Game Design

At Burns Sci-Tech, Game Design opportunities start in 8th grade with Computer Applications in Business, where students learn essential computer skills, digital tools, and the basics of tech-driven entrepreneurship.

In high school, students build on that foundation through Game Design Fundamentals and Game Design Honors, exploring programming, storytelling, and game development.

From concept to creation, students gain real-world tech skills because at Burns, we don’t just play games—we design them.

Computer Applications in Business:

Computer Applications in Business is an 8th grade class designed to help students understand what software programs are used in the real world in business and professional settings. Students will learn how to use the computers and utilize programs such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook. Students will also work on projects that help them use all of the features of each of the programs listed above and prepare professional presentations and documents that businesses use today.

Game Design Foundations:

This class helps introduce the basic concepts of game design. Not only does this class focus on concepts of design, but this class also goes through the different jobs and tasks that are done to create a game. Students here will practice multiple different disciplines such as game design, project management, quality assurance testing, usability testing, coding, and art. Students will use multiple programs such as Unity, Blender, 3DS Max, Visual Studio, and Performance testing software to get practice in multiple areas of game development. Students will practice going through multiple projects to see what areas they would like to focus on. At the end of the course, the students will pitch a game and create a prototype of their game to pitch to investors and learn how to present and communicate their ideas. Students will also get the chance to learn teamwork and ideation through their projects and see their work be completed from start to finish.

Game Design Honors:

Game Design Honors follows students as they take what they learned from Foundations and apply their methodology to a full game process. This class focuses on teaching students how game development works in the real world. Students will work as a team throughout the entire year and create a game from start to end by completing all stages of game development from the Planning Phase to the Release Phase of a product. Students will understand how real-world teams work and participate in practicing procedures that game teams use so students can get real world experience. At the end of the year students should have a working game where they can use what they learned on their resume and refer back to the work for internships.