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Game Design Winter School
This multidisciplinary course brings together game design’s artistic and technical aspects. You will learn the different approaches to contemporary independent game development, emphasising the prototyping skills required to transform your ideas into original, interactive experiences.
Teaching period:
-
Application period:
1.10.2025 – 30.11.2025
Course format:
Campus
Duration:
2 weeks
part-time
Course level:
Undergraduate
Field of study:
Art and design
Credits:
2 ECTS
Organiser:
Aalto University
Tuition fees:
1170€
The future of games is brighter than ever. More accessible and powerful design software has provided creators from a wider range of backgrounds with the tools to express themselves for an expanding audience of game players around the world. As the games industry continues to grow ever more inclusive, the value of such new voices has never been higher.
This multidisciplinary course can be considered a crash course in the many ways game design can be utilised as a creative and rewarding medium. You will be presented with artistic and technical aspects of game design as you develop your own games. The practical and theoretical foundations of game design are explained across a series of lectures, supported with insights from industry and research. A parallel set of prototyping workshops covers a wide range of game design tools.
The course is open to any student interested in the topic, and no previous experience in game design or programming is required. The course is focused on low-code/no-code tools and independent work. By taking this course, you will learn about the art of game design and how to harness its power to transform your own ideas into unique, playful game prototypes.
What can you expect from this course?
- Learn by doing with hands-on exercises together with peers from around the world. By experimenting directly with design tools and software, you’ll understand how games work in practice – not just in theory.
- Bring your ideas to life. By the end of the course, you will have built your own prototype to include in your portfolio and to show off to your friends.
- Finland is internationally recognised as a leading hub for the gaming industry, home to globally successful studios such as Supercell, Remedy Entertainment, and Rovio. Develop your skills in top-modern, creative campus spaces while learning from the best in the industry.
The course includes three phases: the students should familiarise themselves with the required software before the two-week intensive course, after which there is additional time to prepare and polish the final assignments.
| WEEK 1 | Monday 2 February | Tuesday 3 February | Wednesday 4 February | Thursday 5 February | Friday 6 February |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning (9-12) | Course session | Course session | Course session | Course session | Course session |
| Afternoon |
| WEEK 2 | Monday 9 February | Tuesday 10 February | Wednesday 11 February | Thursday 12 February | Friday 13 February |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning (9-12) | Course session | Course session | Course session | Course session | Final presentations |
| Afternoon |
Alongside the lectures, students have independent work, either in groups or individually. Students can coordinate with their teammates to complete these assignments outside of teaching hours.
The total workload of the course includes both contact lectures and the estimated amount of independent work. Some of the courses also have pre- or post-assignments included in the independent working hours.
-> Find the total course workload below
Before the course: Preparation (online)
- Preparing the required software and completing basic tutorials
- Additional exercises on game design ideation
2 – 13 February: Intensive Weeks on-site at Aalto University campus
- Daily lectures 9-12 (Monday-Friday)
- Individual or group work in workshops (Monday-Friday)
- Commitment to full-time studies during the intensive weeks is required
After the course: Final Assignments (online)
- Finalising a game prototype to be hosted online
- Additional reflective assignments relating to the design process and course experience
- Discover the potential of games as an expressive medium
- Learn about the art and craft of game design from the traditional to the contemporary
- Explore a range of accessible game design and development software
- Develop the ability to translate ideas into prototypes quickly
- Utilise digital assets to complement individual or group projects
- Understand the variety of roles within the games industry and the paths that lead there
The course is balanced around thematic lecture content and complimentary workshops exploring different game development software and tools. This includes both analogue and digital game design, incorporating various browser-based or cross-platform game engines such as Twine, Bitsy and GB Studio, and aims to cover something of the breadth of tools available, when making games as art.
The course aims to demonstrate the extent to which students can produce independent work when utilising, for instance, digital assets and A.I. technologies.
During the course, you will work in international, multidisciplinary teams on prototype projects and other hands-on exercises such as paper prototyping.
This course values artistic experimentation over technical proficiency and will provide the students with much of the skills and theory necessary to continue their development as knowledgeable and original game makers.
Preparation Exercises 9h
5 x 3-hour lecture 15h
5 x 3-hour workshop 15h
Finalising Assignment & Learning Diary 15h
Total 54 hours (2 ECTS)
The course is graded as pass/fail.
Please note that the undergraduate courses offered by Aalto University Summer/Winter School can not be included in Aalto degree studies.
This course does not require previous experience in the topic.
You must have completed a high school or vocational degree or equivalent by the time the course starts. However, you do not have to be a degree student at a university to participate in our courses.
Additionally, all summer and winter school course students must be 18 years or older, as it is the legal age in Finland.
Please include a motivation letter or video in your application. The recommended length for the motivation letter is 150-250 words, and 1-2 minutes for the video.
In your motivation letter or video, describe your motivation for taking this course:
- What interests you about Game Design? What sort of games do you play (if any)?
- Do you have any experience making games or other forms of digital media?
- What would you hope to learn in the course?
Tuition fees for Summer School courses
One course: 1170€ (incl. VAT 25,5%)
- The course fee includes academic course sessions and assignments, an official digital Aalto University certificate and support from the Summer School team. The fee does not cover accommodation, daily meals, or transportation during the course
- Unfortunately, Aalto University Summer School does not offer scholarships for participants.
If you need a visa, we recommend applying by 1 November 2025.
- This is to ensure that we have enough time to process your application and that you have time to make the tuition fee payment, book a visa appointment and wait for the application to be processed.
- You can apply and be accepted to the courses after 1 November 2025. In that case, we recommend that you pay at your earliest convenience so that we can deliver your invitation letter to you promptly.
- According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, the processing time for a visa application is 15 days. However, the processing time may be longer if a more detailed application examination is required.
Learn about the Aalto University Summer School cancellation terms. You will receive the full terms before making the payment and confirming the course participation.
Teacher Information
Edward Morrell is a doctoral researcher at Aalto University's Department of Art and Media, where he researches experimental game design through various artistic contexts. Edward is a member of Aalto Online Learning's Online Hybrid Lab, working on the research and development of educational games and related environments. His work has been published in venues such as the Digital Games Research Association and the Foundations of Digital Games Conference.
Summer School Alum Story: “If you’re interested in game design, there’s no place like this”
Aaron Misra from Mumbai, India, joined the Game Design course by Aalto University Summer School in July 2025.
Summer School Alum Story: Teaching innovations through the approach of game design
This August, Héctor Merino travelled to Finland from Almassora, Spain in order to take part in the Game Design course at Aalto University Summer School.
Summer School Team
Information for Summer and Winter School Applicants
Get to know the application guidelines and tuition fees.
Aalto University Winter School
The application period for Winter School runs from 1 October to 30 November.
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