In brief: Ubisoft has created a video game that contains a full course in game design. Partnering with Concordia University and KnowledgeOne, the studio has developed an online course called "Game Creators' Odyssey."
Game Creators' Odyssey is a unique game development course that follows the story of a ninja named Nagato in feudal Japan. Along the way, students will learn about the game development process while participating in Nagato's engaging story.
"The Game Creators' Odyssey is based on the expertise we have acquired at Ubisoft over the past 30 years, and internal training for our developers around the world," said Ubisoft Montreal Game Director Olivier Palmieri. "It is a great pleasure to adapt this training for universities and share our knowledge in videogame development with the next generation of creators."
Students taking the course will study actual Ubisoft games such as Far Cry to learn how they are made. As they progress, they will earn "Learning Experience" points, which will unlock additional content and progress Nagato's story.
"Our courses are divided into chapters and missions, each one with their distinct challenges. Completing these will give students experience points, allowing them to unlock exclusive content and level-up in the Leaderboard. At the same time, progressing through the course will reveal different parts of a fantasy story, which will set up the stage for the whole course universe."
Course content includes videos and interviews with Ubisoft developers on everything from game structure to production cycles. To finish the game/course, students must create a game concept/design and share it on the platform.
The course is divided into two Acts, each split into chapters and missions. Act 1 (Rational Game Design) is already online, with Act 2 (Rational Level Design) coming in Spring 2020.
Unfortunately, not just anyone can take the course. It will only be available to students enrolled in select schools. Of course, Concordia is one, but Ubisoft did not have a list of other colleges offering Game Creators' Odyssey. However, judging by the trailer above, it is accepting partnership applications from any schools interested in the curriculum.