 The
Game Institute
Have you dreamt about working with the development of video
games? The Game Institute provides professional training in
the field of video game production and digital game development.
Their program includes a series of affordable interactive courses
and access to an experienced faculty. This program is suited
for students of any skill level, including absolute beginners.
Through The Game Institute’s self-study online learning
programs you can learn everything you need to start a career
in game development from your home computer. Their courses are
also offered with semester-based scheduling in accredited colleges
and universities.
Game Design Courses at The Game Institute
Artificial intelligence programming
The field of artificial intelligence (AI) is vast and there
are many areas that one can discover. However, there exists
some fundamental techniques and data structures that are used
time and again in almost every game application that incorporates
AI. The purpose of this course is not to provide a comprehensive
overview of the entire field of artificial intelligence, but
rather to focus in on the most important data structures and
algorithms that every game developer will need to understand
if they wish to include intelligent NPCs in their games. As
students progress through the course, they will develop their
own extendable AI class library. This library will serve as
the foundation for incorporating sophisticated artificial
intelligence into their current and future game development
projects.
C++ Programming for Game Developers – General Course
Series Description
The C++ Programming for Game Developers series of courses
has been designed to satisfy three major goals. First and
foremost, the key goal is for the student to understand, and
be able to apply (by writing programs), the fundamental components
of the C++ programming language. The second goal of this series
is to prepare you for the other courses at Game Institute,
which require an intermediate level of proficiency with the
C++ programming language. And finally, the last goal of the
series is to introduce game programming related topics in
an easier to comprehend 2D environment, which will serve as
a stepping-stone to 3D game programming. This last goal is
met by building up the tools needed to program a 2D game in
the Windows environment.
C++ Programming for Game Developers – Module 1
In this first C++ course, you will become proficient with
core C++ topics such as variables, console input and output,
functions, loops, programming logic, pointers, strings, classes,
and object oriented design and methodologies. In addition,
you will study more complex C++ subject matter, such as operator
overloading, file input and output, inheritance, and polymorphism.
When practical to do so, game related examples are used to
motivate the discussions. Quizzes, a midterm, and a final
will make up your grade.
C++ Programming for Game Developers – Module 2
In this second C++ course, you will begin to move away from
the text-based console applications we built in Module I,
and begin to examine Windows programming with the Win32 API.
With the Win32 API, you will be able to write programs that
look a lot more like those that you are probably very familiar
with; ones with resizable windows, mouse input, graphics,
menus, toolbars, scroll bars, dialog boxes, and controls.
Of particular interest to us as game programmers is the ability
to do graphics with the Win32 API, something which is not
possible with pure C++. You will learn about fundamental graphic
concepts such as double buffering, sprites, animation and
timing, and masking. By the end of the course, you will have
developed a fully functional 2D game, complete with graphics,
physics, artificial intelligence, and input via the mouse.
After completing this course, you will be adequately prepared
for your first course in 3D graphics programming.
Quizzes, a midterm, and a final will make up your grade.
Game Mathematics
This course covers the fundamental mathematics used in the
modern game engine development process. Combining key elements
from the fields of geometry, trigonometry, and linear algebra,
students will learn about the core mathematics used by all
game developers to make realistic computer games.
Game Physics
By applying the laws of physics, you can realistically model
nearly everything in games that bounces around, flies, rolls,
slides, or isn't sitting still. This allows you to to create
compelling, believable content for computer games, simulations,
and animation. This course serves as a starting point for
those who want to enrich games with physics-based realism.
Graphics Programming with DirectX 9 – Module 1
This course was specifically designed to be the first course
that a student takes at Game Institute following their C++
training. However, even programmers with some experience are
likely to encounter a significant amount of useful information
and learn some new techniques along the way. This is the first
course in a three-part series on DirectX Graphics version
9. The framework created in this course will be expanded in
modules II and III of the series and as such, this is a pre-requisite
course for students who intend to continue with the rest of
the series.
Graphics Programming with DirectX 9 – Module 2
Students who have completed Graphics Programming Module I
will continue their examination of DirectX Graphics and important
3D programming techniques. Now that students have a good grasp
of the basics, it is time to tackle more challenging subject
matter. The goal of this course is to start building a more
robust set of 3D graphics technologies utilizing the features
of the DirectX Graphics fixed-function pipeline as well as
proprietary non-platform specific tools. Along the way students
will implement a number of exciting new components for use
in their games (dynamics scenes, animated characters, trees,
a powerful collision system, etc.) as well as some helpful
tools to aid in the game design process. In the conclusion
to this course series, students will complete the construction
of their own real-time rendering engine which will include
support for all of the features that are studied in Modules
I and II in addition to more contemporary concepts like the
programmable pipeline, normal mapping, real-time shadows,
and other highly advanced effects. This course will thus be
a pre-requisite for students who intend to continue with Module
III.
Graphics Programming with DirectX 9 – Module 3
The advent of hardware supported programmable shaders has
redefined the level of realism and visual sophistication achievable
in real-time applications. One need only look at new titles
like Half-Life2, DOOM3, or HALO II to get a sense of how far
things have come in the game industry. After completing Modules
I and II in this series, students will finalize their game
engine framework to include advanced 3D rendering support
for visuals that are on par with current commercial titles.
This course will provide students with the concrete experience
they will need to be competitive in this rapidly advancing
field.
Graphics Programming with OpenGL
This course is about developing the graphics technology
that drives modern games. Concentration is on OpenGL - a powerful
interface for graphics programming on the PC that has been
used by many successful commercial games. It is also a tested
and well thought-out interface, with a high level of stability.
This makes it an ideal platform for teaching 3D graphics.
If you are an amateur or independent developer, this course
will teach you to write an engine that does your game justice.
If you want to become a professional programmer, displaying
a good knowledge of OpenGL and the concepts that we will cover
during this course at your interview is certain to help your
cause, as engine programming is a fascinating and often highly
sought-after profession.
Terrain Rendering
Terrain Rendering is a major component of rendering engines
in today's games and many new and innovative algorithms have
been developed in recent years. This course delivers detailed
analysis of several algorithms, allowing the student to choose
the one which best suits their project. But it is not enough
to simply pick an algorithm, as any Continuous Level of Detail
Terrain Rendering system will employ tricky techniques and
opaque optimizations. This course delivers clear, simple,
and understandable explanations and commented source code
for each of the projects. The final project combines all the
terrain algorithms into a demonstration that allows side-by-side
comparisons of their efficiency.
For more info visit the school's home page at:
http://www.gameinstitute.com
 Click
here to read about more game design schools and colleges
|
