Master of Fine Arts in Game Art Design

Course Description

Core Course

MGDZ01 Introduction to Game Art(3 Credits)

The course provides a systematic overview of the historical development, major genres and aesthetic characteristics of video games, tracing the key movements in games, modes of human–computer interaction, and the evolution of gameplay and visual language. Combining case studies of classic games with in-class seminars, the course guides students to interpret the visual style, gameplay design, interactive narrative techniques and cultural connotations of games from the perspective of art appreciation and criticism, broadens their international outlook and helps them begin to develop a personal framework for understanding and appreciating game art.

MGDZ02 Fundamentals of Game Design and Development(3 Credits)

The course teaches core concepts such as game mechanics, game loops, player experience and system balancing, and trains students in writing game design documents and in prototyping methods. Through hands-on training with relevant game engines and AI tools, the course guides students to complete a playable game prototype and to understand the complete development process from concept ideation and prototyping to playtesting and iteration, laying a foundation for the theoretical study and creative practice in subsequent specialized courses.

MGDZ03 Interactive Narrative, Level and Character Design(3 Credits)

The course explores the structural design of interactive game stories, branching narrative methods and characterization techniques, and teaches level design principles such as pacing, player guidance and the placement of challenges and rewards. Centered on practical tasks including script writing, level flowchart drawing and in-engine level construction, the course comprehensively strengthens students' overall competence in game design, story writing and interactive experience design.

MGDZ04 Game Design Workshop and Project Production(6 Credits)

The course simulates a real game industry development environment, in which students form development teams and, under the systematic guidance of supervisors, jointly complete a game project that may take the form of an interactive software prototype or a highly polished game art creation. The course covers project initiation and planning, prototyping, iterative testing and project integration, comprehensively training students' teamwork, project management and problem-solving abilities.

MGDZ05 Internship(3 Credits)

Students are required to join an organization in the game, esports or interactive media sector, participate in real projects, apply their professional knowledge of game art design in a workplace context and complete an internship report under the joint supervision of a mentor from the host organization and a faculty supervisor from the university. The course aims to deepen students' understanding of professional knowledge and to develop their practical skills in independently identifying, analyzing and solving problems.

MGDZ06 Academic Seminars and Creative Activities(1 Credit)

During the studies, students are required to actively participate in no fewer than ten activities such as academic lectures, professional seminars or creative competitions organized on or off campus, and to systematically record and reflect on what they have learned by writing lecture reports and observation reflections. The course aims to broaden students' professional horizons and industry awareness, and to cultivate the habit of proactive learning and continuously following cutting-edge topics and industry developments.

MGDZ07 Game Visual Design(3 Credits) 

The course teaches the complete workflow of game visual design, covering concept art, environment and character design, color and lighting, and UI/UX icon and interface design. Through hands-on training in digital painting and image editing software, the course guides students to establish a unified and coherent art style according to project requirements and to complete an art project comprising concept design sheets, sample interfaces and promotional illustrations, progressively building a professional portfolio.

MGDZ08 Game Engines and Technical Art(3 Credits)

The course introduces the rendering pipeline, material and lighting systems of Unreal Engine, a mainstream game engine, and teaches technical art workflows such as level construction, visual effects (VFX) production and shader writing. Through hands-on training in asset optimization and performance tuning, the course guides students to understand how art assets are integrated and optimized within the engine, and to collaborate effectively across art and programming teams by defining asset specifications and developing support tools.

MGDZ09 Game Research Methods and Academic Writing(3 Credits)

The course aims to develop students' academic literacy and ability to apply research methods in the field of game studies. The course covers theoretical analysis of games, academic literature review, research design, methods for collecting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data, and the conventions of academic paper writing. With research proposal writing and critical reading of papers as its main tasks, the course trains students to independently design research plans and produce academic writing that conforms to scholarly conventions.

MGDZ10 Game and Esports: Culture and Society Research(3 Credits)

The course explores the multiple meanings of games as a medium of esports culture, applying cultural studies, sociology and media theory to analyze the sociocultural factors underlying game content, player behavior and community interaction. The course covers topics such as fan culture, live-streaming phenomena, the esports industry ecosystem, ethics and identity, and cultivates students' ability to critically understand the influence and role of games in contemporary cultural and social contexts.

