Class is in session
4.7
(10 ratings)
7 Weeks
·Cohort-based Course
Learn how to design memorable and believable cities for video games by an experienced game urbanist with a PhD in urban planning.
This course is popular
8 people enrolled last week.
Class is in session
4.7
(10 ratings)
7 Weeks
·Cohort-based Course
Learn how to design memorable and believable cities for video games by an experienced game urbanist with a PhD in urban planning.
This course is popular
8 people enrolled last week.
Previously at ZA/UM, and companies like:
Course overview
Whether you are an indie developer or work in AAA, whether you are a game designer, writer, level designer or artist, this course will teach you all you need to know about the varied cities, and urban environments of gaming.
You will gain insight into how cities work, learn how to design quality game cities from start to finish, understand the ways through which urbanism can bring richness, originality, and believability into game worlds, explore the immense storytelling potential of civic life, and discover the methods that will allow you to construct living, breathing, and, above all, memorable and fascinating urban geographies.
🎓 Lessons will guide you, step by step, through the city creation process from the conception of novel urban spaces, and the defining of their architecture, civic life and history, all the way to the mapping of their functions, and the planning of their structure.
📚 Assignments will help you thoroughly understand the actual design & development problems game cities face, practice city-building, discover solutions, and explore the many facets of game urbanism in a safe environment.
👨🏫 Your instructor is not simply a games industry professional who specialized in game cities. He has both a MSc and a PhD in urbanism, has teaching experience that goes back to 2005, and is the current Head of the Games Department at the SAE Athens College.
By the end of the course you will be concepting, understanding, and designing playable cities like a game urbanist. You will be able to effortlessly combine the principles of urbanism, game design, and level design to enrich the games and settings you are working on.
What do you need video game city design and game urbanism for?
Cities are perfect for games. They allow us to tell stories, craft complex levels in deep worlds, and pithily encapsulate our settings. It is no accident that some of the finest and most memorable game environments include Disco Elysium's Revachol, Dark Souls' Anor Londo, Cyberpunk 2077's Night City or GTA V's Los Santos. It is no accident that cities, towns, and urban environments are such a common game setting.
Cities are packed with locations and characters, and are steeped in history. They overflow with possibilities, and can serve as elaborate storytelling stages or even protagonists of games. They can tell stories, and shape game mechanics; nurture visual ideas, and suggest traversal solutions. They can make game worlds believable, and, thus, hopefully, also immersive.
Learning how to create, how to design, and how to flesh out game cities is an invaluable skill for every creative in game development!
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🎁 All students get a PDF copy of my Virtual Cities: An Atlas & Exploration of Video Game Cities book, as well as a digital copy of the Ex Novo city-building tool/game.
01
Level Designers and game designers working on projects involving cities or looking to explore the rich possibilities of civic space.
02
World builders, writers, visual artists and narrative designers looking to understand and create cities (and their surrounding geographies).
03
Creators working on imaginary cities (sci-fi, fantasy, cyberpunk, etc), historical cities, contemporary cities, and city-building games.
04
Game developers looking to explore the introduction of settlements, human geographies, towns and urban environments in their games.
05
Indie Developers, as well as people working in both AA and AAA game development.
06
Game industry creatives looking to work on city-focused projects, or looking to take such projects to the next level.
07
Boardgame, TTRPG, MMO, MMORPG, and video game designers and creatives, as well as anyone interested in the crafting of imaginary cities.
A tutor with 10 years of game urbanism, and almost 20 years of teaching experience.
For 10+ years Konstantinos has been working on the cities of gaming. He has been teaching at universities and colleges since 2005.
A deep dive into Game Urbanism and Game City Design.
Deeply understand how game and city design intertwine. Learn the methodologies leading to the creation of unique, fascinating urban environments.
Know what is needed for a Game City, and how to create it.
From road plans and topographies, all the way to hinterlands and landmarks every aspect of urbanism (and its design) will be covered.
