Students

COMP2165 – Game Studio 1

2026 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-intensive, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Lecturer
Malcolm Ryan
COMP2165@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email
By appointment only
Lecturer
Myles Blasonato
COMP2165@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email
By appointment only
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
COMP1151 and COMP1170 and COMP1010
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit takes an intensive studio-based approach to learning in which students complete a variety of game development exercises under the mentorship of an experienced game developer. Students will create a portfolio of game prototypes exploring simple game design problems through the lens of different genres and tools.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Identify the key design features involved in different game genres.
  • ULO2: Solve simple game design problems to convey a variety of player experiences.
  • ULO3: Use a selection of game development tools to prototype different game genres.
  • ULO4: Communicate the design and development approaches taken in building a simple game prototype.

General Assessment Information

Assessment Latest Release Dates

  • Game Prototype 1: 27 July

  • Game Prototype 2: 27 July

  • Game Prototype 3:  27 July

Requirements To Pass This Unit

To pass this unit, you must:

  • Achieve a total mark equal to or greater than 50

In order to achieve this criteria, it is recommended that students attempt all assessment tasks.

Late Assessment Submission

Late assessments are not accepted in this unit unless a Special Consideration has been submitted and approved.

Special Consideration

The Special Consideration Policy aims to support students who have been impacted by short-term circumstances or events that are serious, unavoidable and significantly disruptive, and which may affect their performance in assessment. If you experience circumstances or events that affect your ability to complete the assessments in this unit on time, please inform the convenor and submit a Special Consideration request through http://connect.mq.edu.au/.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI Approach
Game Prototype 1 33% No 23/08/0006 Individual Yes Open
Game Prototype 2 33% No 20/09/2026 Individual Yes Open
Game Prototype 3 34% No 01/11/2026 Individual Yes Open

Game Prototype 1

Assessment Type 1: Experiential task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 26 hours
Due: 23/08/0006
Weighting: 33%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

You will design and develop a game prototype to meet specific genre requirements, and write a report describing the design and development issues faced.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify the key design features involved in different game genres.
  • Solve simple game design problems to convey a variety of player experiences.
  • Use a selection of game development tools to prototype different game genres.
  • Communicate the design and development approaches taken in building a simple game prototype.

Game Prototype 2

Assessment Type 1: Experiential task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 26 hours
Due: 20/09/2026
Weighting: 33%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

You will design and develop a game prototype to meet specific genre requirements, and write a report describing the design and development issues faced.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify the key design features involved in different game genres.
  • Solve simple game design problems to convey a variety of player experiences.
  • Use a selection of game development tools to prototype different game genres.
  • Communicate the design and development approaches taken in building a simple game prototype.

Game Prototype 3

Assessment Type 1: Experiential task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 26 hours
Due: 01/11/2026
Weighting: 34%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

You will design and develop a game prototype to meet specific genre requirements, and write a report describing the design and development issues faced.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify the key design features involved in different game genres.
  • Solve simple game design problems to convey a variety of player experiences.
  • Use a selection of game development tools to prototype different game genres.
  • Communicate the design and development approaches taken in building a simple game prototype.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • Academic Success for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

Delivery and Resources

Week 1 classes

Workshops begin in week 1.

You should register to attend both Workshop_1 (two-hour) and Workshop_2 (three-hour) classes on the same day.

Methods of Communication

Communication is largely through workshops, but please keep an eye on your university email and announcements on iLearn. Queries to teaching staff can be saved for workshops or live lectures, placed on the iLearn discussion board or sent to the unit convenor via the contact email on iLearn.

Software Used

This unit uses the a variety of game design and develop tools, which are avaliable on lab PCs. The software can also be downloaded and used at home. See the unit iLearn page for details.

Students are expected to work on game prototypes before coming to class. If students are unable to work on assignments on their own devices and require additional access to University computers, they can request special lab access. See iLearn for details.

Use of Generative AI

The use of Generative AI including LLMs and image generators is permitted in this unit where this use does not undermine the Learning Outcomes of the unit and specific assessment tasks. All use of Generative AI must be appropriately acknowledged, evidenced and referenced.

The particularities and affordances of Generative AI usage will vary between assessments. Please consult the assessment specifications of each task for details. Use of Generative AI that does not adhere to assessment-specific details may result in a breach of Academic Integrity.

For more information on the use of Generative AI in your studies, please see the FSE Gen AI module: https://ishare.mq.edu.au/prod/file/c6b0caa4-23dd-4372-b07d-5a03379fc3e8/1/FSE_GenAI-module.zip/content/index.html#/

Unit Schedule

See iLearn.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Academic Success

Academic Success provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit https://students.mq.edu.au/support/technology/service-desk. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Changes from Previous Offering

This is the first offering of this unit.

Student feedback is highly valued to be help us to continually improve the way we offer our units, and has resulted in significant changes to our units over the years. As such we encourage students to provide constructive feedback via student surveys, to the teaching staff directly, or via the FSE Student Experience & Feedback link in the iLearn page.

 

Changes since First Published

Date Description
14/07/2026 Fixed information to details in previous offering, since this is the first offering of the unit.

Unit information based on version 2026.03 of the Handbook