8 units
94 lessons
English & Spanish
Unit 1 · 10 Lessons
Intro to Game Design
Students are introduced to the world of Game Design by exploring popular game design tools, career opportunities, intellectual property rights, and the game development life cycle. They learn key terminology and basic navigation in Unreal Engine and set up online portfolios that they fill with content throughout the course.
Objectives
Explore popular tools for Game Design
Understand the Game Development Life Cycle
Identify key terminology and game genres
Learn the basics of navigating in Unreal Engine
Set up online portfolio
Unit 2 · 12 Lessons
Build a Rube Goldberg Machine
Students learn about simple machines such as inclined planes, levers, pulleys, and screws while building Rube Goldberg Machines in Unreal Engine. They sketch, build, and iteratively improve their machines, practicing the fundamental engine tools. The final submission of the unit is a video showcasing their completed Rube Goldberg machines.
Objectives
Build 3D scenes using provided assets
Apply physics simulations
Integrate simple machines
Create particle and sound effects
Record a video of the final Rube Goldberg Machine
Unit 3 · 9 Lessons
Review Games
Students explore what makes a video game stand out in a competitive gaming industry. They learn how to evaluate key elements such as gameplay mechanics, storytelling, aesthetics, and community engagement to understand what drives a game's success or failure. Students read professional game reviews and write their own review of a game of their choosing.
Objectives
Analyze professional game reviews
Identify engaging rules of games
Understand player immersion techniques
Explore what makes a game successful
Write a game review
Unit 4 · 10 Lessons
Create 3D Game
Starting from a template, students build their first playable level of a 3D game. They learn the basics of level design, playtesting, animation sequences, blueprint scripting, and much more, while adding checkpoints, jump boosts, coins, and keys to their world. UI elements are added to provide the player with relevant feedback at the right time.
Objectives
Set up a 3D game from a template
Add static and moving objects to build level 1
Build pickups like coins, keys and jump boosts
Examine Blueprint Scripts to understand the underlying mechanics
Implement UI elements like counters and indicators
Unit 5 · 13 Lessons
World Building
Design a large and detailed world using Unreal Engine features such as landscape sculpting, landscape painting, and foliage painting. Students build a level 2 to their game and learn more about advanced features like Nanite and Lumen, and how to import custom assets to create an immersive experience for the player.
Objectives
Set up an empty level 2
Design the layout of the level
Sculpt and paint the landscape
Add vegetation, buildings and props
Customize lighting to create a unique world
Unit 6 · 16 Lessons
Challenges
Add challenging mini-games to the second level and spice it up with particle and sound effects. Students implement game mechanics such as moving objects, timed gates, item spawners, and turrets while learning how to create custom 3D models, use particle and sound effects, and fine-tune the difficulty to keep gameplay balanced and exciting.
Objectives
Add room for challenges throughout level 2
Incorporate dangerous objects
Implement actor spawners
Build shooting turrets
Create particle and sound effects
Unit 7 · 14 Lessons
UI and Cutscenes
Add menus and cutscenes to polish the game. Students learn UI design and add menus where players can control the game flow and switch levels. Custom cutscenes are created to introduce each level and specific scenarios in the levels. Students add music and voiceovers to create an immersive experience.
Objectives
Implement start and pause menus
Add background music
Record voiceovers and sound effects
Create cutscenes to introduce levels and challenges
Unit 8 · 10 Lessons
Career Preparation
Students finalize their portfolios and get guidance on presenting their work professionally for college applications or career opportunities. They also prepare for the Unreal Engine 3D Fundamentals certification exam, which they can take after completing the course. Students reflect on their experiences during the course and set goals for what’s next.
Objectives
Finalize digital portfolio
Add course experience to a CV
Prepare for Unreal Engine 3D Fundamentals Certification exam
Reflect on course outcomes and career goals
Offline access with Unreal Engine
For schools with strict IT security, we provide an Unreal Engine Offline Installer designed for education. Your IT team keeps full control in an offline environment, while students still access industry-grade game development tools. Our team will guide you from setup to deployment, ensuring all assets and curriculum are ready for classroom use.
Unreal Engine 5.1 or greater available for free via the Epic Games launcher
