Diploma in Game Development

About DigiPen

Do you play video games? You’ve probably played at least one of the more than 2,000 commercial titles developed by a DigiPen graduate. What will you go on to create?

Since 1988, DigiPen Institute of Technology has been preparing students to succeed as skilled engineers, artists, and designers in the growing technology industries.

About Karma Play Academy

Karma Play Academy has been established to address the serious skills shortage in the video game industry. The academy is a division of video game developer, Karma Play based in Kerala, India.

Karma Play is a registered game developer for the Sony PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Xbox Series X. The company is currently working on multiple games for the PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and mobiles.

COURSES

DIGIPEN POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA IN GAME PROGRAMMING

This is a two-year, three-trimester intensive program designed to prepare graduates for careers in game art and real-time production. The program emphasizes Unreal Engine mastery alongside foundational art training, ensuring readiness for studios built around real-time pipelines.

The curriculum begins with core visual and 3D foundations, then advances into Unreal-driven modeling, animation, VFX, lighting, and environment building. Each trimester culminates in a Game Art Project, with later projects conducted collaboratively with programming peers to simulate professional production workflows.

By completion, graduates will have produced a portfolio of Unreal-integrated assets, environments, and a capstone game project, demonstrating industry-standard proficiency in texturing, lighting, rendering, and environment design.

Key Outcomes

1. Apply visual literacy in proportion, perspective, light, color, and composition, supported by digital painting workflows
2. Demonstrate figure drawing and anatomy fluency, applying knowledge of structure, gesture, and expression to character-driven work
3. Model, texture, light, and render game-ready assets optimized for Unreal pipelines
4. Design immersive environments using modular kits, landscapes, foliage, and atmospheric lighting in Unreal
5. Animate characters and props using foundational body mechanics and performance-driven motion, integrated with Unreal Control Rig and Sequencer
6. Design and evaluate gameplay systems through mechanics, narrative framing, and cinematic language, supported by UI/UX prototypes built in Unreal UMG
7. Implement VFX and gameplay-driven effects through Niagara and post-process integration
8. Optimize and profile assets and environments for efficiency in real-time production

DIGIPEN POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA IN DIGITAL ARTS

This intensive two-year game development program trains computer science graduates to become professional Unreal Engine developers through three progressive trimesters and a full year game industry internship.

The curriculum focuses on game-specific implementations of mathematics, advanced C++ patterns for game engines, and deep technical specialization in graphics, physics, AI, and multiplayer networking. Students master modern C++ for games, mathematical implementation for real-time systems, Unreal Engine 5, and professional game development practices.

Through three progressively challenging team projects – each integrating more complex systems – students develop the technical expertise and collaborative skills necessary for immediate contribution to professional game development teams as engine programmers, graphics programmers, or senior gameplay engineers.

Key Outcomes

1. Design and implement complete games using Unreal Engine 5, integrating custom rendering systems, physics simulation, artificial intelligence, and networking for AAA-quality game development.
2. Architect advanced C++ systems using modern language features, Unreal Engine conventions, design patterns, and software engineering best practices to create scalable, maintainable game engines and frameworks.
3. Analyze and solve complex technical challenges in game development through mathematical modeling, algorithmic optimization, graphics programming, and cross-system integration for high-performance real-time applications.
4. Extend game engine capabilities through custom rendering passes, shader development, plugin architecture, and low-level system programming while maintaining engine compatibility and performance.
5. Evaluate and optimize game system performance through advanced profiling, architectural analysis, GPU/CPU optimization, and data-driven decision making while balancing technical complexity with production requirements.

Key Features

►Study for an American postgraduate diploma in India

►A full year game industry internship in the second year

►Study onsite at our campus or fully online

►Students taught by current industry professionals who worked on over three hundred video games over the past 40+ years

►Learn from game developers who created legendary games such as Quake 3, Wave Race 64, Ridge Racer, Unreal Tournament, Star Wars Jedi Academy, The Fast and The Furious Tokyo Drift, Returnal, Candy Crush Saga, Space Engineers, EA Golf Pro Tour, Grounded, and Wasteland 3

►Learn how to develop games for the Sony PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Xbox Series X

►Study even if you are working full-time via our online course

►Cutting-edge syllabus updated regularly to keep up with the latest video game industry technologies

►Separate syllabus for game artists and programmers

►International guest lectures on specialist topics

►Dedicated Employment Cell with a database of over 1,000 game developers and publishers

Diploma in Video Game Development

This intensive two-year game development program trains aspiring video game developers in Unreal Engine 5. The curriculum focuses on graphics, physics, AI, and multiplayer networking.

This diploma is also suitable for those who are already working full-time in other industries, other than the video games industry.

The entire second year is set aside for a video game industry internship. During this year, all students will get the opportunity to work on a commercial video game for the PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch 2.

Students are taught by professional game developers working at Karma Play, the parent company of Karma Play Academy. During the second year, Karma Play Academy will be hosting a series of international guest lectures on specialist subjects.

