SMU Guildhall
@smuguildhall.bsky.social
Game Changers Since 2003 | Recognized as one of the first and best grad schools for game development, SMU Guildhall's Master's-level programs offer specialized training in game art, design, production, and programming.
www.smu.edu/guildhall
www.smu.edu/guildhall
Join us for this year’s TGP1 Open Beta Playtest Day! November 13th, 10am-12:30pm
Location: Students will have multiple booths set up at SMU Hughes-Trigg Student Center & Fondren Library. See more location details at cglink.me/2vb/r391143.
Location: Students will have multiple booths set up at SMU Hughes-Trigg Student Center & Fondren Library. See more location details at cglink.me/2vb/r391143.
November 10, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Join us for this year’s TGP1 Open Beta Playtest Day! November 13th, 10am-12:30pm
Location: Students will have multiple booths set up at SMU Hughes-Trigg Student Center & Fondren Library. See more location details at cglink.me/2vb/r391143.
Location: Students will have multiple booths set up at SMU Hughes-Trigg Student Center & Fondren Library. See more location details at cglink.me/2vb/r391143.
It’s been such a busy awesome week at SMU Guildhall, we nearly forgot to show you the great student and faculty Halloween costumes from this year! 👏🏅💯
November 7, 2025 at 7:02 PM
It’s been such a busy awesome week at SMU Guildhall, we nearly forgot to show you the great student and faculty Halloween costumes from this year! 👏🏅💯
Greatly enjoyed hosting Borderlands 4 creators from Gearbox Software yesterday, who discussed what it takes to bring a AAA title to life and lessons learned. Panelists included Guildhall alumni Mario Rodriguez, Taylor McCart, Stephen Northcut, Emily Zhang, Ronald Wang, Derek Holson & Brooke Smith.
November 6, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Greatly enjoyed hosting Borderlands 4 creators from Gearbox Software yesterday, who discussed what it takes to bring a AAA title to life and lessons learned. Panelists included Guildhall alumni Mario Rodriguez, Taylor McCart, Stephen Northcut, Emily Zhang, Ronald Wang, Derek Holson & Brooke Smith.
Explore a dreamlike world and the imagination of SMU Guildhall alumna Anona Yang in The Falling Star—a short, narrative-driven walking simulator adventure. To celebrate 2,000 downloads, DLC content drops tomorrow (Oct 9). Learn more about the game and DLC: www.smu.edu/guildhall/ne...
The Falling Star DLC Release
Explore a dreamlike world and the magical imagination and talent of SMU Guildhall alumna Anona Yang in 2025 Steam release, The Falling Star—a short, narrative-driven walking simulator adventure.
www.smu.edu
October 8, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Explore a dreamlike world and the imagination of SMU Guildhall alumna Anona Yang in The Falling Star—a short, narrative-driven walking simulator adventure. To celebrate 2,000 downloads, DLC content drops tomorrow (Oct 9). Learn more about the game and DLC: www.smu.edu/guildhall/ne...
Ropes Course Day: Every new Guildhall cohort participates in a team building day to learn more about each other early in the semester and to build their teamwork and communication skills through a variety of fun and challenging activities. This year, the Cohort 35 event took place at Group Dynamix.
September 18, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Ropes Course Day: Every new Guildhall cohort participates in a team building day to learn more about each other early in the semester and to build their teamwork and communication skills through a variety of fun and challenging activities. This year, the Cohort 35 event took place at Group Dynamix.
Alumni Highlight: ✨ Cohort 32’s Emily Zhang, Systems Designer at @gearboxofficial.bsky.social, was interviewed by @aapiingaming.bsky.social on breaking into and navigating the industry, with perspectives and insights as an Asian woman in Games. Listen in: youtu.be/1HFok8aCXgg?...
AAPI in Gaming with Emily Zhang from Gearbox Software
YouTube video by AAPI In Gaming
youtu.be
September 17, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Alumni Highlight: ✨ Cohort 32’s Emily Zhang, Systems Designer at @gearboxofficial.bsky.social, was interviewed by @aapiingaming.bsky.social on breaking into and navigating the industry, with perspectives and insights as an Asian woman in Games. Listen in: youtu.be/1HFok8aCXgg?...
