Welcome to Los Angeles City College Game Art & Design

Game Art & Design is the study and practice of the fundamental components of the art side of game development. Building on the foundation skills required for feature animation production, we are training technical artists in the specific intricacies of designing worlds,  creating assets, and creating animation for games. The core tenant of this program is “learn by doing.” Students will spend a significant amount of time working in teams to design narratives, build assets, and ultimately create engaging games.

The LACC Game Art & Design program provides students with the skills and knowledge necessary to become a game artist. Students will learn about design, animation, modeling, and texturing, as well as the fundamentals of game development using industry-standard tools.

Students will gain an understanding of the art pipeline, game engine architecture as it relates to art, and game asset production. As part of the program, students will have the opportunity to create a portfolio of game assets and a playable game.

The program emphasis is on Unreal Engine, one of the most popular game engines used in the industry. Students will learn the basics of Unreal Engine, including animation with the Blueprint visual scripting system, level design, and material creation. They will also learn how to create realistic lighting and physics-based effects, as well as how to optimize game performance. Students will learn the foundations of character animation and learn to create and apply motion capture animation using our motion capture studio. By completing the program, students will be prepared to create high-quality games and interactive experiences with Unreal Engine.

Game Art & Design Courses

ART 250 - Introduction to Digital Art

Students are introduced to fundamental concepts, practices, and theories of vector-based and pixel-based digital art production. Topics include integration of traditional design, color, and compositional principles with contemporary digital tools.

ART 634 - Introduction to Computer Graphics

Students explore three-dimensional digital design techniques, concepts and applications employed as tools in graphic design. Students focus on three-dimensional modeling and rendering techniques in the creation of objects and environments for graphics and multimedia.

GAD 101 - Introduction to Game Design

This course is an introduction to the theory and process of designing games. Students will critically explore the historical, cultural, economic, and social aspects of the concepts and techniques used in the design of games. Students will discover what the components of games are, and what parts of games are influenced by their design. Students will learn several ways to approach the design of a game, including processes and best practices for prototyping, playtesting and balancing a game after it has been designed.

GAD 102 - Concept Design and Visual Development

Students will explore the foundation skills for illustration and concept design by creating characters, props, and environments as used in the video game and animation industries. There will be a focus on creating thumbnail and final illustrations, composition, value studies, perspective and digital painting techniques for a concept design workflow.