Game Design and Development Decal Spring 2026
FACILITATOR APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN!
If you would like an opportunity to help teach the only game design and development class at Cal, please take the time to fill out the application below. You will get 2 units, on top of joining our silly little crew, meeting new people, and helping teach and maintain the class!
Ask any of our leads for any questions regarding the position. Please apply if interested! The application is due Friday, May 1st at 11:59 PM.
The application is found here: https://tinyurl.com/gdd26facilapps
Aside from that, remember that your COMPLETED Project 3 is due next Thursday! It’s the start of the final stretch—finish strong! ✨
Date Due Assigned Tuesday (4/21) Project 3 Weekly Progress Report None! Thursday (4/23) None! FINAL Project 3 (due 4/30)
Schedule
Week 0
- Jan 27
- Lecture Infosession
- LabLab 0: Unity Setup
- Jan 29
- Lecture Infosession
- LabLab 0: Unity Setup
Week 1
- Feb 3
- Lecture Intro to Unity
- LabLab 1: Intro to Unity
- ReadingGame Design Principles
- Feb 5
- Lecture Game Design
- LabProgrammer: Lab 2: Basic Scripting / Artist: Lab 3: Pixel Art and Spriting
- ProjectProject 1
Week 2
- Feb 10
- Lecture Game Art Fundamentals
- LabProgrammer: Lab 4: Advanced Scripting / Artist: Lab 5: Tilesets
- ReadingGraphics vs Aesthetics
- Feb 12
- Lecture Fundamentals of Animation
- LabProgrammer: Lab 6: Colliders and Rigidbodies / Artist: Lab 7: Animation
Week 3
- Feb 17
- Lecture Game Loops
- LabLab 8: Animator and Blend Trees
- Reading13 Principles of Gameplay
- Feb 19
- Lecture Git Tutorial
- LabProgrammer: Lab 9: UI and Layering / Artist: Lab 10: UI Asset Creation
- ProjectProject 2: Game Jam
Week 4
- Feb 24
- Lecture User Interfaces
- Lab Programmer: Lab 11: Coroutines / Artist: Lab 12: Environment Design
- ReadingHow to Pitch your Project
- Feb 26
- Lecture Design Docs and MVPs
Week 5
- Mar 3
- Lecture Pitch Day
- ProjectProject 3: Final
- Mar 5
- Lecture Project 2 Showcase
- Lecture 3D Modeling
- ReadingEffectively Organize with a Game Design Document
Week 6
- Mar 10
- Lecture Work Day
- Lab Optional: Lab 13: Transitioning, Saving and Building
- Project Milestone 0: Game Design Doc
- ReadingTeam Structures in Game Development
- Mar 12
- Lecture Work Day
- Lab Optional: Lab 14: 3D Rigging, Skinning, and Animation
Week 7
- Mar 17
- Lecture Tutorial + Level Design
- LabOptional: Lab 15: Raycasting
- ReadingTips for Better Playtesting
- Mar 19
- Lecture Game Feel
- Project Milestone 1: MVP Playtest
Week 8
Week 9
- Mar 31
- Lecture Music and SFX
- LabOptional: Lab 17: Delegates and Events
- Apr 2
- Project Milestone 2: Alpha Playtest
Week 10
- Apr 7
- Lecture Accessibility
- Reading Accessible Controllers
- Apr 9
- Lecture Guest Lecture
Week 11
- Apr 14
- Lecture Work Day
- Reading AI in Gaming
- Apr 16
- Project Milestone 3: Beta Playtest
Week 12
- Apr 21
- Lecture Guest Lecture
- Reading Tutorial Designs
- Apr 23
- Lecture Workday
Week 13
- Apr 28
- Lecture Building and Publishing
- ReadingGamification
- Apr 30
- Lecture Course Postmortem
- Project Milestone 4: Final Submission
Week 15
- May 5
- GDD Showcase