A few more snaps from Inauguration 🌟
• Faculty at Inauguration: Dr. Aleshia Hayes, Joowon MacDowell, Dr. Emily Choi, Dr. Elizabeth Stringer
• Photos in Inauguration Ceremony feature Guildhall Faulty Myque Ouellette & Dr. Corey Clark
• Guests play Guildhall games at Ford Hall Open House Tour
• Faculty at Inauguration: Dr. Aleshia Hayes, Joowon MacDowell, Dr. Emily Choi, Dr. Elizabeth Stringer
• Photos in Inauguration Ceremony feature Guildhall Faulty Myque Ouellette & Dr. Corey Clark
• Guests play Guildhall games at Ford Hall Open House Tour
September 15, 2025 at 7:24 PM
A few more snaps from Inauguration 🌟
• Faculty at Inauguration: Dr. Aleshia Hayes, Joowon MacDowell, Dr. Emily Choi, Dr. Elizabeth Stringer
• Photos in Inauguration Ceremony feature Guildhall Faulty Myque Ouellette & Dr. Corey Clark
• Guests play Guildhall games at Ford Hall Open House Tour
• Faculty at Inauguration: Dr. Aleshia Hayes, Joowon MacDowell, Dr. Emily Choi, Dr. Elizabeth Stringer
• Photos in Inauguration Ceremony feature Guildhall Faulty Myque Ouellette & Dr. Corey Clark
• Guests play Guildhall games at Ford Hall Open House Tour
A huge congrats to our friends and alumni at @gearboxofficial.bsky.social on the launch of Borderlands 4 🤩 Everyone featured in this photo are Guildhall alumni that contributed on the title. Incredible! So very proud of you all. 👏
#gamedev
#gamedev
September 13, 2025 at 7:23 PM
A huge congrats to our friends and alumni at @gearboxofficial.bsky.social on the launch of Borderlands 4 🤩 Everyone featured in this photo are Guildhall alumni that contributed on the title. Incredible! So very proud of you all. 👏
#gamedev
#gamedev
Happy National Video Game Day from SMU Guildhall! Here’s to all our students, alumni, faculty, and industry friends around the world who work to bring video games to life everyday. You rock!
#gamedev
#gamedev
September 12, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Happy National Video Game Day from SMU Guildhall! Here’s to all our students, alumni, faculty, and industry friends around the world who work to bring video games to life everyday. You rock!
#gamedev
#gamedev
We are excited for the Inauguration of SMU President Jay Hartzell today! We welcome all Inauguration guests to join us in Ford Hall until noon today to tour SMU Guildhall and learn about our game development program.
September 12, 2025 at 3:16 PM
We are excited for the Inauguration of SMU President Jay Hartzell today! We welcome all Inauguration guests to join us in Ford Hall until noon today to tour SMU Guildhall and learn about our game development program.
Pick your player in HardDriverz, a student-made racer now on Steam!
• Bellina: a timeless classic
• Echo: for a funky beat
• Tami: + virtual companions
• Troller: for the thrill-seeker
Customize your kart and get ready to battle 🏎️ So… Who do you pick? 💬🥇
• Bellina: a timeless classic
• Echo: for a funky beat
• Tami: + virtual companions
• Troller: for the thrill-seeker
Customize your kart and get ready to battle 🏎️ So… Who do you pick? 💬🥇
August 28, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Pick your player in HardDriverz, a student-made racer now on Steam!
• Bellina: a timeless classic
• Echo: for a funky beat
• Tami: + virtual companions
• Troller: for the thrill-seeker
Customize your kart and get ready to battle 🏎️ So… Who do you pick? 💬🥇
• Bellina: a timeless classic
• Echo: for a funky beat
• Tami: + virtual companions
• Troller: for the thrill-seeker
Customize your kart and get ready to battle 🏎️ So… Who do you pick? 💬🥇
SMU Guildhall student research investigates LLMs to create more realistic NPCs. Learn more below! #ganedev
SMU PhD student Jake Klinkert is testing LLMs to create non-playable characters that act and respond more like real people. Klinkert and colleagues found GPT-4 achieved 73.98% accuracy in maintaining consistent personality traits.
www.smu.edu/news/researc...
www.smu.edu/news/researc...
