Game Design
Online Certificate Courses
Level-up your game design skills and build a powerful creative portfolio.
In these online certificate courses, you will gain direct experience in game design and build the foundation necessary to pursue Vancouver Film School’s 12-month Game Design program.
We welcome enthusiasts, high school students, mature students, and anyone looking to make a career change. When you finish an online certificate course at Vancouver Film School, you will receive a digital certificate of completion confirming your experience.
Explore the certificate courses:
* Upon successful completion of this CONNECT course, the cost can be deducted from any full-time Advanced Production program tuition at VFS. Only one discount may be applied. Contact a VFS Advisor for eligibility.
**Students must confirm they are at least 16 years old at the beginning of the course in order to register.
***Please note that courses may be cancelled at any time due to low enrolment. Upon cancellation, registrants will receive a full refund.
To meet your industry instructor(s), click here.
If you have any questions, please contact: industryworkshops@vfs.com
Game Design Fundamentals (online)
Jump into the world of game design with this exciting introductory course. Game Design Fundamentals will take you from game design theory and industry “war-stories” to hands-on lessons with simple game design tools, and finish off by outlining and pitching your very own game! Additionally, students with access to a Nintendo Switch will be able to try out their new skillset in Super Mario Maker 2, as a class assignment (*see learning outcomes below).
- Learn about the different types of game designers in the industry and what they do day-to-day.
- Explore the fundamentals of game design theory and some advanced concepts.
- Design a game level on paper and implement it in the 3D software tool Sketch Up.
- Demonstrate proficiency in utilizing spreadsheets to design systems and balance a game.
- Design characters, content, and narrative for an existing game of your choice.
- Create a Super Mario Maker 2 level with level design best practices (alternative Assignment Available for those without a Nintendo Switch).
- Collaborate on a game pitch with other students and present it to the class.
- Computer with a microphone & camera
- Sketchup (free)
- Google Sheets (free)
- Google Docs (free)
- Google Presentation (free)
- Nintendo Switch console with Super Mario Maker 2 (recommended) – those who do not have a Nintendo Switch will be able to complete an alternative assignment using Sketchup
Students are not required to have any previous training or experience.
Course Details:
Dates: July 3 to August 21, 2024
Duration: 7-week course, one online class per week
Time: Wednesdays, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. PST
Cost: $950
Lighting in Unreal Engine – Master Class (online)
Now more than ever, Unreal developers are in high demand, both in game development and virtual productions; the role of Unreal Lighting Artist is no exception. Whether you’re completely new to lighting or already working as a lighting artist in the entertainment industry, this course will level-up your design skillset in Unreal Engine.
This master class will cover the fundamentals and applications of light theory & CG lighting, as well as how these concepts are translated in Unreal Engine. By the end of this course, you will have created multiple cinematic portfolio pieces that not only fulfill the prerequisite for our full-time Game Design program but will also aid you in future job applications.
- Learn the fundamentals of light theory and colour theory.
- Light exterior and interior environments for different times of day & art directions.
- Gain valuable knowledge of CG lighting techniques.
- Create lighting for game-ready cinematics and virtual productions.
- Learn how to optimize lights while keeping the visual fidelity of your work.
- Utilize character lighting techniques to further emphasize scenes.
- Learn current workflows for lighting in a virtual production environment.
- Create multiple pieces for your professional portfolio.
- Computer with dual monitors (recommended), microphone, and camera
- Stable Internet connection (wired recommended)
- Unreal Engine 4.27 (free to download)
PC is the ideal system to run Unreal Engine. Students with Mac OS can enrol, however there will differences in hotkeys that you will need to understand prior to starting this course. Limited guidance from the instructor will be provided, as they will be running Unreal on PC.
Ideal Requirements: Running Unreal Engine with the following will give you the best experience:
- Windows 10 64-bit
- Visual Studio 2017 or 2019
- 500 GB SSD
- 32 GB RAM
- Intel Core i7 4930K processor
- Intel X79 chipset motherboard
- Nvidia GTX 770 graphics card
Basic experience and familiarity with Unreal Engine (i.e., engine navigation, viewport movement, placing actors, etcetera)
*NOTE: This course is not recommended for students without a beginner’s knowledge of Unreal Engine.
**Sorry, this course is now closed.**
Don't miss out when the next workshop becomes available. Save your spot by joining the wait list today!
Daniel Langhjelm
Lighting and Virtual Production Artist, BRON Studios
Daniel is a VFS Game Design alum. Since graduating, he has worked in virtual production as an Unreal Technical Artist, working with camera tracking and LED wall technology, before joining Bron Digital as a Lighting Artist. Daniel is currently working on a feature length animated series in Unreal Engine and is also the Lead Unreal Artist on Bucketheads: A Star Wars Story, a virtual production utilizing LED wall technology.