Timeline


Tracks


 

Because we believe the most important part of an Indie Game is its team, we've reworked our courses to allow each individual to focus on their specialty.

 

To achieve this, we’ve created different tracks: Art (2D and 3D), Audio Design, Development, Game Design, and Narrative.

 

Each participants will be required to attend the fundamental course of each individual track, as well as a few miscellaneous courses, and the courses of their chosen tracks.

 

Click here to add the workshops to your google calendar

 

Workshops


 

Introduction


 

Introductory Session


A general assembly to welcome all attendees, featuring breakdown of Gaming Academy 2.0 along with a Q&A at the end.


Gaming Academy Team.

June 15

Design


 

Game Design Fundamentals


An introduction to game design: learn how to think about creating games, finding the fun in them, and basics of core game loops, as well as an introduction to the tools designers use.


Fawzi Mesmar.

June 17

 

Strategy Game Design


Learn to what goes into designing strategy games, from handling feedback to protecting players from themselves.


Soren Johnson.

July 21

 

Game Design: Core Concepts


Introduction and deep dive into core game creation subjects, from concepts to core mechanics.


Ali Kattouaa.

July 1

 

Designing Through Maths and Art

Designing games inspired by Maths and Art. In this talk I explain my approach to designing innovative games which are inspired by Islamic art and based on mathematical systems.


Mahdi Bahrami.

July 5

 

Designing for Accessibility


Learn some tools to help make your games more accessible and bridge the disability divide, in order to give as many players as possible the best opportunity of completely experiencing your game.


Tarja Porkka-Kontturi.

July 12

Development


 

Development Fundamentals


Introduction to game development, learn the basics of what goes into creating gameplay mechanics and systems through the use of the Unity game engine.


Mo'tasem Zakkarneh.
June 20

 

Unity Deep Dive #1


Basic programming and game creation, setting variables and using them. The discussion will also lead to explain functions and how they tie in with game development as a whole.


Fouad Abou Harfouche.
June 27

 

Unity Deep Dive #2


A deeper dive into Unity; learn how to create and manipulate game objects through code.


Fouad Abou Harfouche.
June 30

 

AI for Games


A farther dive into enemies and their creation, along with the use of animation and sound


Mo'tasem Zakkarneh.
July 6

2D Art


 

2D Art Fundamentals


Introduction to 2D game art. Create your first character, learn the importance of colors, animations and user interfaces in game art and design.


Samir Kazah.
June 21

 

Character and Environmental Art

Character creation and ideation session. Learn how to give personality to your characters, and how to convey information about them through their design, as well as creating backgrounds, props, and telling stories through game art.


Dahlia Khodur.
June 27

 

2D Animation


Learn the fundamentals of hand drawn animation and create your own.


Alaa Fleifel.
July 6

3D Art


 

3D Modeling


Learn 3D modeling basics and creating characters and items for games


Bassem B.
June 28

 

3D Rigging and Animations


Learn the basics of how to rig and animate 3D characters for games.


Youssef Darwich.
July 4

 

Lighting and VFX


Learn how to use lighting and visual effect systems to bring your characters and world to life.


Karim Aboushousha.
July 13

Narrative


 

Narrative Fundamentals


Write stories for games and design narratives. Build your game world from the background of the characters to the entirety of the world, and focus on making everything as cohesive as possible through this session.


Jenna Yow.
June 24

 

Character Writing


Learn how create compelling characters for your game, from protagonists to NPCs.


Ashraf Abi Said.
June 30

 

Narrative Design


Learn about narrative design, how it’s different from story writing, and how to design the narrative elements of a game.


Ashraf Abi Said.
July 4

 

Representation in Games


Representation in games - with a focus on the MENA region - why it matters, and why you should tell your own story


Ashraf Abi Said.
July 13

Audio Design


 

Music Fundamentals


Introduction on how music in games works (Adaptive music). Basics of Audacity and Composition


Mika Zahar.
June 22

 

Game Music and SFX


Learn to integrate music and sound effects into game engines.


Mika Zahar.
June 28

 

Adaptive Audio #1


Intro to interactive audio using FMOD. Learn about Resequencing/Branching, layering sounds, 3D sounds, interactive music and sound triggers


Mika Zahar.
July 5

 

Adaptive Audio #2


How to integrate FMOD into Unity. Randomization. Advanced horizontal resequencing and vertical layering


Mika Zahar.
July 8

General Courses


 

How to Run a Game Business


Learn the basics of running your game studio as a business and organizing your team for maximum productivity.


Rami Ismail.

June 29

 

Teamwork Fundamentals


Add productivity to your toolset through using tools like GitHub and working under an agile methodology. The session will also have a team formation session at the end for participants not yet in a team looking to collaborate with each other.


Gaming Academy Team.

July 12

 

Localization in the Arab world


Learn about game localization and selling successful games to the right audience.


Tammatem Games

July 15

 

Game Pitching


Pitching your game: what makes a good game pitch? Learn how to write a pitch deck, secure funding, and market yourself.


Leyla Johnson.

July 12

 

Game Industry


A general lecture about the games industry. Learn about the current state of the industry, from AAA to indie development, game jams. It shall also discuss the common pitfalls of working in games and what to look out for when looking for a job at a game company.


Leyla Johnson.

July 8

 

From Prototyping to Marketing


How do you manage your game project? Lean what it takes to take a game from being just a concept to your favorite store front in a sustainable way, as well as the keys to having a successful game launch.


Leyla Johnson.

July 13