Starting freshman year in Drexel’s Game Design & Production (GDAP) program is an exciting first step toward a career in the gaming industry. This year is all about building foundational skills in game development, design principles, and digital art while exploring different aspects of the gaming world. Whether you’re interested in game design, programming, 3D modeling, or narrative development, the first year lays the groundwork for future specializations.
Freshman-year courses introduce students to the fundamentals of game development, focusing on design, interactivity, and digital creation tools. The first year builds a strong foundation in game design and development. Sophomore year will introduce more advanced programming, 3D modeling, and interactive storytelling, helping students find their specialization in the gaming industry.
Core Classes
Freshman-year courses introduce students to the fundamentals of game development, focusing on design, interactivity, and digital creation tools. Key classes include Game Design Lab (GMAP101, GMAP102) which introduces fundamental image creation and editing tools like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, blending digital and physical fabrication for creative game design. You’ll explore core digital game design skills using interactive text, 2D and 3D game engines, and rapid prototyping through grey-boxing and asset libraries for experimentation. Basic Portfolio (GMAP123) focuses on the basics of portfolio creation, editing, and presentation while examining portfolio examples of current professionals in a variety of game development roles that can serve as models for student portfolio development. Overview of Game Playtesting (GMAP121) covers user research, UX, usability testing, and QA in game development. Students learn key techniques through lectures and hands-on testing of active student game projects.
Skills You’ll Learn
Freshman year is all about learning the key elements of game design and development, including Game Mechanics & Player Interaction – Designing engaging and balanced gameplay, 2D & 3D Asset Creation – Learning digital art and introductory 3D modeling, Basic Game Programming – Understanding logic and scripting in game engines, and Prototyping & Iteration – Creating simple games and refining ideas based on feedback.
Projects & Challenges
Expect hands-on projects that apply fundamental skills to small-scale game prototypes. Some common assignments include 2D Platformer Prototype – Designing and coding a simple side-scrolling game, Concept Art & Game UI Mockups – Creating assets and designing UI for a game interface, Game Design Document (GDD) – Writing a structured plan for a game idea, including mechanics, story, and art direction, and Paper Prototyping – Testing gameplay ideas with physical prototypes before moving to digital development. A major challenge in freshman year is learning to work across disciplines—game development involves art, programming, storytelling, and player psychology, and balancing these elements can be complex.
Tips for Success: Start learning game engines early. Unity and Unreal Engine are industry standards—get comfortable with them now. Develop your artistic or coding skills. The more versatile you are, the more valuable you’ll be in a team setting. Play games critically. Analyze what makes games fun, engaging, and well-designed. Collaborate with peers. Teamwork is essential in game development—start practicing now!