Game Design and Development Decal Fall 2026
The Game Design and Development DeCal is NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS for Fall 2026!
Interested in game development and/or need 3 upper-div units? Come apply to our Video Game Design & Development DeCal! Applications are due Friday, September 4th at 11:59 pm, or in 8 days. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to any lead, or email us at berkeley.gamedev@gmail.com.
Application link: https://tinyurl.com/gddf26app
💼 DECAL INFO SESSIONS 💼
We will be hosting two info sessions next week! Come by to learn about our course, see some DeCal games made in the past, or to get help setting up Unity on your laptop (Lab 0)! Both info sessions contain the same content, so show up to the time that works best for you. Hope to see you there!
Discord server: https://discord.gg/yaFYJxc
Infosession Date Time Location Tuesday (9/1) 6:30pm-8pm Jacobs 10 Thursday (9/3) 6:30pm-8pm Jacobs 10
Schedule
Week 0
- Sep 01
- Lecture [Infosession]
- LabLab 0: Unity Setup
- Sep 03
- Lecture [Infosession]
- LabLab 0: Unity Setup
Week 1
- Sep 08
- Lecture [Intro to Unity]
- LabLab 1: Intro to Unity
- ReadingGame Design Principles
- Sep 10
- Lecture [Game Design]
- LabProgrammer: Lab 2: Basic Scripting / Artist: Lab 3: Pixel Art and Spriting
- ProjectProject 1
Week 2
- Sep 15
- Lecture [Game Art Fundamentals]
- LabProgrammer: Lab 4: Advanced Scripting / Artist: Lab 5: Tilesets
- ReadingGraphics vs Aesthetics
- Sep 17
- Lecture [Fundamentals of Animation]
- LabProgrammer: Lab 6: Colliders and Rigidbodies / Artist: Lab 7: Animation
Week 3
- Sep 22
- Lecture [Git Tutorial]
- LabProgrammer: Lab 8: Coroutines / Artist: Lab 9: Environment Design
- Reading 13 Principles of Gameplay
- Sep 24
- Lecture [Game Loops]
- Lab [Lab 10: Animator and Blend Trees]
- Project Project 2: Game Jam
Week 4
- Sep 29
- Lecture [User Interfaces]
- Lab Programmer: Lab 11: UI and Layering / Artist: Lab 12: UI Asset Creation
- ReadingHow to Pitch your Project
- Oct 01
- Lecture [Design Docs and MVPs]
Week 5
- Oct 06
- Lecture [Pitch Day]
- ProjectProject 3: Final
- Oct 08
- Lecture Project 2 Showcase
- Lecture [3D Modeling]
- ReadingEffectively Organize with a Game Design Document
Week 6
- Oct 13
- Lecture [Work Day]
- Lab Optional: Lab 13: Transitioning, Saving and Building
- Project Milestone 0: Game Design Doc
- ReadingTeam Structures in Game Development
- Oct 15
- Lecture Work Day
- Lab Optional: Lab 14: 3D Rigging, Skinning, and Animation
Week 7
- Oct 20
- Lecture [Tutorial + Level Design]
- LabOptional: Lab 15: Raycasting
- ReadingTips for Better Playtesting
- Oct 22
- Lecture Game Feel
- Project Milestone 1: MVP Playtest
Week 8
- Oct 27
- Lecture Music and SFX
- LabOptional: Lab 16: Lighting
- ReadingInsightful Playtest Questions
- Oct 29
- Lecture Work Day
Week 9
- Nov 03
- Lecture Accessibility
- Reading Accessible Controllers
- Nov 05
- Lecture Work Day
Week 10
- Nov 10
- Lecture [Work Day]
- Nov 12
- Lecture [Work Day]
Week 11
- Nov 17
- Lecture [Work Day]
- Reading AI in Gaming
- Nov 19
- Project Milestone 3: Beta Playtest
Week 12
- Nov 24
- Lecture [Workday]
- Reading Tutorial Designs
Thanksgiving! 
Week 13
- Dec 1
- Lecture Building and Publishing
- ReadingGamification
- Dec 3
- Lecture Course Postmortem
- Project Milestone 4: Final Submission
Week 14
- TBD
- GDD Showcase