Key Features

►Study for an American postgraduate diploma in India

►A full year game industry internship in the second year

►Study onsite at our campus or fully online

►Students taught by current industry professionals who worked on over three hundred video games over the past 40+ years

►Learn from game developers who created legendary games such as Quake 3, Wave Race 64, Ridge Racer, Unreal Tournament, Star Wars Jedi Academy, The Fast and The Furious Tokyo Drift, Returnal, Candy Crush Saga, Space Engineers, EA Golf Pro Tour, Grounded, and Wasteland 3

►Learn how to develop games for the Sony PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Xbox Series X

►Study even if you are working full-time via our online course

►Cutting-edge syllabus updated regularly to keep up with the latest video game industry technologies

►Separate syllabus for game artists and programmers

►International guest lectures on specialist topics

►Dedicated Employment Cell with a database of over 1,000 game developers and publishers

What You'll Learn & Who It's For

Comprehensive Skill Development

1. Game design principles & documentation (GDD/TDD)
2. Production pipelines & critical milestones
3. Agile tools: JIRA, MIRO, Kanban mastery
4. Strategic budgeting & risk management
5. Game marketing, publishing & IP strategies

Target Audience

1. Aspiring game producers seeking leadership roles
2. Game designers transitioning to management
3. Entrepreneurs launching their own game studios
4. Project managers entering the gaming sector

Course overview

Semester I – Foundations of Game Development

Game Design & Interactive Entertainment

1. Game Design Principles
2. Core Gameplay Systems
3. Narrative Design
4. World Building
5. Game Documentation

Semester II – Advanced Development & Industry Practice

Gameplay Systems Development

1. Gameplay Architecture
2. Artificial Intelligence
3. UI Implementation
4. Data-Driven Development
5. Version Control (Git)

Game Art & Visual Design

1. Concept Art
2. Character Design
3. Environment Design
4. Digital Art Fundamentals
5. UI/UX Design

Animation, Audio & Visual Effects

1. Character Animation
2. Audio Design
3. Visual Effects
4. Cinematics
5. Interactive Storytelling

Programming & Visual Scripting

1. Programming Fundamentals
2. Object-Oriented Programming
3. Blueprint Visual Scripting
4. Gameplay Prototyping
5. Introduction to C++

Game Production & Project Management

1. Agile Development
2. Scrum & Kanban
3. JIRA & MIRO
4. Production Planning
5. Quality Assurance

Unreal Engine Development

1. Unreal Engine Fundamentals
2. Interactive Environment Development
3. Level Design
4. Lighting & Materials
5. Gameplay Development

Publishing & Industry Practices

1. Game Publishing
2. Marketing & Community Management
3. Intellectual Property
4. Career Development
5. Game Studio Operations

3D Asset Creation & Environment Design

1. 3D Modelling
2. Asset Development
3. Materials & Texturing
4. Environment Building

Capstone Game Development Project

1. Team-Based Development
2. Production Pipelines
3. Prototype Development
4. Portfolio Creation
5. Industry Presentation

Industry Internship Program

1. Professional Game Development Workflows
2. Team Collaboration
3. Agile Production Practices
4. Portfolio Development
5. Industry Evaluation

What You'll Learn & Who It's For

Comprehensive Skill Development

1. Game design principles & documentation (GDD/TDD)
2. Production pipelines & critical milestones
3. Agile tools: JIRA, MIRO, Kanban mastery
4. Strategic budgeting & risk management
5. Game marketing, publishing & IP strategies

Target Audience

1. Aspiring game producers seeking leadership roles
2. Game designers transitioning to management
3. Entrepreneurs launching their own game studios
4. Project managers entering the gaming sector

Course overview

Week 1

1. A brief history of video games
2. Introduction to video game technology
3. Game design document creation
4. Technical design document creation
5. Weekly Project

Week 2

1. Milestones
2. Scheduling
3. Internal milestones
4. Outsourcing milestones
5. Work for hire milestones
6. Weekly Project

Week 3

1. Epics, user stories, T-shirts
2. Kanban using Excel
3. JIRA, MIRO, Slack best practices
4. Weekly Project

Week 4

1. Video game budgeting
2. Risk analysis and risk management
3. Weekly Project

Week 5

1. Introduction to video game marketing & PR
2. TRC/TCR on Sony PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Xbox Series X
3. Weekly Peoject

Week 6

1. QA, localisation, distribution, and publishing
2. Company formation & recruitment strategies
3. Outsourcing risks and benefits
4. Video game marketing & PR
5. Weekly Project

Week 7

1. Hiring best practices
2. Employee retention best practices
3. Employment contracts
4. Trademarks and IP
5. Tales from the Abyss
6. International Guest Lecture: Running a successful video game company

Week 8 to Week 12

1. Final Game Project
2. Design your own dream game
3. Create a realistic budget for it
4. Create a production and team recruitment schedule
5. Create a marketing strategy
6. Create a pitch deck for publishers