explain how the semester covers the six approved-record units, the CTE anchor and pathway D standards and A-G area G, and show a reviewer where each is taught.
This course is The VR School’s approved Video Game Design Foundations, UC A-G area G, rebuilt on open sources. The two approved records (H5HZ6M for semester 1 and J5QTDP for semester 2) each list six units and a commercial textbook. The Open Curriculum Edition keeps the records’ units, assignments and outcomes and replaces the textbook with original course text, the Godot Engine documentation (CC BY 3.0), Kenney assets (CC0) and public-domain federal sources. When a reviewer asks where a record unit is taught, the table below answers; every student unit also carries the record-unit titles it covers, and the build fails if any record unit is missing.
Four units, six record units. The semester has four units of five lessons, each following the same CTE sequence: an industry launch and case study, a technical skills lab with a hands-on Godot build, a design critique and collaboration lab, a production workshop, and a culminating portfolio project. Record units 1 and 3 (the importance of game design; becoming a game designer) are taught together in Unit 1, because career awareness lands better once students have analyzed real games. Record units 2 and 5 (the design process; mechanics and systems) meet in Unit 2’s paper prototype. Record unit 4 (tools and software) is Unit 3, which also continues mechanics in code. Record unit 6 (story, art style and audio) is Unit 4.
Standards. The course cites the California CTE Model Curriculum Standards for Arts, Media and Entertainment: all eleven anchor standards and all ten pathway D standards across the year, with CCSS literacy for technical subjects (RST and WHST 9-10) and speaking and listening. Every unit cites a pathway D standard and a WHST standard. The alignment matrix the build produces shows every lesson’s codes.
Why it is area G, not just a skills course. UC reviewers look for analysis, writing and problem solving. Point them to the formal-framework analysis in Unit 1, the physics-based jump design in Lesson 3.2, the sourced engine comparison report and the four-stage pipeline (plan, peer-reviewed draft, revised final, presentation) on every culminating project.
Engine decision. The course uses Godot 4 with GDScript: free, open source under the MIT license, light enough for school machines and free of account requirements. Students also study Unity and Unreal as professional tools in Unit 3, so the course is not tied to one vendor.
Where each approved-record unit is taught (semester 1, H5HZ6M)
| Record unit | Student unit | Key evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Game Design and Its Importance | Unit 1 | Lessons 1.1, 1.3; game analysis presentation (1.5) |
| The Game Design Process | Unit 2 | Pipeline flowchart (2.1); design document and iteration log (2.4-2.5) |
| Becoming a Game Designer | Unit 1 | Roles and career profile (1.4-1.5) |
| Tools and Software for Game Development | Unit 3 | Engine case study (3.1); builds (3.2, 3.4); comparison report (3.5) |
| Game Mechanics and Systems | Units 2 and 3 | Feedback loops (2.3); paper prototype (2.4-2.5); mechanics in code (2.2, 3.2-3.4) |
| Storytelling, Art Style, and Audio in Games | Unit 4 | Narrative (4.1); animation and sound build (4.2); concept and portfolio (4.5) |
Each semester of this course must cover the six units of its own approved record.
How confident are you that you can show a reviewer where each record unit and standard is taught?