August 27, 2025 at 3:03 AM
SMU Guildhall student research investigates LLMs to create more realistic NPCs. Learn more below! #ganedev
Burn rubber across futuristic gravity-defying tracks in this competitive arcade racer! HardDriverz is FREE on #Steam 🏎️🏁🎮 store.steampowered.com/app/3533890/... 💬 Already played? Tell us in comments: what’s your fave terrain?🥇 Neon Circuit City, hilly Android Arena, or iridescent Disc Drive? #gamedev
August 26, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Burn rubber across futuristic gravity-defying tracks in this competitive arcade racer! HardDriverz is FREE on #Steam 🏎️🏁🎮 store.steampowered.com/app/3533890/... 💬 Already played? Tell us in comments: what’s your fave terrain?🥇 Neon Circuit City, hilly Android Arena, or iridescent Disc Drive? #gamedev
This past Fri-Sat we kicked off Fall semester with Orientation & GameJam for our new Master’s #gamedev students. It’s fun to see what students come up with at GameJam as they create games in just one day of creative collaboration.
#gamedeveducation #gamedesign #gamedesignschool #gamedesignstudent
#gamedeveducation #gamedesign #gamedesignschool #gamedesignstudent
August 25, 2025 at 6:11 PM
This past Fri-Sat we kicked off Fall semester with Orientation & GameJam for our new Master’s #gamedev students. It’s fun to see what students come up with at GameJam as they create games in just one day of creative collaboration.
#gamedeveducation #gamedesign #gamedesignschool #gamedesignstudent
#gamedeveducation #gamedesign #gamedesignschool #gamedesignstudent
Listen in: SMU Guildhall alum @lizardengland.bsky.social (C7, ‘08) revisits her 2014 blog on “The Door Problem of Game Design” which poses a simple, practical response to the question “What does a game designer do?” We love her perspective, and getting to celebrate our alums!
#gamedev #smu
#gamedev #smu
This week @lizaardengland.bsky.social joins us to explain why she organizes books by color, not author name. Oh and we talk about game design. Eventually.
Revisiting The Door Problem With Liz England
This week on the Game Developer Podcast, game designer Liz England joins us to look back on her famous 2014 blog post 'The Door Problem.'
www.gamedeveloper.com
August 25, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Listen in: SMU Guildhall alum @lizardengland.bsky.social (C7, ‘08) revisits her 2014 blog on “The Door Problem of Game Design” which poses a simple, practical response to the question “What does a game designer do?” We love her perspective, and getting to celebrate our alums!
#gamedev #smu
#gamedev #smu
Play & celebrate with us as we launch HardDriverz on #steam today (8/23) at 12pm CT! bit.ly/3Vd4h52 Compete against AI racers through six twisty, futuristic and gravity-defying tracks down iridescent roads, wasteland dunes & a neon-lit cyberscape. #gamedev
August 23, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Play & celebrate with us as we launch HardDriverz on #steam today (8/23) at 12pm CT! bit.ly/3Vd4h52 Compete against AI racers through six twisty, futuristic and gravity-defying tracks down iridescent roads, wasteland dunes & a neon-lit cyberscape. #gamedev
Welcome to SMU Guildhall, Cohort 35! Take a peek around your new home in Ford Hall. We are so happy you’re here with us at @smudallas. 🎮🎉
#smuorientation2025 #ponyup #mustangmomentum #smu
#smuorientation2025 #ponyup #mustangmomentum #smu
August 22, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Welcome to SMU Guildhall, Cohort 35! Take a peek around your new home in Ford Hall. We are so happy you’re here with us at @smudallas. 🎮🎉
#smuorientation2025 #ponyup #mustangmomentum #smu
#smuorientation2025 #ponyup #mustangmomentum #smu
Coming to #steam 8/23: HardDriverz—a twisty, futuristic, gravity-defying arcade racing game. Design your kart and compete against friends down iridescent roads, wasteland dunes, and a neon-lit cyberscape.
youtu.be/zH9_BnfFSh8?...
youtu.be/zH9_BnfFSh8?...
HardDriverz Gameplay Trailer
YouTube video by SMU Guildhall
youtu.be
August 19, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Coming to #steam 8/23: HardDriverz—a twisty, futuristic, gravity-defying arcade racing game. Design your kart and compete against friends down iridescent roads, wasteland dunes, and a neon-lit cyberscape.
youtu.be/zH9_BnfFSh8?...
youtu.be/zH9_BnfFSh8?...
Coming Soon! HardDriverz, by Cohort 34. Burn rubber across futuristic cityscapes on twisting gravity defying tracks with customizable karts in this competitive arcade racer!
Wishlist to be alerted when it's released: store.steampowered.com/app/3533890/...
