Game Design with AI
Learn game design fundamentals and use AI to build playable games — from concept and mechanics to art, audio, narrative, balancing, and publishing.
What You'll Learn
- Apply the MDA framework (Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics) to design engaging gameplay systems
- Create game design documents and prototypes using AI-assisted workflows
- Use AI tools to generate game art, audio, and 3D assets for indie projects
- Design balanced game economies, difficulty curves, and progression systems with AI playtesting
- Build interactive narratives and branching dialogue using AI as a writing partner
- Execute a complete game development pipeline from concept to publishing
Course Syllabus
Who This Course Is For
You have game ideas but lack the team, budget, or specialized skills to bring them to life. Maybe you’ve started projects that fizzled because art took too long, or you couldn’t get the game balanced, or writing dialogue for 50 NPCs felt impossible.
AI changes the equation. A single developer can now generate concept art in minutes, compose original soundtracks, write branching narratives, and playtest with AI agents — tasks that once required a team of specialists.
What You’ll Build
By the end of this course, you’ll have a complete game development pipeline: from a polished game design document through working prototypes to a publishable game. You’ll know which AI tools handle which production tasks, and you’ll understand the game design principles that separate memorable games from forgettable ones.
Course Overview
This course teaches game design fundamentals through the lens of AI-assisted development. You’ll learn the same design principles taught at game design programs — MDA framework, flow theory, core gameplay loops, player psychology — then apply them using modern AI tools that compress months of production into days.
This is not a “press a button, get a game” course. Great games require great design decisions. AI handles production bottlenecks. You handle the creative vision.
Related Skills
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need programming experience for this course?
Basic familiarity with any programming language helps, but the course focuses on game design concepts and AI-assisted workflows rather than heavy coding. You'll use AI to help generate code when needed.
Which game engine should I use?
The course covers Unity, Godot, and Unreal Engine. For beginners, we recommend Godot (free, great for 2D) or Unity (versatile, large community). The AI-assisted workflows work with any engine.
Can I really make a game with AI tools?
Yes. AI tools can generate art assets, music, sound effects, code, dialogue, and help with game balancing. You still need to design the game and make creative decisions — AI handles the production bottlenecks.
What kind of game will I build?
The capstone project guides you through building a small, complete game — you choose the genre. Previous students have made platformers, puzzle games, RPGs, and narrative adventures.