Game Development Summer Course
Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion @ Carnegie Mellon University
Intensive 6-week summer course turning high schoolers into game developers — taught at Carnegie Mellon's Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion.
Course Overview
A 6-week intensive summer game development course for high school students. By the end of the program, every student ships a complete playable game. The course covers the full pipeline from concept and game design through programming, art, and playtesting.
Curriculum
- Week 1: Game design fundamentals and rapid prototyping
- Week 2: Unity basics — scenes, GameObjects, C# scripting
- Week 3: Player mechanics, physics, and input
- Week 4: Game feel, audio, and visual polish
- Week 5: Level design and playtesting
- Week 6: Final project presentations and showcase
Impact
Ran summers 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2024 — collectively transforming 40+ students per cohort into game developers.