New! Game Design Certificate (140 hrs)

New! Game Design Certificate (140 hrs) 
Adults: Ages 18+ 

This program is hosted by the Center for the Digital Arts at SUNY Westchester Peekskill, located at 27 North Division Street, Peekskill, NY. Software versions are subject to change. These courses are for ages 18 and up unless otherwise noted. To apply for certificate programs, (excluding Social Media Specialist, AI for Business Owners, and the Historic Preservation programs) visit www.sunywcc.edu/peekskill-apply  

To register for certificate programs, email [email protected] or contact SUNY Westchester Peekskill Center for Digital Arts at 914-606-7300 or email [email protected]  

The Game Design Certificate at SUNY Westchester Peekskill Center for the Digital Arts offers hands-on training in Unity and Maya, focusing on programming, 3D modeling, and storytelling. Through project-based learning, students develop industry-ready portfolios, gaining the technical and creative skills needed for careers in game development or advancement in the field. This is a hybrid, non-credit program. Students must register for the entire program at the time of registration; a payment plan is available. These classes will be hybrid. 
For details, visit www.sunywcc.edu/game-design 
Program tuition is $1,928. 

Game Mechanics and Systems Design 

This course will teach the fundamentals of game design, rule design, and decision-making. Students will delve into a game’s genre, theme, and goals to develop an overall systems design. 
CE-DGART 2170PE, 7 Mon., Sept. 14-Oct. 26, 6:30-9:00 pm.  

Game Programming 1 

This course teaches you to utilize the Unity game engine and the powerful C# scripting language to develop polished games.  Students will create two games, 2D and 3D, that explore various game development features.  The course material begins with the fundamentals of game development and gradually builds up to more advanced techniques and abilities.  Students can develop their games through the Unity game engine and write code with C# scripting language by course completion. 
CE-DGART 2171PE, 7 Weds., Sept. 16-Oct. 28, 6:30-9:00 pm.  

Visual Storytelling 

Students will learn the craft of storytelling using imagery and world-building. The various elements of the game will be brought together in terms of developing a story narrative and theme driven by visual elements. 
CE-DGART 2172PE, 7 Mon., Nov. 9-Dec. 21, 6:30-9:00 pm. 

Digital 3D Modeling  

In this course, we will explore the world of digital 3D modeling using the program, Blender. Over the last four decades, DCC (Digital Content Creation) programs have become sophisticated, friendly to use, and accessible. This is a foundation course in digital 3D modeling. This course will cover an extensive range of modeling techniques and build a strong foundation for continued work in digital 3D modeling. Students will complete modeling exercises and create original works of their own design. 
CE-DGART 2173PE, 7 Weds., Nov. 4-Dec. 23 (skip 11/25), 6:30-9:00 pm. 

Environmental Design 

Students will study how players interact with their environments and develop game worlds that reflect optimal player interaction. This course will build on Visual Storytelling and design an environment for the game that supports the story and gameplay and how they interact. 
CE-DGART 2174PE, 7 Mon., Feb. 1-Mar. 15, 2027, 6:30-9:00 pm.  

Character Rigging 

Students will now look at creating basic rig setups to more advanced setups for characters and assets.  Towards the end of this course, the class will focus on the importance of posing and body mechanics for animation. 
CE-DGART 2175PE, 7 Weds., Feb. 3-Mar. 17, 2027, 6:30-9:00 pm. 

Game Programming 2 

Students will become deeply involved by learning more complex game development systems and programming. The course focuses on advanced techniques that coincide with methods used by experts in the industry. During the course, each student can choose to make a 2D or 3D game for the whole semester or two games over the semester. This game will form the basis of their portfolio piece. Students will have a portfolio piece by the end of the game and an understanding of the day-to-day work of programming. 
CE-DGART 2176PE, 7 Mon., Mar. 22-May 3, 2027, 6:30-9:00 pm. 

Artificial Intelligence for Game Design 

AI can provide valuable player feedback and thereby offer design recommendations, allowing for rapid prototyping of game elements. AI generates responsive, adaptive, or intelligent behaviors primarily in non-playable characters (NPCs), similar to human-like intelligence. AI imagery may also be utilized in games. 
CE-DGART 2177PE, 7 Weds., Mar. 24-May 5, 2027, 6:30-9:00 pm.