Reshaping Game Design at Boston College
When I joined Boston College, I saw an opportunity to modernise the way we teach game development. Since then, I've introduced Unreal Engine 5 as the primary development platform across both the Game Design and Computing courses, replacing much of the previous Unity-based curriculum while ensuring students develop practical skills using tools that are widely adopted throughout the industry.
By bringing Unreal Engine into the classroom, our students now gain experience with the same engine used by many leading colleges, universities, and professional game studios, helping them build a strong foundation for further study and future careers.
Student Portfolio
Stuck in Between
Created as a final project by one of our first-year Game Design students, Stuck in Between is a fantastic example of just how much can be achieved in a single academic year. Watching this project grow from an initial idea into a polished and technically impressive game has been incredibly rewarding.
Everything featured in this project was created by the student, from the gameplay programming and animation systems to the character modelling, rigging, animation, and overall game design. Inspired by the fast-paced gameplay of the Sonic series, the final result delivers responsive movement, fluid controls, and a surprising level of polish for a first-year project.
As a lecturer, moments like these are what make the job so rewarding. Seeing students develop both the technical skills and the confidence to create work of this quality in such a short space of time is something I'm incredibly proud of, and this project perfectly demonstrates what can be achieved through dedication, creativity, and a willingness to learn.
Credits
Student
LV3 Y1 Game Design
Project
Stuck in Between
Tools
Unreal Engine 5
Blender
Sketches
Another fantastic final project from one of our first-year Game Design students, Sketches shows just how much can be achieved in a single academic year. Inspired by classic stickman games, it's one of the few 2D projects created this year, but it immediately stood out because of its creativity and the amount of work that went into it.
Everything you see in the game was created by the student, from the hand-drawn artwork and animations to the programming, level design, and gameplay systems. The core mechanic revolves around drawing objects to help solve puzzles and progress through each level, making the artwork itself a key part of the gameplay rather than just the visual style.
What impressed me most about this project is just how complete it feels. It doesn't feel like a student project - it feels like a game that could genuinely be released with a few more levels and some additional content. Seeing students reach this level after just one year of studying Game Design is something I'm incredibly proud of, and Sketches is a brilliant example of the creativity and technical ability our students develop throughout the course.
Credits
Student
LV3 Y1 Game Design
Project
Sketches
Tools
Unreal Engine 5
Blender
Calm Aim
Another standout project from one of our first-year Game Design students, Calm Aim takes inspiration from games such as Aim Lab, replacing traditional weapons with snowballs to create a fun, Christmas-themed aim trainer. It's a simple idea, but one that's been executed really well, resulting in a polished and enjoyable experience.
What makes this project particularly impressive is the journey behind it. The student transferred onto the course around ten weeks after everyone else had already started, meaning he had a significant amount of ground to make up. Rather than letting that hold him back, he worked incredibly hard to catch up with the rest of the class and quickly established himself as one of the strongest programmers in the group.
Like every student, he has his own strengths. While he chose to make use of Marketplace assets for some of the visuals, the programming, gameplay systems, and overall experience are entirely his own work. Seeing the level of progress he made in such a short space of time, especially after joining the course so late, has been fantastic. Projects like Calm Aim are a great reminder that dedication and hard work can make an enormous difference in just one academic year.
