Game Design

Game engines - the programs used for video game development - are powerful design tools that allow designers to create unexpected 3D digital visualisations. They can be used for a wide range of purposes: from photorealistic physics simulations to abstract generative artworks to entire video games. Furthermore, interaction enables a new approach to 3D digital imagery. The players not only react to the images, but also directly influence the immersive spaces through their behaviour.

Key data

ECTS points: 2 ECTS
Next start: 19 January 2026
Duration: 1 Week
Final application date: 22 December 2025
School days: 5
Teaching language: German / English
Place: Basel
Fee: CHF 900.– (view fees)
Studying type: Fulltime

Application

Mobile navi goes here!

Within the last decades, computer games have established themselves as a new medium with increasing cultural influence. In this context, interaction allows for a new approach to digital 3D imagery. As a player, one does not only react to the images but influences the immersive space through one's own behavior. Game design software tools enable designers to create unexpected digital 3D visualizations. Game engines such as Unity can be used for creating engaging experiences with relatively few lines of code. In the Game Design workshop, we will use Unity to design a virtual world in which the player can walk through and interact with objects. Participants will get an insight into creating a 3D project in Unity and learn how to use 3D models, shaders, lighting, and how to program simple interactions with the C# programming language.

Lecturer

Lena Frei works as a research assistant at the Institute Digital Communication Environments, HGK Basel FHNW. Her research interests are centered around the interplay between humans and technology, with a special focus on game design. Her fascination with computer games – both as a gamer and as a researcher and designer – has been the starting point for various projects, be it in academia, design, or interactive narration.

Lena Frei graduated from the University of Basel in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Media Studies. Before completing her MA in Visual Communication and Iconic Research at the HGK Basel, she worked as a concept developer and multimedia designer. For her master's thesis, she designed a computer game that encouraged a critical look at the division between nature and culture.

Goals and benefits

At the end of the workshop, you will have:

A basic understanding of the Unity environment and the game design workflow
The ability to create an interactive 3D world and move freely within it
knowledge of how to use 3D models, materials, shaders, and lighting to design digital spaces
a basic understanding of programming in C# for implementing simple interactions
the ability to develop a custom interactive project from concept to playable prototype

General Information Workshops Institute Digital Communication Environments (IDCE)

The Institute Digital Communication Environments (IDCE) offers workshops for students, educators and graphic designers.

The workshops afford insights into topical themes of visual communication in a study programme reflecting the rich tradition of the Basel School of Design. Practical exercises with a high level of professionalism form the core of the workshops focus. Reflection as well as contextual knowledge will be conveyed by way of input sessions, allowing participants’ work to be judged within a contemporary, future-oriented context relevant to professional practice. The trinational Rhine River Valley is a unique cultural environment with easy access to France and Germany and to sites such as the Vitra Design Museum (G), the Isenheimer Alter (F), or Ronchamps (F). In Basel, the Fondation Beyeler, Tinguely Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Schaulager, and Museum of Contemporary Art are world-renowned. Besides its museums, Basel offers a rich mixture of cultural events.

Fees

Multiple Bookings:
2 ECTS CHF 900.-
4 ECTS CHF 1700.-
6 ECTS CHF 2400.-
8 ECTS CHF 3000.-
10 ECTS CHF 3500.-

20% discount with a valid student ID. This must be sent in with the registration (pdf).

Information and regulations

Terms of participation (PDF)
Information on continuing education FHNW (fhnw.ch/DE)
Continuing education regulations of the universities FHNW (fhnw.ch/DE)

Institute Digital Communication Environments (IDCE)

Visual communication is a tool of knowledge generation in its own right. Visualizations make things perceptible, imaginable and graspable.