Game Production and Management (Master | Winter semester)

Course Description:

Digital games are among the most important digital consumer goods and represent a significant economic sector in Germany. At the same time, their development and management differ considerably from those of other software products. The course Game Production and Management provides foundational knowledge in information systems, technology, and design for the conceptualization, development, positioning, and marketing of digital games.

Games are hedonic information systems whose value arises from subjectively perceived experiences such as challenge, excitement, immersion, social interaction, and creative expression. Consequently, requirements for games can only be specified to a limited extent in advance. Instead, they evolve through prototyping, simulation, playtesting, and continuous engagement with the emerging digital artifact. Game production therefore operates at the intersection of creative vision, economic predictability, and technical feasibility.

As part of a semester-long project, students develop an original digital game in small teams. They are responsible for the product idea, target-group positioning, technical architecture, game-mechanics design, implementation, balancing, evaluation, and quality assurance. They use AI-assisted development tools for programming, technical problem-solving, and, where appropriate, content production. Students document, test, and critically reflect on both the game they develop and the underlying production process.

Learning Objectives and Competencies:

Upon successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

• classify games as hedonic information systems and digital economic goods;
• develop and analyze target groups, positioning strategies, and marketing approaches for digital games;
• independently develop game mechanics and relevant software architectures and specify production requirements;
• explain relevant business and technical concepts from theory and apply them in practice;
• plan, implement, balance, and evaluate a digital game as part of a team;
• use current AI-assisted development tools effectively and critically assess their outputs;
• justify and reflect on creative, economic, and technical decisions in a clear and comprehensible manner.

Prerequisites:

Prior participation in the course Designing Gamified Systems  is recommended.

Method of examination

Portfolio

Lecturer

Prof. Dr. Benedikt Morschheuser

Florian Enders

Course Details und Dates

Announced in VC

Registration

Registration for the course via Virtual Campus (VC):
22.8.-15.09.2026