Year 1 - Video Game Professional Cycle

Develop your artistic and technical skills with a comprehensive 4-year course, combining theoretical and practical learning to make you an expert in video game design and production.

Apply Apply Download the training sheet Download the training sheet

Duration

1 year full-time classroom training
HOURS OF LESSONS/YEAR

+750 hours of teaching
assessment

Continuous assessment, evaluation of projects and knowledge
Assessment of projects and/or end-of-year exams for promotion to the next year
Prerequisite

Bac or equivalent level 4 qualification

Year 1

Video Game Professional Cycle

During the first two years of the course, students learn the fundamentals of video game design and development, and develop both artistic and technical skills.

More specifically, in the first year they learn about basic game mechanisms and the fundamentals of programming, and practise using the software they will use to create their first game (at the end of the year).

At ESMA we take
success seriously.

100% Success rate (2023)
81% Overall job entry rate at 6 months (2022)
82% Rate of entry into the target occupation after 2 years (2021)

What does the first year involve?

Get ready to make your first video game!

Year 1 of the Video Game Professional Cycle focuses on exploring the core skills needed to excel in the specialism.

Between artistic creation and technical mastery, you’ll learn about game mechanics and gameplay, narration and storytelling, but you’ll also experience the ABCs of programming and production software.

Ready for the challenge?

Discover the associated professions

Objectives

Identifying the game mechanics of a video game
Design game rules on the basis of a reference corpus
Use drawing and digital painting techniques to represent lines, volumes and values
Acquire the fundamentals of video game design and development
Learn about 3D computer tools and software
Identify and analyse the requirements of a specification
Define and plan a project

Our teachings

Image culture

Solid analysis based on an understanding of how video games fit into the history of art and the acquisition of a documentation approach.
English

Understand and present a game project in English.
Autonomy development laboratory

Support in developing a work methodology, defining their artistic personality and discovering softskills.
Design

Learning the basic principles of analytical drawing (shapes and volumes, observation drawing, perspective, construction methods, etc.)
Digital painting (Concept Art / Environment)

Using and understanding digital tools to move from analytical drawing to concept art.
2D computer graphics

Mastering the Photoshop interface and tools, making the link with 2D animation and creating user interfaces.
Animation 2D

2D animation techniques and the principles of character animation. Animating a 2D interface and using FX to dress up an animation.
3D Modelling

Learn how to use a 3D modelling tool to create a complete object, use shaders, etc.
Game Design Fundamentals

Understand the mechanics of a game: gameplay loops, narrative elements, 4Fs, 3Cs, in order to successfully complete a game design project.
Programmation gameplay

Student 2D game project with Unity 3D: to learn the basics of algorithms, how to organise a project, how to use a video game creation engine, etc.
Special weeks

Workshops on various themes, game jams, cultural conferences, exchanges with professionals and/or former students, seminars, etc.