UF Digital Arts & Sciences and Computer Science come together for collaborative game development class
Written By: Ryan Helterhoff (MAMC ‘23)
Every Tuesday and Thursday, Digital Arts & Sciences (DAS) and Computer Science (CS) students gather in the ORC at the UF Digital Worlds Institute ready to improve the games they’ve been working on during their collaborative game production course this semester.
Nick Heitzman, Senior Lecturer at the Digital Worlds Institute, co-teaches the course with Brett Benda, a PhD student focusing on human-centered computing. The class combines students from Mr. Heitzman’s DIG3715C — Game Content Production 2 class with those from Mr. Benda’s CAP3020 — Theory and Practice of Multimedia Production class. Throughout the semester, students work in teams to create a video game from scratch, adhering to deadlines and progress checks to simulate the reality of working in a studio environment on a large-scale game.
This collaborative effort began in 2018 when Professor Jeremiah Blanchard, Director of Computer Engineering, and Engineering Lecturer Joshua Fox teamed up to provide students with design experience in game creation, helping them understand the role of game artists and designers and the skills they need for success. They also wanted to build students’ soft skills, such as time management and adaptability, to help them meet team deadlines and work effectively with others.
Fortunately, Digital Worlds offered a course that focused on these exact elements of the game creation process. Game Content Production 2 is an advanced course that concentrates on 3D game development, unlike other game development classes that focus on 2D games. The course helps students master tools like lighting, post-processing, and modularity to complement their game’s overall development pipeline and scope.
The combination of expertise within the class has resulted in a collaborative and rewarding experience for both instructors and students. DAS students provide the artistic and conceptual design elements to the game, while CS students handle much of the backend coding and system expertise. For Mr. Heitzman, this combination of skill sets creates a formidable development team.
“Specializing in programming, design, art, or production is only part of the equation,” Heitzman said. “What’s critical is being able to build a game with a team while operating under a strict schedule with regular updates and solid communication. This course really delivers on the experience of working with a bright, passionate dev team on a large-scale project for months at a time.”
Providing students with the ability to learn new skills in game design and development is crucial to preparing them for jobs in the gaming industry. While specific roles exist, students will have to wear multiple hats as they progress in their career. Expanding their skill sets now will not only help them land a job, but it will also help them thrive in their role by working as a great team player. Team building has been a huge success in the course, bringing students together to work toward a common goal.
“The students appear to enjoy the collaborative nature of the class,” said Heitzman. “Having a small team means students can focus on their area of expertise while helping build the larger game. It’s a lot of fun because the teams work together to improve it, which creates synergy and excitement.”
For students in Brett Benda’s section, this course gives a complete overview of the various stages that go into making a game, including the non-technical aspects. This gives students a broad range of skills so that they’re prepared to not only make their game but also market and evaluate it.
“For my course, I focus on taking my students through various stages of the game process with the goal of having a finished game by the end of the semester,” Benda explained. “I expose them to topics like game accessibility, VR and AR development. We also investigate how gaming can be used in education, medicine, or training.”
The students in the class have access to a variety of learning materials and are utilizing them to create an assortment of games this semester, ranging from a dating simulator to a virtual escape room. Although it can be challenging to bring together a group of students with different skill sets to create unique work, it allows for collaborative learning and skill development.
“The students have a great time,” Benda said. “Working with others who have a different skill set allows them to learn from each other things that I can’t cover in class or don’t have experience with myself. Despite the abundance of software and tools, there is usually at least one person in the class who has some experience with what needs to be done.”
The student games will be playable and on full display at Convergence Student Showcase, our annual celebration of the past year’s work at the institute. This year’s event will be held on April 27th at 5:30 PM at UF Innovate.