Learn how to build Urban Worlds and Geographies
The course will provide students with the tools to approach cities as living, breathing worlds-within-worlds.
Design City Maps and understand Urban Space
Maps are the main tool for describing virtual and actual cities.
Gain insight into City Histories and the construction of Civic Narratives
Cities are dynamic, and come with a rich sense of history. Learn to treat them as fertile and dynamic storytelling stages.
Bring Level and Game Design considerations into your City creation
This course places game, level, and narrative design considerations at its core. Students will learn to build urban spaces within the constraints of their medium.
7 interactive live sessions
Lifetime access to course materials
In-depth lessons
Direct access to instructor
Projects to apply learnings
Guided feedback & reflection
Private community of peers
Course certificate upon completion
Maven Satisfaction Guarantee
This course is backed by Maven’s guarantee. You can receive a full refund within 14 days after the course ends, provided you meet the completion criteria in our refund policy.
Designing Cities for Video Games
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4.7
(10 ratings)
Game Urbanist, Game Designer, Author
Since the early 2010s Konstantinos Dimopoulos has been developing the theory and practice of games urbanism. Konstantinos is an engineer with a PhD in urbanism, and a MSc in urban & regional planning.
He has worked on the cities, urban levels, systems, and geographies of games by studios such as ZA/UM, Bohemia Interactive, Ingame Studios, Gamious, Frogwares, Iphigames, Tuesday Knight Games, and Klang Games. His urban design work can be found in titles like ARMA Reforger, Lake, The Sinking City, Crime Boss: Rockay City or A Place For The Unwilling.
He has talked (mostly) about game cities in several conferences including Develop: Brighton, the Game Industry Conference, Game Access, Adventure X, IVIPRO Days, PocketGamer Connects, and Utopian Hours.
Konstantinos is the author of Virtual Cities: An Atlas & Exploration of Video Game Cities, and has contributed chapters to the books Game Writing: 2nd Edition, Architectonics of Game Spaces, and Virtual Interiorities. He has also written extensively on the design of video game cities in the pages of Wireframe magazine.
Konstantinos is teaching at SAE Athens, where he is also the Head of the Games Department, and at Algosup. He has also taught at the National Technical University of Athens.
Check his LinkedIn profile here.
Visit his game-cities site here.
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4-6 hours per week
Wednesdays
18:00 - 20:00 Central European Time
All live sessions will take place on Wednesdays, and start at 18:00 Central European Time (17:00 UK, 13:00 EST).
All sessions will last between 120 and 150 minutes.
Wednesday Oct 2, 2024
18:00 CET, 17:00 UK, 13:00 EST
The first live session, and effectively the beginning of the course will go live on Wednesday, October 2 at 18:00 Central European Time, 17:00 UK Time, 13:00 Eastern Standard Time, US.
The student portal will open one day prior to this on May 6.
Weekly projects & lessons
4-6 hours per week
Live sessions aside, students should dedicate 4 to 6 hours per week going through the prepared lessons, working on their projects, communicating with the cohort & the instructor, studying the provided notes, and engaging with suggested material.
Course & Alumni Discord
Continuous communication
The Course Discord channel will provide another option for questions, feedback, help, information exchange, and discussions.
The exclusive Alumni Discord channel will allow you to stay in touch with Konstantinos, and students of other cohorts.
Active hands-on learning
This course builds on live workshops, and hands-on projects!
Interactive and project-based
You’ll be interacting with other learners through breakout rooms, the course discord, and common workshops.
Learn with a cohort of peers
Join a community of like-minded people who want to learn and grow alongside you!
Your instructor is always within reach
Ask questions during lectures, get detailed feedback, and use any of the available asynchronous contact channels.
What happens if I can’t make a live session?
Will the live sessions be recorded?
I work full-time, what is the expected time commitment?
How do I receive reimbursement from my employer for this course?
What's the refund policy?
More questions?
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