A mosaic of videogames discussed in VG101 - from Pong to Elden Ring

VG101: Videogames 101

A videogame design text of Gesture + Aesthetic Heritage.

This knowledge base teaches videogame design as its own medium - not borrowed film theory, not programming-first, but videogames as a medium of action with a wide variety of inherited craft traditions. It is built around a single idea: every moment of play is a Gesture, and every Gesture carries an Aesthetic Heritage.

Start with Gesture →

Core Framework

Gesture The surface area of contact between player and videogame.

The 4 A's Action, Art, Arc, Atmosphere - what compose a Gesture.

Aesthetic Heritage Where the choices in each A come from. The lineage.

Permissions What the videogame allows, requires, and forbids.

Explore the Knowledge Base

Foundations 4 pages

What makes a videogame, the weekly rhythm, player psychology, and the design lens.

Narrative 5 pages

Environmental storytelling, branching and consequence, dialogue systems, ludonarrative harmony.

Level Design 5 pages

Spatial communication, pacing and flow, guidance without hand-holding, verticality and sight lines.

Systems 5 pages

Economy and resources, progression systems, balance philosophy, emergent behavior.

Pedagogy 7 pages

Play-Name-Make-Reflect, why Unity, the final project, debugging as literacy, accessibility as craft.

Code Bank 11 pages

Unity C# recipes: jumps, dashes, coyote time, input buffers, hitstop, screen shake, and more.

Case Studies 7 pages

Celeste's dash and assist mode, Dark Souls bonfire, Hades god mode, Portal level one, Undertale genocide.

Glossary & References 2 pages

Key terms, definitions, and the books, papers, and talks behind VG101.

Philosophy

Accessibility is craft, not compliance. Good design is accessible design. The curb cut effect applies.

Debugging is literacy. Understanding why things break makes you a better designer.

Code is material. Like clay or paint - it has properties, resistances, possibilities.

Videogames are neither just products nor just art. They are both and neither. The best creations know this.

How to Read This Text

Every page in the Knowledge Base uses three collapsible registers. Open the ones that match your needs.

Practice What students do. Hands-on exercises, prompts, and activities. Open by default.

Craft What educators understand. Teaching sequence, common misconceptions, assessment.

Theory Deeper grounding. References, philosophy, unresolved questions.