Design Your First Game

Game Design with Unreal Engine

About the Class

Learn what makes games fun, engaging, and worth playing. In this beginner-friendly class, you’ll explore the fundamentals of game design—how mechanics, systems, and player experience come together to create great games.

Each session combines guided lessons with hands-on activities, where you’ll break down existing games, design your own concepts, and begin building a simple game experience using tools like Unreal Engine. The focus is on thinking like a designer—understanding how decisions shape gameplay and how to turn ideas into something playable.

The class is designed for high school students, but it’s open to anyone ages 13 and up, including adults who are curious about game programming. No prior experience is required, but students will need to bring a laptop capable of running Unreal Engine (Mac or PC), a Discord account, and a willingness to figure things out. You can check the system requirements and download Unreal Engine here.

Homeschool students can count this course as 0.5 credits toward a high school computer science credit.

Why Come?

🎮 Learn how great games are designed
🧩 Understand mechanics, systems, and player experience
🧠 Break down and analyze the games you already love
🛠 Start designing and building your own game ideas

Location:

Bletchley Commons
411 University Ridge
Greenville, SC 29601

Fall 2026
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Thursdays, Sep 3 - Nov 19
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1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Spring 2027
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Thursdays, Jan 14 - Apr 8
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1:00 PM - 2:30 PM

Course Outline

Build a Simple Playable World

Start with a small starter level and learn how to move, jump, look around, and interact with the world.

Learn basic navigation, the Unreal interface, and how character movement works.

Game Environments

Build the terrain, add props, move objects, and design your own mini scene.

Learn how to place actors, sculpt landscapes, and use the Unreal content browser.

Game Mechanics with Blueprints

Make doors open, platforms move, or lights switch on when the player gets close.

Learn the fundamentals of Unreal’s Blueprint visual scripting system.

Build a Collect-the-Coins Game

Build collectible items, sound effects, and a simple scoring system.

Learn collisions, triggers, pickup logic, and basic UI elements.

Puzzle and Obstacle Challenges

Design buttons that activate platforms or gates to make a starter puzzle game.

Learn Blueprint events, timelines, and interactive game elements.

Third-Person Adventures

Customize a third-person controller and design a small adventure zone.

Learn character animation, camera settings, and third-person movement.

Power-Up Abilities

Give your character a cool ability like sprint, dash, double-jump, or slow-motion mode.

Learn Blueprint functions, variables, and ability logic.

Enemies and Moving Hazards

Add simple enemies or moving obstacles that chase, patrol, or block the player.

Learn how basic game AI works, including how to set up paths and behaviors for characters that move on their own.

Design Health and Respawn System

Design health bars, damage zones, and a way to respawn after losing.

Learn UI widgets, player states, and damage events.

Create a Mini Platformer Level

Use platforms, jumps, hazards, and collectibles to build your own short platforming course.

Learn level design basics, challenge pacing, and environment layout.

Sound, Music, and Ambience

Give your game life with background music, footsteps, impacts, and environmental audio.

Learn audio cues, attenuation, and sound triggers.

Visual Effects and Particle Systems

Add sparks, glows, dust, fire, or magic effects to your world.

Learn Niagara basics and how to attach effects to objects and actions.

Create a Simple NPC or Dialogue Moment

Add a non-player character with simple dialogue or interaction prompts.

Learn interactable actors, UI prompts, and Blueprint communication.

Build a Playable Mini-Game of Your Choice

Choose from templates like a maze, a race, a chase, a shooter, or a puzzle and customize it deeply.

Learn how to combine multiple concepts from earlier weeks.

Game Showcase Day

Share your playable mini game, explain what you built, and play each other’s creations.

Learn how to talk about game design and celebrate your progress.

Register To Attend

Please see the course requirements and dates above before registering to attend. If you have multiple attendees, please sign them up separately.

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