Instructor Spotlight

Tim Samoff

Professor
Azusa Pacific University

With over 30 years in game, UX, interactive, and web design, Tim Samoff has designed and produced more than 40 games and numerous digital media projects. He earned a BFA in Experimental Animation from the California Institute of the Arts and an MFA in Interactive Design and Game Development from the Savannah College of Art and Design. After creating a successful game design program as a professor at Moorpark College, he now leads the Games & Interactive Media bachelor’s program at Azusa Pacific University.

Course: GAME 101 – Game Development Process

An introductory survey of the video game industry and several game production processes – including game design tools and techniques, game development terminology, industry roles, idea brainstorming, prototyping, and pitching.

Why Game Development Essentials:

When I developed my first “intro to game design” course, I was astounded by how aligned it was with the Game Development Essentials book. Over the years, as the book has evolved through its editions, I have retained it as a core component of this type of course. It is the perfect survey of the game industry as a whole and includes many subjects that are “essential” for burgeoning game designers. One of the things I love best about the textbook is that it allows me to teach a little deeper into the weeds while the students are able to get all of the surface materials through their reading. This allows the course to cover twice as much content as I would normally be able to teach without it.

Favorite Game(s):

I love Valve games. Portal 2 is probably my favorite out of the bunch, although I have a very soft spot for the original Half-Life. Currently, I’m obsessed with leveling up all of my minis in Warcraft Rumble on mobile.