Game Design Fundamentals
Core loops, rules, goals, challenge and reward — how play is structured, and how to analyze the games students already love.
- Core loops
- Rules & goals
- Player motivation
- Game analysis
Game Design & Digital Media Educator | UI/UX & XR Designer
Teaching Portfolio
Designing practical, industry-focused learning experiences across game design, product design, visual design, and creative technology.
How I teach
Teaching Philosophy
Learning by making
Every course is built around producing something real. Students don't study game design — they design games, test them, and watch other people play them.
Theory becomes project outcomes
Concepts are introduced exactly when a project needs them. A lecture on game economies lands differently when your own store screen is open in the next tab.
Building creative confidence
Beginners often believe creativity belongs to other people. Structured briefs, visible progress, and early wins dismantle that belief quickly.
Systems, not software tools
Tools change; thinking transfers. I teach the systems underneath — hierarchy, feedback loops, state, iteration — so skills outlive any single application.
Constructive critique and iteration
Critique is a working method, not a verdict. Students learn to give, receive, and act on feedback the way design teams and game studios actually do.
Real industry workflows
Files are organized like production files. Handoffs look like real handoffs. Students leave having already worked the way teams work.
Support beginners, challenge the advanced
Layered briefs let a first-time student ship something complete while an advanced learner pushes systems, polish, and scope further.
Curriculum
Areas I Teach
Game Mechanics, Systems & Prototyping
From paper prototypes to digital greyboxes — designing mechanics, balancing systems, and testing fast.
- Mechanics
- Systems & balance
- Paper prototyping
- Playtesting
Unity Game Development Foundations
A practical entry into Unity — scenes, prefabs, simple scripting, and building a small playable game from scratch.
- Unity editor
- GameObjects & prefabs
- Intro scripting
- Build & publish
UI/UX & Product Design
User flows, wireframes, interface states, and usability — designing screens that behave well, not just look good.
- User flows
- Wireframing
- States & edge cases
- Usability
Figma & Design Systems
Professional Figma workflows: components, variables, auto layout, and building small design systems that scale.
- Components & variants
- Auto layout
- Variables & tokens
- Documentation
Digital Art & Game Art
Composition, color, character and environment art — building visual worlds that support gameplay and narrative.
- Composition & color
- Character art
- Environments
- Visual narrative
Photoshop & Illustrator
Production-grade raster and vector workflows — from digital painting to icon systems and print-ready artwork.
- Digital painting
- Vector illustration
- Icon design
- Production files
VR, XR & Interactive Media
Designing for immersive and interactive formats — VR experiences, interactive installations, and emerging tools.
- VR experience design
- Interaction in 3D
- Emerging tools
- Rapid prototyping
Ways to work together
Course & Workshop Formats
University courses
Semester-length courses with structured briefs, critique cycles, and final showcases.
Short intensive workshops
One-day to one-week intensives focused on a single practical outcome.
Beginner bootcamps
Multi-week programs taking complete beginners to a finished portfolio piece.
Project-based studio classes
Studio-style sessions where a real project drives the entire curriculum.
Corporate & organization training
Tailored training for teams — tools, workflows, and design capability building.
Online & in-person sessions
Both formats, in Arabic or English, with materials designed for each medium.
In the field
Teaching & Workshop Experience
Jordan Gaming Lab
Amman, Jordan
Training activity covering game design and game development foundations for aspiring developers.
- Game design
- Game development
Cultural Gaming Lab — Yemen
In the context of UNESCO and the Hadramout Cultural Foundation
Training within a cultural gaming lab initiative in Yemen, focused on game design, game visuals, and digital media skills for emerging creatives.
- Game design
- Game visuals
- Digital media
Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation
Workshops — Amman, Jordan
Workshops in game design and digital creativity for youth and community audiences.
- Workshops
- Digital creativity
MetaFour Collective
Amman, Jordan
Collaboration with a cross-disciplinary art and technology collective around creative technology and interactive art practice.
- Creative technology
- Art & technology
GD Workshop
Game design training
Game design workshop sessions covering fundamentals, mechanics, and prototyping.
- Game design
JHCO — Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization
Training sessions
Digital media and design training delivered in a community development context.
- Digital media
- Community training
IEEE
Student & professional sessions
Sessions on UI/UX, design tools, and creative technology for engineering audiences.
- UI/UX
- Creative technology
JODAR
Training activity
Design and digital skills training sessions.
- Design training
Technology Makers Foundation
Training activity
Training in digital media, UI/UX, game visuals, and game development.
- UI/UX
- Game development
From brief to presentation
Teaching Method
Brief
A real, constrained problem worth solving
Research
Reference, analysis, and player/user understanding
Concept
Directions, sketches, and early decisions
Prototype
The smallest real version that can be tested
Critique
Structured feedback, the way studios do it
Iterate
Act on feedback; tighten the work
Present
Defend decisions and ship the outcome
What students leave with
Learning Outcomes
- Build playable game prototypes
- Create usable product interfaces
- Develop reusable design systems
- Present and defend design decisions
- Work collaboratively in creative teams
- Deliver finished digital experiences
The canon I teach from
Game Design References
The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses
— Jesse Schell
Game Design Workshop
— Tracy Fullerton
Designing Games
— Tynan Sylvester
A Theory of Fun for Game Design
— Raph Koster
Rules of Play
— Katie Salen & Eric Zimmerman
Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design
— Ernest Adams & Joris Dormans
Characteristics of Games
— George Skaff Elias, Richard Garfield & K. Robert Gutschera
Fundamentals of Game Design
— Ernest Adams
Advanced Game Design: A Systems Approach
— Michael Sellers