Our seminar - "GamesLab: Video Game Development and Game Studies"
Games offers the recurring annual seminar "GamesLab: Video Game Development and Game Studies" (up to and including SoSe25 "Project Management in the Computer and Video Game Industry"). It is a module consisting of two consecutive seminar parts. In part one, the basics are taught in department workshops and what has been learnt is put to the test in a game jam. In part two, skills learned in the winter are consolidated through an independently organised semester project.
The course enables students to gain practical media experience in teamwork and game development and creates a basis for the professional world. Students primarily from the Media Studies, Computer Science and Popular Music and Media study programmes come together and work on the project in an interdisziplinär manner. The course is also open to all other study programmes that offer extracurricular studies.
Winter semester concept
The seminar begins in the first week of the winter semester with a kick-off in which the seminar procedure is explained. Students should definitely be present here, as innovations and improvements are made to the seminar every semester. Shortly afterwards, you will elect a department in PANDA from 2D Arts, 3D Arts, Audio, Coding and Game Design and meet with your small groups in weekly workshops.
After all workshops have been completed, preparations for a final game jam will begin: All participants must submit a game proposal. The best game proposals are then selected and put up for election. Depending on the game, the students are assigned to a team made up of members from all departments. This is followed by the game jam, which usually takes place over a weekend and during which all teams meet at the GamesLab and work together on their games. In the last seminar of the semester, each team presents the game it has developed to all the other participants.
Department and teaching content
The workshops are led by the "Orga", a group of students who have a lot of previous experience in the departments and try to create a pleasant atmosphere for learning and exchange. In line with the workshop, weekly homework assignments are set, which must be completed for the AQT. There are also individual workshops that span the departments in order to clarify the workflow between the departments.
Summer semester concept
The summer semester also starts with a kick-off date. It is assumed that participants have knowledge from the first semester in order to be able to successfully participate in one of several major projects in the summer semester. The production groups comprise around 15 people and meet weekly to discuss development progress, workflow and current problems.
Pitch meetings and working time meetings are scheduled within the course times. However, it is up to your development team to decide exactly how time and human resources are scheduled. You are responsible for discussing together when you will hold meetings, what your milestones and goals in the project are and also exactly what your capacities and availabilities look like.
The development is simultaneously supervised by the organisation. In the pitches, you will receive feedback on your projects and general support from the organisation. At the end of the semester, you will have a game prototype with more gameplay and features than in the winter semester. The final result will also be presented to the entire course, Professor Fuchs and any other guests at the last seminar date. Particularly good prototypes will be published.
How do you register for the GamesLab seminar?
For most of you, the GamesLab course can be selected as normal via PAUL . For technical reasons, however, you may not be able to see the course in your usual modules or in your extracurricular studies. This is the case for the Computer Science study programme, for example.
However, as the interdisciplinarity of you and your study programmes are an important part of the GamesLab seminar, we want to offer the course to as many students as possible. So as long as you have extracurricular studies in your study programme, there is a simple solution to the registration problem: come to the Kick-Off or write us an email and we can add you manually. Additions can be made until the end of the second week of lectures.
FAQ
Students usually register the course in a module in which they have to earn 3 ECTS for an AQT and 6 ECTS for an examination. How many ECTS you actually receive depends on your study regulations and the module component in which you have the course credited. For example, more ECTS points are possible if you complete one of the media practice modules. These are then also reflected in the higher number of hours you have to complete for the course.
AQT
In the winter semester, an AQT is recorded as passed if you have firstly passed a minimum number of weekly homework assignments in your department workshop in accordance with the minimum requirements and secondly actively participated in the GameJam.
In the summer semester, the AQT consists of active and continuous conception and production in the semester project. Here, an AQT is entered as passed if you have made your contribution to the project in accordance with your registered ECTS number and this can be tracked.
Examination performance
The examination comprises everything from the AQT of the respective semester. In addition, there is a written examination, a scientific essay, on a research topic related to game studies.
PAUL registration
In the winter semester, the seminar in PAUL Media Studies can be selected under the name GamesLab: Video Game Development and Game Studies (formerly known as "Project Management in the Computer and Video Game Industry 1" up to and including SoSe 2025). Part 2 is to be selected in the summer semester. You will probably find the course in your usual modules or under your extracurricular studies.
Registration via manual registration
If you cannot find the seminar, please contact your examination office. If the registration still does not work, we can probably add you manually. Please come to the kick-off of the seminar or write us an email. We can accept late registrations until the end of the second week of lectures.
The course is open to all study programmes that offer extracurricular studies. For technical reasons, you may not be able to see the course in your usual modules or in your extracurricular studies. This is the case for the Computer Science study programme, for example.
You are still welcome to attend the course. If you have a registration problem: come to the Kick-Off or write us an email and we can add you manually. Additions can be made until the end of the second week of lectures.
The 2D Arts, 3D Arts, Audio, Coding and Game Design workshops usually take place from Monday to Friday from 2pm to 4pm or 4pm to 6pm. For organisational reasons, the final dates can only be announced at the first workshop date (kick-off).
All workshops are held by students who do not know their exact timetables until the beginning of the semester. Nevertheless, we will try to find a date when everyone has time to attend your chosen department.
Yes, with pleasure! The course is open to all skill levels. We have participants who are starting from scratch as well as repeat gamers or people who already have more experience through video games (development) as a hobby. In the course, you will learn all the basics to be able to participate successfully and also how you can integrate your personal strengths into a mixed team.
Generally not, as this is a two-semester seminar that requires knowledge and team communication from the first semester. However, we make exceptions in individual cases. Please contact gameslab@uni-paderborn.de
The opening hours will be announced on the GamesLab Discord. In addition, you will find many other important messages regarding the seminar there. The link to the Discord is here.
No, unfortunately our on offer is currently only available to enrolled students. Therefore, we do not offer internships in the GamesLab.
However, if you are enrolled at UPB, you are welcome to take our main seminar "GamesLab: Video Game Development and Game Studies 1" in the winter semester. And then continue with the second part "GamesLab: Video Game Development and Game Studies 2" in the summer semester.