Elective Course

MGDE01 AI in Game Design(3 Credits)

The course teaches the core technologies of game artificial intelligence, including finite state machines, behavior trees, pathfinding and swarm intelligence, and introduces the application of procedural content generation and intelligent agent technologies to levels, NPCs, items and narrative. Combining in-engine practical exercises with discussions of cutting-edge cases, the course guides students to design believable and engaging autonomous behaviors for game characters, and to explore the application of machine learning to adaptive difficulty and player behavior modeling.

MGDE02 3D Modeling and Animation(3 Credits)

The course teaches the production pipeline for 3D game assets, covering polygonal modeling of hard-surface and organic objects, digital sculpting, PBR materials and texture painting, character rigging and skinning, as well as keyframe animation and the application of motion capture data. Centered on practical tasks in professional software, the course guides students to produce expressive 3D character and environment assets that meet game engine specifications.

MGDE03 Immersive Experiences and XR Design(3 Credits)

The course examines the technical principles and design differences of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR), and teaches the core principles of XR experience design, particularly interaction design, locomotion and strategies for preventing motion sickness. Through hands-on development training with mainstream engines and head-mounted displays, the course guides students to complete immersive application prototypes and to refine them through iterative user testing, enhancing the sense of immersion and presence in their work.

MGDE04 Natural Interaction and Motion Capture(3 Credits)

The course introduces motion capture technology, marker less motion capture and their deep integration with natural interaction, and teaches the principles and system types of human motion capture as well as the complete workflow from performer preparation, capture volume calibration and data acquisition to post-capture data cleanup. The course also explores natural interaction technologies such as gesture recognition and voice control, guiding students to apply captured data to 3D characters and to design natural and lifelike interactive experiences for application in games, animation and virtual reality.

MGDE05 Mobile Games and Cross-Platform Development(3 Credits)

The course explores the key design considerations, performance optimization strategies and cross-platform porting methods for mobile games, covering UI/UX design for touch controls and multiple screen sizes, as well as the implementation of features such as ad integration, in-app purchases, social sharing and push notifications. Centered on project-based practice, the course guides students to understand the differences in development across different devices and to efficiently deploy a single project to PC, console and mobile platforms.

MGDE06 Game Psychology and Player Research(3 Credits)

The course analyzes players' behavioral motivations, emotional responses and interaction patterns from the perspective of cognitive and behavioral psychology, and introduces flow theory, motivation theory, and the methods and tools for measuring immersion and player psychology. Through hands-on player research practice such as interviews, usability testing and data analysis, the course develops students' ability to deeply understand player needs, providing theoretical and practical support for game design and user experience optimization.

MGDE07 Introduction to the Game & Esports Industry and Entrepreneurship(3 Credits)

The course provides an overview of the ecosystems, industry value chains, business models and development trends of the game and esports industries in China and around the world, and teaches fundamental knowledge of project initiation, financing, team building, and publishing and operations. With business plan writing and startup pitching as its main tasks, the course cultivates students' entrepreneurial thinking and market judgment, and helps them understand the opportunities and challenges faced by game and esports startups.

MGDE08 Game Marketing and Publishing Strategies(3 Credits)

The course focuses on the market positioning, brand building and marketing communications of game products, introducing end-to-end strategies from market research, user acquisition, social media and content marketing to distribution channel management, and teaching practical aspects such as platform submission, media relations and community management. With the formulation and presentation of an integrated marketing plan as its main task, the course develops students' practical ability to increase player engagement and realize commercial value.

MGDE09 Special Topics in Game Art Design(3 Credits)

The course centers on practical topics such as establishing an art style, visualizing game worlds, and character and environment design, guiding students to master the end-to-end methodology of game art creation. The course emphasizes integrating healthy-gaming design thinking into creative work and balancing aesthetic innovation with social responsibility, and through case discussions, proposal presentations and work critiques guides students to complete highly polished game art design works that embody positive values.