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Indie Game Design: Build Your Game’s Core System

Name: Indie Game Design: Build Your Game’s Core System
Rating: 4.9 (128 reviews)

For indie developers: build your game’s foundation with a proven step-by-step method from a 29-year game designer.

Bestseller

Created byPascal Luban

Last updated 4/2026

English

What you'll learn

Learn how professional designers build solid game systems, then apply that method to your own indie game.
Build your game system step by step with a clear, professional design method.
Design key features that make your gameplay stronger and keep players engaged longer.
Use a unique checklist to spot strengths, weaknesses, and missing pieces in your game system.

Course content

8 sections • 24 lectures • 3h 25m total length

What is core gameplay?8:17
The construction of any game system begins with the definition of its core gameplay.
How to to get the best of this class?4:16
Discover my training method to make sure you retain what is essential about designing a game system.

Challenge: what makes play worth mastering11:35
Why is challenge at the heart of any core gameplay?
Mastering the Camera: Shaping the Player’s View13:39
A wrong choice of camera will make it difficult for players to face challenges. Learn the best practices to select the right one.
Controls: where design meets the player’s hands7:37
Clumsy and uncomfortable controls will ruin your players' experience. Discover best practices to design the right ones.
Feedback: turning actions into meaning7:41
A gameplay is a learning experience and feedback is the professor. Design feedback properly so players can learn by themselves and enjoy it!
Juiciness: where every action comes alive6:08
Good gameplay is not only about the thrill of overcoming challenges. Discover how to flatter your players' senses to enhance their gaming experience.
Multiple Core Gameplays: one game, many ways to play8:46
Learn strategies to design games featuring multiple core gameplays.

What is engagement gameplay ?3:38
Discover why the engagement gameplay is as important as the core gameplay and discover its components .
Rewards: the fuel that keeps players going (part 1)11:54
Learn a strategy to design rewards.
Rewards: the fuel that keeps players going (part 2)4:10
Go one step further in the design of your rewards by tailoring them to different players' profiles.
Renewal: keep the experience fresh, or lose the player7:52
This is the feature that will get your players hooked t your gameplay. Learn how to embed the renewal of players' experience in your core gameplay.
Difficulty: craft the climb, not the wall10:15
A poor implementation of the difficulty level can kill your game. Learn the key issues you must address in your game system.
Progression: every step should feel earned (part 1)9:23
Some games are entirely designed around their players' progression feature. Learn how to embed it in your game system.
Progression: every step should feel earned (part 2)9:32
Discover how to use game loops to build the game pace of your game.

What are support features?4:44
Support features may not be essential for the core gameplay to function, but they are indispensable for the overall game experience. Discover which ones you need.
Game Modes: one game, multiple experiences9:03
Learn how to select the right game mode for your game system.
Game Structure: shape the player’s journey8:56
Learn the pros and cons of each type of game structure.
Graphic user interface: where information meets action5:43
Discover the key questions you need to ask yourself regarding the integration of your graphic user interface in the game system.
Narrative: meaning behind action14:41
Key issues you need to address when defining the role of storytelling in your game.
Learn how to write a narrative pitch.
Discover design options to tell your story.

Requirements

Playing video games, even as a casual player

Description

Want to design your own video game — or work as a professional game designer?

Everything starts with gameplay.

Great art can attract attention.

Great marketing can create hype.

But only great gameplay makes players stay.

In this course, you’ll learn a structured, professional method to design gameplay systems the way they are built in real studios.

Step by step, you’ll learn:

Which gameplay components must be defined first
How to design mechanics that are clear, balanced, and scalable
How to structure systems so they form a coherent, production-ready whole
In what order to assemble everything to avoid costly redesigns

You won’t just learn theory.

You’ll work through practical examples, focused exercises, and a professional gameplay checklist designed to keep your project on track and mistake-free.

Why learn from me?

I bring 29+ years of studio experience as a Lead Designer and Creative Director on titles such as Alone in the Dark, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, Wanted: Weapons of Fate, and Fighters Uncaged.

I have also worked as a design consultant for Activision, DICE, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Pixel Federation, and Bohemia Interactive.

This course distills that real-world production experience into a clear, actionable framework you can apply immediately.

By the end, you’ll be able to design compelling gameplay systems with confidence — whether you’re building your own game or preparing for a career in game design.

Start now and build gameplay like a professional.

Who this course is for:

Indie developers who want to design solid, engaging games with a clear, professional method they can apply to their own projects.
Aspiring game designers who want to understand how to build strong gameplay systems and think like a professional designer from day one.
Game producers who need to evaluate the quality, coherence, and production-readiness of a game system.
Anyone who wants a clear, structured understanding of how games are designed and why they work.

Indie Game Design: Build Your Game’s Core System

What you'll learn

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Course content

INTRODUCTION2 lectures • 13min

UNDERSTAND HOW TO BUILD A CORE GAMEPLAY6 lectures • 55min

WORKSHOP - Define your game system (part 1)1 lecture • 13min

BUILD YOUR ENGAGEMENT GAMEPLAY TO KEEP YOUR PLAYERS7 lectures • 57min

WORKSHOP - Define your game system (part 2)1 lecture • 11min

DESIGN SUPPORT FEATURES THAT WILL MAKE YOUR GAME SHINE5 lectures • 43min

WORKSHOP - Define your game system (part 3)1 lecture • 8min

CONCLUSION1 lecture • 5min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: