Harvard University offers more than 140 classes for its Harvard online certificate program via edX. Through this platform, individuals around the globe are able to overcome barriers to education like location costs, and accessibility.
Thanks to technology, you can become a student at a prestigious university and learn from the comfort of your home. There is an extensive range of courses that cover various topics from programming to literature.
For those who are keen on making games or are fascinated with gaming technology, one of the most interesting offerings on the Harvard online certificate program is Game Development. To learn more about this, read on.
Getting to Know the Course: CS50’s Introduction to Game Development
An audit for a free course, CS50’s Introduction to Game Development is designed to provide individuals with an introductory course on machine learning and game development on both 2D and 3D interactive games.
Through this course, students will be able to gain an overview of various iconic game designs. From the likes of Super Mario Bros., Pokemon, Legend of Zelda, Breakout, Angry Birds, Flappy Bird, Portal, 3D Helicopter Game, Dreadhalls, and Match 3.
The course seeks to let learners gain a deeper understanding of how video games are implemented by studying the design of the games mentioned above.
Through exploring the principles of 2D and 3D graphics, as well as sound, animation, and collision, with respect to frameworks such as LÖVE 2D and Unity.
This course aims to let students get more familiar with the basics of game design and development.
Furthermore, through using programming and game development languages such as Lua and C#, students can master creating making a number of their own games, making them more adept in the video gaming field.
How to Get a Harvard Online Certificate on CS50’s Introduction to Game Development
Individuals keen on learning game development can take this course for free. As an audit for the free track, students will not earn a certificate at the end of the course.
They will, however, have access to all course materials under the CS50’s Introduction to Game Development, with the exception of graded assignments.
Students who do want to earn the Harvard online certificate may switch to the verified track by upgrading their course for only $149. Besides being allowed to getting the certificate at the end of the course, they can also take the graded assignments required to earn the certificate.
To do this, students are enjoined to enroll and take the course on edX. The course is open from June 30, 2018, until December 31, 2021, and it will last for 12 weeks long.
As a self-paced course, students can learn at their own pace and time. All course materials are already made available at the start of the course and these generally do not have a fixed schedule.
However, students are enjoined to make responses and submit assignments on the suggested deadlines to stay on track. To be fully engaged, the course will require around 6 to 9 hours of study per week.
The course will be taught by David J. Malan, a Gordon McKay Professor of Practice of Computer Science at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, as well as Colton Oden, a Technologist at Harvard.
Conclusion
Getting a Harvard online certificate for game development is possible with the introductory online course offered by the university.
With this course, you can not only get a more solid grasp of the basics of game design, but also a deeper appreciation for the art and science behind the final product.
