Diploma in Game Design

The Diploma in Game Design at the School of Creative Studies, D. Y. Patil Deemed to be University, Navi Mumbai, is a one-year programme that turns a player into a maker. The course is built around design thinking first, covering core loops, systems, level design, progression, economy, and player psychology, taught by building and testing playable prototypes from the first month.

Production skills follow, including engine workflows, game art pipelines, 3D assets and environments, UI and UX for games, narrative design, and playtesting and iteration. Learners also study how games are funded, published, and monetised across mobile, PC, and console, with specific attention to the Indian market and its studios.

Learners have access to the SOCS gaming lab and DYP Interactives throughout the year, with builds playtested on real players. Evening (weekday) and weekend batches allow working professionals and school students to attend, with batches commencing in September and October. The programme closes with three months inside DYP Interactives working on a live industry project and shipping a build.

• Class 10 pass from a recognised board.
• Open to gamers and modders, school students, artists, animators and programmers, and working professionals switching sectors.
• No prior programming or art qualification required.

On successful completion, learners receive the Diploma in Game Design from the School of Creative Studies, D. Y. Patil Deemed to be University.

The curriculum builds depth across four areas:

• Game Design, Systems and Balance.
• Level Design and Environment Art.
• Narrative Design and UI or UX for Games.
• Production, Publishing and Live Operations.

• Design-first structure with playable prototypes built and tested from the first month.
• Engine workflows taught across both Unity and Unreal Engine.
• Full game art pipeline covering 3D modelling, texturing, environment art, and animation basics.
• Narrative, quest design, UI and UX for games covered as distinct crafts.
• Vertical slice production, optimisation, QA, and platform requirements.
• Business modules on monetisation, publishing, funding, and the Indian studio landscape.
• Three-month live industry project at DYP Interactives ending in a shipped build.
• Access to the SOCS gaming multimedia lab.
• Evening and weekend batches for working professionals and school students.

• Prototype-driven pedagogy with paper and rapid digital prototyping from the first term.
• Playtesting on real players as a structured part of the production cycle.
• Toolchain covering Unity, Unreal Engine, Blender, Maya, Substance Painter, Figma, Perforce or Git, Ableton.
• Storefront publishing experience including itch.io and platform release.
• Dedicated gaming lab access alongside DYP Interactives studio access.
• Specific study of the Indian studio landscape, funding, and pitching.
• Design documentation and portfolio assistance as a graded deliverable reviewed by studio professionals.
• Two to three playable titles produced across the year.

Learners of this programme will:

• PEO1: Practise as game designers and developers capable of taking a concept from prototype to a shipped, playable build.
• PEO2: Apply systems thinking, player psychology, and iterative playtesting to design decisions and balance.
• PEO3: Work productively within studio pipelines, version control, and production tracking alongside art, engineering, and QA.
• PEO4: Pitch, fund, and publish independent work, or progress into specialist design, art, and production roles within studios.

Upon completion, learners will be able to:

The Diploma in Game Design prepares learners for a sector that hires across design, art, narrative, production, and QA, and that assesses candidates primarily on shipped work. India’s studio landscape spans mobile-first developers, outsourcing and co-development studios, and a growing independent scene, all of which recruit on the strength of playable portfolios.

Learners are equipped for design, level design, environment art, UI and UX, QA, and associate production roles within studios, and for independent development and self-publishing. The programme’s coverage of funding, publishing, and live operations also supports entrepreneurial routes and provides a foundation for degree-level study in game design and interactive media.

Term 1: Design Foundations. Game design vocabulary and analysis, core loops and mechanics, systems and balance, player motivation and psychology, paper prototyping, rapid digital prototyping, playtesting methods, documenting a design.

Term 2: Production Craft. Unity and Unreal workflows, basic scripting and visual scripting, level design and greyboxing, environment art, 3D modelling and texturing, animation and rigging basics, UI and UX for games, audio implementation, narrative and quest design, version control.

Term 3: Ship and Business. Vertical slice production, optimisation and platform requirements, QA and iteration, monetisation models across free-to-play and premium, publishing and storefronts, funding and pitching to studios and publishers, the Indian studio landscape, community and live operations basics.

Final 3 Months: Live Industry Project. Three months inside DYP Interactives working on a live industry project and shipping a build.

Rs. 6,00,000 for the full one-year programme

• A one-year programme built around shipping playable work, not just completing a course.
• Both Unity and Unreal Engine taught, along with the full art, UI, audio, and version-control toolchain the industry uses.
• Three-month live industry project inside DYP Interactives that ends in a shipped build.
• Access to the SOCS gaming lab and real-player playtesting throughout the year.
• Dedicated coverage of the Indian studio landscape, funding, pitching, and self-publishing.
• Evening and weekend batches so working professionals and school students can attend.
• Open entry from Class 10 with no prior programming or art qualification required.