The Basics of Level Design

This course will be retired on September 30, 2023.

This course introduces you to the fundamentals of game level design—a crucial aspect of video game design that centers around the creation of playable spaces.

As a level designer, you will be required to create well-designed levels that direct the movement of the player(s) through the game—often without the player consciously recognizing they’re being directed.

This course will introduce you to the core concepts involved in designing a game level, along with important steps in the design process. The course explores what a level is, who is responsible for designing levels, and the different roles involved in game level design.

Using different sample designs, such as dungeon design and other popular genres of roguelikes and adventure games, we will identify the elements of the various stages of the design process used in the game industry and how they have evolved through time.

Module 1: Introduction to level design

• What is level design?

• Core concepts in level design

• The level design process

Module 2: Story-based level design and dungeon design

• Story-based level design

• Dungeon design

Module 3: Beyond dungeons: Roguelikes, adventure games and RPGs

• Roguelikes

• Adventure games