Data Structures
Mixed · Course · 1 - 3 Months

Epic Games
Skills you'll gain: Unreal Engine, Video Game Development, 3D Modeling, Animation and Game Design, 3D Assets, Game Design, Computer Graphics, Animations, Virtual Environment, Performance Tuning, Model Optimization, Prototyping
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

Skills you'll gain: Video Game Development, Game Design, Animation and Game Design, Unreal Engine, User Interface (UI), User Interface (UI) Design, Event-Driven Programming, AI Integrations, Virtual Environment, Artificial Intelligence, Code Reusability, Animations, Scripting
Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
University of California San Diego
Skills you'll gain: Design Research, Interaction Design, User Experience Design, Statistical Analysis, Usability, Experience Design, UI/UX Research, Ideation, User Interface (UI), Graphic and Visual Design, Experimentation, Interactive Design, User Interface and User Experience (UI/UX) Design, Human Computer Interaction, A/B Testing, Human Factors, Collaborative Software, Telecommuting, R Programming, Storyboarding
Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Skills you'll gain: Video Game Development, Game Design, Unity Engine, Software Design Documents, Conceptual Design, Experience Design, Design Elements And Principles, Usability, Software Documentation, Storytelling
Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

Skills you'll gain: Computer Graphics, Game Design, Object Oriented Programming (OOP), 3D Assets, Visualization (Computer Graphics), Video Game Development, Computer Graphic Techniques, Animation and Game Design, Object Oriented Design, Graphics Software, C# (Programming Language), Motion Graphics, Animations, Cross Platform Development, Program Development, Development Environment, Software Installation, Debugging, Build Tools, User Interface (UI)
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

Skills you'll gain: Unreal Engine, 3D Assets, Virtual Environment, Game Design, 3D Modeling, Video Game Development, Animation and Game Design, Prototyping, Design Strategies, Layout Design
Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

Microsoft
Skills you'll gain: Storyboarding, User Research, Information Architecture, User Experience Design, User Experience, UI/UX Research, Design Research, Ideation, Design Thinking, User Centered Design, User Flows, Creativity
Mixed · Course · 1 - 3 Months