Every Animation and Game Design lesson on Island Class, listed unit by unit and module by module in lesson order.

For lesson summaries, the syllabus map and practice ideas, see the full course page: Animation and Game Design Notes.

1. Unit 1: Fundamentals of Animation and Game Design
   1. Module 1: Understanding Animation and Game Design
   2. Module 2: Drawing and Layout
   3. Module 3: Story and Character Development
2. Unit 2: Interactive Design and Game Development
   1. Module 1: Introduction to Interactive Design
   2. Module 2: Game Design and Development
   3. Module 3: Animation for Games

Unit 1: Fundamentals of Animation and Game Design

Module 1: Understanding Animation and Game Design

1. What Is Animation? What Is Game Design? Key Terms for Beginners
2. History of Animation and Video Games – From Flip Books to Virtual Reality
3. Jobs in Animation and Game Design: Roles, Skills and Entrepreneurship
4. Types of Video Games: Game Genres, Game Goals and Game Platforms Explained
5. Elements of Gameplay and Game Theory Explained (Zero-Sum, Positive-Sum and Negative-Sum Games)
6. How to Pitch and Fund an Animation or Game Project: E-Portfolios, Proposals and Funding
7. The 12 Principles of Animation – Plus Software, Programming Languages and Basic Sound Editing
8. Ethics, Copyright and Intellectual Property in Animation and Game Design
9. The Game Design Process: Brainstorming, Rapid Prototyping, Playtesting and RAD vs Waterfall

Module 2: Drawing and Layout

1. Motion and Figure Drawing for Animation and Games: Gesture, Anatomy and Character Design
2. Layers of an Environment and Perspective Drawing: Foreground, Midground, Background and 1-, 2- and 3-Point Perspective
3. Colour Theory, Texture, Composition and Layout for Animation and Game Scenes
4. What Is a Level in Game Design? Structuring Gameplay and Outlining Your First Three Levels
5. Folklore, Culture and Heritage in Animation and Game Design (With Caribbean Examples)
6. Story Development and Scriptwriting for Animation and Games: Storyboards, Story Arcs and Characters
7. Environment Design for Game Genres and Creating Digital Artwork: Scanning, Clean-Up and Free Software

Module 3: Story and Character Development

1. How to Write a Synopsis and an Elevator Pitch for a Game or Animation
2. Story Arcs Explained: Five-Point, Eight-Point and Three-Act Structures for Games and Animation
3. Storyboarding with Camera Shots and Angles (Plus a Camera Angle Montage Exercise)
4. Character Design for Different Genres: Shape Language, Silhouette, Colour, Props and Abilities
5. How to Draw a Character Turnaround: Model Sheets, Views and Consistent Proportions
6. Conceptualising Environments: Layers, Depth of Field and Design Theory for Different Genres
7. What Is Concept Art? How to Create Concept Art for Your Animation or Game Project
8. The Production Bible for Game Design and Animation (With a Reusable Template)

Unit 2: Interactive Design and Game Development

Module 1: Introduction to Interactive Design

1. How Animation and Video Games Evolved – and a Guide to the Main Game Genres
2. What Is Interaction Design (IxD)? Goal-Driven Design, Affordances, Usability and Learnability
3. User Experience (UX) Factors and the Five Key Principles of Interaction Design
4. How to Wireframe a Game User Interface: Best Practices for Designing Interactions
5. Elements and Principles of Visual Design for Games and Interfaces (With Gestalt Examples)
6. Colour Theory for Game Design and Animation: Meaning, Harmony, Contrast and Colour-Blind Accessibility
7. Story Arcs, Game Scripts and Storyboards for Interactive Games
8. How to Pitch an Interactive Game and Design for Your Target Audience (Demographics)
9. Culture, Game Ratings, Intellectual Property and Monitoring Agencies in Game Design

Module 2: Game Design and Development

1. Game Design Terms, Careers and the Types of Design in Games (World, System, Content, Level, UI)
2. The 10 Core Dynamics of Games Explained (With Examples)
3. Iterative Design in Games: Prototype, Playtest, Revise, Repeat
4. Game Mechanics Explained: Rules, Players, Avatars, Game State, Game Views and Goals
5. Types of Stories in Games: Linear, Branching, Open-Ended, Instanced, Emergent, Thematic and Algorithmic
6. Characters and Environments in Games: Archetypes, Scale, Time of Day and Camera
7. The Game UI Design Process and How to Tell Good UI From Bad UI
8. Game Camera Views: Static, Scrolling, Parallax, First-Person, Third-Person, Isometric and Top-Down
9. Game Design Tools, Making Your First Game and the Constraints of Budget, Time and Audience

Module 3: Animation for Games

1. How to Design a One-Level Game Interface and Navigation Tools (HUD, Menus and Maps)
2. Designing Game Characters for Different Genres: Life Drawing, Skeleton, Muscles and Facial Expressions
3. Creating Game Environments: Layout, Composition, Colour and Foreground–Midground–Background Layers
4. 3D Modelling for Beginners: Create Game Props and Assets With the Extrude Tool
5. Basic 3D Texturing, Colour and Lighting (UV Maps, Materials and Three-Point Lighting)
6. Persistence of Vision, Simple 2D Movement and the Bouncing Ball Timing Exercise
7. How to Animate a Basic Walk Cycle for Games
8. Stop-Motion Animation: Wire Bending, Armatures and Building Models for Scenes

© 2026 Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved.