Course Introduction

Install Unity Software

In this introductory Unit, you will be introduced to the course, then you will download and install the Unity software.

Getting Started

Unit 1 - Introduction

Lesson 1.1 - Start your 3D Engines

Lesson 1.2 - Pedal to the Metal

Lesson 1.3 - High Speed Chase

Lesson 1.4 - Step into the Driver's Seat

Challenge 1 - Plane Programming

Lab 1 - Project Design Document

Unit 2 - Introduction

Lesson 2.1 - Player Positioning

Lesson 2.2 - Food Flight

Lesson 2.3 - Random Animal Stampede

Lesson 2.4 - Collision Decisions

Challenge 2 - Play Fetch

Lab 2 - New Project with Primitives 

Unit 3 - Introduction

Lesson 3.1 - Jump Force

Lesson 3.2 - Make the World Whiz By

Lesson 3.3 - Don't Just Stand There

Lesson 3.4 - Particles and Sound Effects

Challenge 3 - Balloons, Bombs, & Booleans

Lab 3 - Player Control

Unit 4 - Introduction

Lesson 4.1 - Watch Where You’re Going

Lesson 4.2 - Follow the Player

Lesson 4.3 - PowerUp and CountDown

Lesson 4.4 - For-Loops For Waves

Challenge 4 - Soccer Scripting

Lab 4 - Basic Gameplay

Unit 5 - Introduction

Lesson 5.1 - Clicky Mouse

Lesson 5.2 - Keeping Score

Lesson 5.3 - Game Over

Lesson 5.4 - What’s the Difficulty?

Challenge 5 - Whack-a-Food

Lab 5 - Swap out your Assets

Next Steps - Introduction

Lesson 6.1 - Project Optimization

Lesson 6.2 - Research and Troubleshooting

Lesson 6.3 - Sharing your Projects

ECS Survival Guide

Quiz 1

Quiz 2

Quiz 3

Quiz 4

Quiz 5

Lesson 1.1 - Start your 3D Engines 

In this Unit, you will program a car moving side-to-side on a floating road, trying to avoid (or hit) obstacles in the way. In addition to becoming familiar with the Unity editor and workflow, you will learn how to create new C# scripts and do some simple programming. By the end of the Unit, you will be able to call basic functions, then declare and tweak new variables to modify the results of those functions. 

Unit 1 - Player Control

Lab 2 - New Project with Primitives

In this Unit, you will program a top-down game with the objective of throwing food to hungry animals - who are stampeding towards you - before they can run past you. In order to do this, you will become much more familiar with some of the most important programming and Unity concepts, including if-then statements, random value generation, arrays, collision detection, prefabs, and instantiation. In completing this Unit, you will learn how to program a basic game with the ability to launch projectiles and maneuver the player to keep the game alive. 

Unit 2 - Basic Gameplay

Lesson 3.1 - Jump Force 

In this Unit, you will program a fast-paced endless side-scrolling runner game where the player needs to time jumps over oncoming obstacles to avoid crashing. In creating this prototype, you will learn how to add music and sound effects, completely transforming the experience of your projects. You will also learn how to create dynamic endless repeating backgrounds, which are critical for any side-scrolling games. Finally, you will learn to incorporate particle effects like splatters and explosions, which make your games so much more satisfying to play.  

Unit 3 - Sound and Effects

In this Unit, you will program an arcade-style Sumo battle with the objective of knocking increasingly difficult waves of enemies off of a floating island, using power ups to help defeat them. In creating this prototype, you will learn how to implement new gameplay mechanics into your projects, which are new rules or systems that make the game more interesting to play. On one hand, you will learn to program a powerup, which give the player a temporary advantage. On the other hand, you will learn to program increasingly difficult enemy waves, which make survival more challenging for the player. A good balance of powerups and increasing difficulty make for a much more interesting gameplay experience.  

Unit 4 - Gameplay Mechanics

In this Unit, you will program a game to test the player’s reflexes, where the goal is to click and destroy objects randomly tossed in the air before they can fall off the screen. In creating this prototype, you will learn how to implement a User Interface - or UI - into your projects. You will add a title screen with a difficulty select menu that will control how challenging the gameplay is, you will add a score display that will track how many points the player has earned, and you will add a Game Over screen, which will allow the player to restart and try again. In learning these skills, you will be able to create a fully “playable” experience that the user can enjoy from start to finish without having to restart the application to try it again. 

Unit 5 - User Interface

In this final Unit, you will prepare to continue developing your Unity and C# skills independently, including learning how to complete your personal project and how to prepare for the Unity Certified User: Programming exam, which you can take through your school program.

Next Steps

Syllabus.pdf

Scope and Sequence.pdf

Standards Alignment.pdf

Create with Code - All Lesson Plans.pdf

In this introductory course, students will use Unity to learn the fundamentals of programming in the context of creating their own projects. During the course, they will create several prototypes along with the instructor, manage a larger personal project more independently, and complete challenges and quizzes along the way to solidify and expand their new knowledge. The skills that they learn will align with the learning objectives from the Unity Certified User exam, providing them with a foundational understanding of Unity and C# programming, preparing them for certification. In addition to these core technical competencies, students will learn how to manage a project from start to finish: coming up with a concept, creating a project plan, prioritizing tasks, and hitting milestones. By the end of the course, students will have the confidence that, given enough time and resources, they can create anything they want with Unity and C#. 

In this official course from Unity, you will learn to Create with Code as you program your own exciting projects from scratch in C#. As you iterate with prototypes, tackle programming challenges, complete quizzes, and develop your own personal project, you will transform from an absolute beginner to a capable Unity developer. By the end of the course - if you are completing it through a school program - you will also be ready to put your skills to the test on the Unity Certified User Programmer Exam. Most importantly, though, when you complete this course, you will have the confidence that you can Create with Code. 

3D assets for this course were generously provided by our partner, Synty Studios, and are not for commercial use. If you would like to use any of the 3D assets from this course in commercial projects, please purchase one of the asset packs from Synty Studios’ 

Educators who want to bring this curriculum into their classroom should complete the short 

If you'd like to use any of the 3D assets from this course in commercial projects, please purchase one of the asset packs from 

Unity Student and Educator Plan users get a 20% discount at the Unity Asset Store.

 Once you’re verified as a student or educator, you'll receive a unique code via email that you can apply at checkout. You can use the code up to 100 times!