Diploma in Game Design
DYPU has an educational approach that seeks to create a learning experience that will prepare students for the realities of the modern world.
About the
Program
The D.Y. Patil Deemed to be University’s School of Creative Studies shall offer a Diploma in Game Design, a one-year programme that turns a player into a maker. The diploma 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.
Areas of
Focus
- Game Design, Systems and Balance
- Level Design and Environment Art
- Narrative Design and UI or UX for Games
- Production, Publishing and Live Operations
Eligibility Criteria and Certification Awarded
- 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.
Duration
1 Year
Fee Structure
2026-27
Rs. 6,00,000 for the full one-year programme
Program
Highlights
- 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
Programme Educational Objectives
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
Programme Specific Outcomes
Upon completion, learners will be able to:
PSO1: Design and document core loops, mechanics, systems, progression and economy, and communicate them through a game design document
PSO2: Build playable prototypes and levels in Unity and Unreal Engine using scripting or visual scripting, greyboxing and environment art
PSO3: Produce and integrate game assets, UI, animation and audio to a shippable standard, and manage the work through version control
PSO4: Evaluate monetisation, publishing and funding pathways across mobile, PC and console, and pitch a project to studios or publishers
Program
Scope
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.
Key Features
- 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
Learning Modules
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.
Internship and Live Industry Project
The programme treats industry exposure as a production requirement rather than an add-on. Builds are playtested on real players throughout the year, and learners work inside the SOCS gaming lab and DYP Interactives to studio production tracking and version control practice from early in the course.
The final three months are a live industry project at DYP Interactives that ends in a shipped build. Design documentation and portfolio assistance is a graded deliverable reviewed by studio professionals, so learners leave with a documented portfolio and a public presence on a storefront rather than a certificate alone.
Placement Opportunities
Graduates leave with two to three playable titles, a shipped live industry project, a documented design portfolio and a public storefront presence. Typical opportunity areas include:
- Game Design and Systems Design Teams
- Level Design and Environment Art
- Game Art, 3D and Animation Pipelines
- Narrative and Quest Design
- UI and UX for Games
- QA, Playtesting and Live Operations
- Production and Associate Producer Roles
- Independent Development and Self-Publishing
Career paths: Game designer, level designer, systems designer, narrative designer, game artist, environment artist, UI and UX designer for games, QA and playtest analyst, associate producer, indie developer.
Who This Programme
Is Best For
- Gamers and modders who want to build rather than only play
- Class 10 and 12 students aiming at India’s studio pipeline early
- Artists, animators and programmers who want to move into games specifically
- Working professionals switching into a sector hiring across design, art, narrative and production
- Esports and gaming content creators moving to the production side
- Anyone who wants a shipped, playable portfolio rather than a certificate alone
What You
Leave With
Two to three playable titles, one shipped live industry project, a documented design portfolio with GDDs and level breakdowns, and a public storefront or itch.io presence.
Admission
Form
Contact us
