Architecting Game Worlds: A Beginner's Guide To Programming The Universe

Award-winning game designer and learning designer Chantal Ryan, founder of South Australian game studio We Have Always Lived In The Forest, invites students to discover one of the most interesting techniques behind modern games: procedural generation.

Using Python, one of the world's most popular programming languages, students will build their own text generation systems capable of creating everything from fantasy races and strange creatures to memorable NPCs, stories and worlds.

Designed for curious minds, this two hour workshop focuses on designing creatively rather than requiring previous programming experience. Beginners will leave having written their own procedural generators and understanding the basics of Python, while students with programming experience will gain new ways of thinking about algorithms, language and game design.

By the end of the session, students will understand the core principles behind procedural generation and come away with the skills to continue creating endlessly surprising worlds of their own.

Students will learn:

• The fundamentals of Python through a fun, creative individually tailored project

• How procedural generation techniques are used in many modern games

• Easy techniques for generating endless characters, worlds, items and stories

• How programmers and designers use systems thinking to create possibilities that feel limitless

Note: This workshop has previously been delivered as a university-level masterclass and has been adapted to be accessible for talented learners with or without prior programming experience.

Students are required to bring their own laptop.

About the educator:

Chantal Ryan is an award-winning game designer and founder of SA game studio We Have Always Lived In The Forest. Her work explores procedural storytelling, behavioural simulation and creative programming, and she regularly teaches workshops and speaks at international conferences on game design, innovative storytelling and procedural generation for students, universities and industry professionals.

Chantal holds a BA (Advanced) in Anthropology and English from the University of Adelaide, and her work has been featured by The New York Times, ABC News, the Tribeca Festival, IGN, PC Gamer and many more.