Video Game Development and Research Laboratory based on the School of IT and Engineering of the Kazakh-British Technical University
Take a free online course “Introduction to Video Games and Gamification” on the Learning Passport platform! Made in collaboration with Unicef.
Team
Alexandra Knysheva
Lab director
a.knysheva@kbtu.kz
Aleksandr Mezin
Lead manager
a.mezin@kbtu.kz
Dmitriy Tuchashvili
Senior researcher
d.tuchashvili@kbtu.kz
Nazym Zhumabayeva
Junior researcher
n.zhumabayeva@kbtu.kz
Almaskhan Baimyshev
Assistant Professor
a.baimyshev@kbtu.kz
Vyacheslav Bairamov
Lecturer
v.bairamov@kbtu.kz
Yuliya Sutchenko
Senior lecturer
y.sutchenko@kbtu.kz
Alexandra Knysheva
Lab director
a.knysheva@kbtu.kz
Aleksandr Mezin
Lead manager
a.mezin@kbtu.kz
Dmitriy Tuchashvili
Senior researcher
d.tuchashvili@kbtu.kz
Nazym Zhumabayeva
Junior researcher
n.zhumabayeva@kbtu.kz
Almaskhan Baimyshev
Assistant Professor
a.baimyshev@kbtu.kz
Vyacheslav Bairamov
Lecturer
v.bairamov@kbtu.kz
Yuliya Sutchenko
Senior lecturer
y.sutchenko@kbtu.kz
Work directions
Organization of open educational events for the game development community
Education
Game projects
mentoring program
Organization of internships and employment for students and graduates
Socially significant activities
Scientific and practical activities
Summer School
A short intensive course on game development is conducted at KBTU.
More than 100 participants in 2022.
Partners: Abertay University, Garena, Wargaming, Epic Games, Meloman MARWIN.
Portfolio
Mentoring Program
Making games happen:
By providing mentorship to student teams, we help them bring their dream games to release.
Currently, 10 teams with games of various genres and platforms are under mentorship.
LEVEL UP
Developed in collaboration with the UNICEF foundation, an online course on gamification and game development.
Over 700 participants in the first batch.
A 3-day marathon for 50 participants at KBTU.
The best project is sponsored and implemented to improve the UniSat course.
Kazakhstan through gamer’s eyes
An impressive gaming zone that combined 7 games about Kazakhstan and other activities that conceptualize Kazakhstan through the prism of video games: 4 computer games, a VR quest, 2 board games, an AR photo zone in the style of “Kazakh cyberpunk.”
An AI-generated images exhibition “If the action of iconic video games took place in Kazakhstan”
The project was realized in November 2023 as part of IT Fest and was featured in leading national media.
Kazakhstan History Quest
Client: kazquest.kz
VR quest on the history of Kazakhstan for the Meta Quest platform
Covers the period from 900 BC to the present day
6 levels with unique puzzles.
Mentoring program
IZ — a 2D RPG game based on Turkish myths and tales, in the setting of 15th century in the Kazakh steppes.
Yes, &? - a detective game in the ART DECO and NOIR style with a combination of 2D and 3D visuals.
Multiverse Arena - a turn-based strategy game inspired by the mechanics of Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition.
The Last Memory - a first-person detective game for PC, set in Almaty during the 1990s.
Looking for a team that's ready to do make diverse and awesome things?
Educational programs
Are you studying at KBTU and want to enroll in our courses? By choosing disciplines from the list below, you can register for them during the Course Registration period or during the Add/Drop week.
Elective courses within the bachelor program
Computer Graphics
Game development
Intro to game design and game development
This is what you should choose if you've always wanted to create games but aren't sure where to start. You will learn about the different departments in a game studio and how they work together, learn to analyze games, and understand what makes them boring or fun.

by Vyacheslav Bairamov
Intro to Narrative design
This course will teach you how to: write an engaging story for your game, come up with an exciting, colorful game world, create profound knowledge, interesting monsters, and vivid characters, even if the game has no story mode.

by Vyacheslav Bairamov
Unreal Engine Basics
This course introduces students to the basics of Unreal Engine 5. As a result of completing the course, students will have three games in different genres and a clear understanding of working in Unreal Engine.

by Almaskhan Baimyshev
Unity Basics
The course is designed to teach students all stages of game creation, from the idea to its implementation in the Unity engine. During the course, students will develop two simple mini-games while learning the basics of the Unity engine.

