Game Development - Programming

Behind every satisfying jump, clever enemy and smooth frame rate is a programmer who knows the maths. Game Development - Programming is RRC Polytech’s two-year advanced diploma for coders who want to build games, taught at Manitou a bi Bii daziigae, the Exchange District Campus building downtown, with an autumn start.

Each of the four study terms runs the same six strands at a rising level. Programming 1 to 4 and Software Development and Documentation 1 and 2 build your coding discipline, while Applied Mathematics for Games 1 to 3 covers the maths that drives movement, physics and graphics. Game Studio 1 to 4 puts you in team productions, Development and Narrative Design 1 to 4 teaches storytelling through play, and Game Business Management 1 to 4 explains how studios plan and ship. The second year adds Game Development 1 and 2 and Modern Tech in Games.

Game Studio courses bring programmers together with game art students so you learn to collaborate on full production cycles. The final term is a 12-week Work Integrated Learning term, taken either as a co-op placement or as an Industry Project, giving you studio contacts before graduation. Students work on powerful machines: the recommended home setup is a Windows 11 PC with 32 or 64 GB of RAM, a 1 TB SSD and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 or better. Entry is competitive and based on a portfolio of three programming examples with code documentation.

Graduates can pursue roles such as gameplay programmer, tools programmer, junior game developer, game engine programmer, QA automation developer and simulation software developer. The programme suits confident programmers who already write code, enjoy maths and want to work in a team that ships playable games.