Grad Students Lead RISD Wintersession Course Exploring Video Games as Artistic Expression

A new Wintersession course offered by the Digital + Media department invited students to step into the world of video games not just as players, but as artists and makers. Taught by grad students Annie Hu MFA 26 DM and River Wang MFA 26 DM, the course allowed students to build their own video games from concept to play. 

The course explored video games as an artistic medium, emphasizing how gameplay mechanics and player behavior work together to create immersive experiences. Hu’s motivation for creating the class with Wang came from a personal connection. “I am a gamer, and I always wanted to design games that immerse players into a world that I built,” she says.

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The class worked with a range of game engine tools such as Unity and p5.js. Students were encouraged to go beyond traditional input methods like keyboards, mice, and game controllers to expand the possibilities of gameplay experiences. Their work generated new ways of thinking about storytelling, especially because the students normally work in a wide range of disciplines. “It’s a different medium from film or painting or animation,” Wang explains. “They might have a background in that, but here they can think about how video games tell a story and encourage specific player behaviors.”  

In addition to technical skills, the course walked students through game theory and the inner workings of classic games like those in the Super Mario series. Workshops allowed students to modify existing game files to help them grasp core mechanics like movement and collecting items. At the end of the term, the class tested the games their friends developed and offered feedback. 

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Molly Zhang MDes 26 created a game in which players were tasked with cooking a dish tailored to meet each customer’s needs. Customers offered clues such as “I’m freezing today … I need something warm,” prompting players to select two ingredients and a seasoning that best fit the situation. Using the mouse, players dragged ingredient cards into a pan and waited to see if they had satisfied the customer. Feedback from players noted that while it was sometimes difficult to interpret the customers’ demands, the overall concept was engaging and enjoyable.

A game by Jin Yu 26 SC, Road Island, took inspiration from Tetris. Players had 90 seconds to place blocks onto a map of Rhode Island, aiming to create as many closed, connected squares as possible. Testers described the game as fun and intuitive and suggested that a larger map could enhance the experience. 

Hu says that co-teaching the course was an exciting opportunity. “We used this course as a way to teach ideas about workflow and learned a lot about what gaming means to the class.”

Kaylee Pugliese
February 12, 2026