53-353 Understanding Game Engines

9 units, Carnegie Mellon University

This course is designed for non-programmers who want to learn how to create content with game engines such as Unity (which will be the primary tool used for this course). The course will explore the fundamental components and features of game engines - such as objects, inputs, movement, interactions, physics, UI, 2D and 3D art, animation, and sound - and the terminology and theory behind them. Students will learn the principles of these concepts during in-class lectures, gain practical experience building game projects through guided coding exercises, and then apply what they have learned to the assignment work to complete their projects. This course does not have prerequisites, but a basic understanding of common code concepts (variables, loops, conditional statements) is recommended.

Prerequisites: none listed

Offered: Fall 2026, Fall 2025

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