Wishlist to be alerted when it's released: store.steampowered.com/app/3533890/...
HardDriverz on Steam
Burn rubber across futuristic cityscapes on twisting gravity defying tracks with customizable karts in this competitive arcade racer!
store.steampowered.com
August 15, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Coming Soon! HardDriverz, by Cohort 34. Burn rubber across futuristic cityscapes on twisting gravity defying tracks with customizable karts in this competitive arcade racer!
Wishlist to be alerted when it's released: store.steampowered.com/app/3533890/...
Wishlist to be alerted when it's released: store.steampowered.com/app/3533890/...
Congrats to the development team at id Software on their recent launch of "Doom: The Dark Ages", including SMU Guildhall alumni Evan Eubanks, Matt Grabowski, Ryan Moncrief, Eliana Gargiulo, Robert Hicks, Tim Herrmann, Weylan Wang, and Danni Liang.
May 24, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Congrats to the development team at id Software on their recent launch of "Doom: The Dark Ages", including SMU Guildhall alumni Evan Eubanks, Matt Grabowski, Ryan Moncrief, Eliana Gargiulo, Robert Hicks, Tim Herrmann, Weylan Wang, and Danni Liang.
A few snaps from the 2025 Diploma Ceremony and Reception for the SMU Guildhall graduate program for game development. More photos to come!
#gamedev #careersingames #gaming #gamedeveducation #ponyup #smu #classof2025
#gamedev #careersingames #gaming #gamedeveducation #ponyup #smu #classof2025
May 19, 2025 at 8:39 PM
A few snaps from the 2025 Diploma Ceremony and Reception for the SMU Guildhall graduate program for game development. More photos to come!
#gamedev #careersingames #gaming #gamedeveducation #ponyup #smu #classof2025
#gamedev #careersingames #gaming #gamedeveducation #ponyup #smu #classof2025
Congratulations, 2025 graduates 🎉🎓 You did it! Your SMU Guildhall faculty and staff are so proud of all you accomplished in your time here. Onward and upward! Keep in touch, we’d love to learn about all you do from here. 🎮
#smu #ponyup #classof2025 #gamedev
#smu #ponyup #classof2025 #gamedev
May 17, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Congratulations, 2025 graduates 🎉🎓 You did it! Your SMU Guildhall faculty and staff are so proud of all you accomplished in your time here. Onward and upward! Keep in touch, we’d love to learn about all you do from here. 🎮
#smu #ponyup #classof2025 #gamedev
#smu #ponyup #classof2025 #gamedev
Reposted by SMU Guildhall
🎙️ My conversation with The Dig lead dev and @smuguildhall.bsky.social director Gary Brubaker is now available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!
creators.spotify.com...
🎥 You can also watch it on YouTube!
youtu.be/2ySEgMwL-EM
creators.spotify.com...
🎥 You can also watch it on YouTube!
youtu.be/2ySEgMwL-EM
May 12, 2025 at 4:24 PM
🎙️ My conversation with The Dig lead dev and @smuguildhall.bsky.social director Gary Brubaker is now available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!
creators.spotify.com...
🎥 You can also watch it on YouTube!
youtu.be/2ySEgMwL-EM
creators.spotify.com...
🎥 You can also watch it on YouTube!
youtu.be/2ySEgMwL-EM
Congrats to our 2025 Master’s graduating candidates who presented their Thesis work today at our annual Thesis Exhibition, and thank you to all of our guests who attended! Check out our 2025 Catalog to learn more about these projects and more: joom.ag/1Ysd
May 9, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Congrats to our 2025 Master’s graduating candidates who presented their Thesis work today at our annual Thesis Exhibition, and thank you to all of our guests who attended! Check out our 2025 Catalog to learn more about these projects and more: joom.ag/1Ysd
Our 2025 Catalog featuring the game development work of our graduating candidates is now live. The catalog includes students' independent Theses and Directed Focus Studies, as well as Cohort 33's published Team Games. Check it out! joom.ag/1Ysd
2025 SMU Guildhall Graduate Catalog
A compilation of SMU Guildhall's 2025 graduate students' work in game development including individual Master's Thesis and Directed Focus Study projects, as well as C33 capstone team games
joom.ag
May 8, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Our 2025 Catalog featuring the game development work of our graduating candidates is now live. The catalog includes students' independent Theses and Directed Focus Studies, as well as Cohort 33's published Team Games. Check it out! joom.ag/1Ysd