by Dmitry Tuchashvili
Gamification & Game studies
In this course, we will explore how video games are changing society, education, and business. What is gamification and serious games? This course, containing a theoretical exposition of what video games are, will provide a deeper understanding of what underlies the video game industry: why we play it, why we create it, and why we study it.

by Alexandra Knysheva
Advanced Unity
This course is a continuation of our Unity Basics program and is intended for those who are already familiar with the basics of game creation on Unity. In Advanced Unity, students will deepen their game development knowledge, mastering more complex techniques and tools of the engine. Students will create comprehensive projects that demonstrate their ability to solve high-level complexity tasks in the Unity environment. Successful completion of the Unity Basics course is required before taking this course.

by Dmitry Tuchashvili
Advanced UE5
Advanced UE5 is a continuation of the Unreal Engine Basics course and is designed for those who want to expand their knowledge and skills in working with Unreal Engine 5. This course immerses students in advanced aspects of game development. Throughout the course, students will work on two major projects that will allow them to demonstrate a deep understanding of the power and capabilities of UE5. Successful completion of the Unreal Engine Basics course is required to take this course.

by Almaskhan Baimyshev
Object Modeling
This is the first subject in the track and is intended for beginners in CG. It covers the basics of polygonal modeling on interior objects, game objects (game probes and assets), and locations. It includes creating textures and shaders, studying the basics of PBR texturing for game assets, and Hand Painted techniques. Techniques for lighting objects and scenes are also covered. The course includes exporting and importing ready models into the Unity game engine, as well as interior rendering in Autodesk Maya Arnold.

by Yuliya Sutchenko
3D Character design
This course involves the main process of creating a 3D character, from modeling and texturing to animating the character using Autodesk Maya software. Students will start by developing their characters, modeling them in 3D programs, creating their UV maps, using programs like 3D coat and Substance Painter to create textures, then setting up the character, which includes rigging and skinning, and afterwards, they will learn to animate characters for cartoons or games. By the end of the course, students will be able to create short animated clips with their characters. Additionally, students will learn how to use and export animated characters into the Unity game engine.

by Yuliya Sutchenko
AR / VR
The course program covers the entire project, from developing ideas to supporting the completed stages of AR or VR products. Students will learn how the VR and AR technology market works, how to manage project documentation, try their hand at developing VR applications and art for them. The learning process is structured just like the actual production of AR, VR projects. Initially, students will analyze several cases and learn how to form ideas directly for client tasks. Then, they will start creating their AR, VR programs and try their hand at developing and programming parts. By the end of the course, participants will have their own AR or VR project.

by Yuliya Sutchenko
VFX
The "Visual Effects" subject involves studying three-dimensional physics, such as explosions, dynamics, modeling of fabrics, and water. Students will learn how to model real physics in a three-dimensional world using Autodesk Maya, plugins, and programming scripts in MEL and Python language.

by Yuliya Sutchenko
Filmmaking
This subject covers the post-production stage of video, assembling rendered frame sequences, video editing, combining real shooting with 3D graphics and VFX effects, and creating 2D animation. The course content consists of the main process of creating videos and working with frames, such as green screen or 3D tracking. By the end of the course, students will be able to create popular video clips and animation with motion graphics.

by Yuliya Sutchenko
Diploma project
You can write your diploma project on the topic of development and research of video games at KBTU.
Master's track in game development
Based on the Master's Program in 'Software Engineering'
Accelerated Unity Game Engine
This course covers all the main features of the Unity engine, as well as C# programming principles necessary for game creation. Students will start by adding features to existing projects, helping them learn the structure and workflow used in the real industry. Studying the principles of computer graphics, they will optimize their games, opening more opportunities for creative level design. Object-oriented programming aspects, SOLID principles, and several design patterns will be applied to create complex systems and game architecture. Students will create their own projects, covering all stages of game development - from concept development to game publication.

by Dmitry Tuchashvili
Accelerated Unreal Engine
This course aims to familiarize students with game development on the Unreal Engine (UE 5). From the basics to more advanced topics, this accelerated course will give students a complete understanding of UE5, including working with the editor, using built-in systems and components of UE5, and programming in Blueprints. By the end of the course, students will be proficient in Unreal Engine and complete two game projects to add to their portfolio.

by Almaskhan Baimyshev
Game engines architecture
The aim of this course is to reveal the inner workings of a game engine. Students will become acquainted with all the systems (such as the graphics engine, file system, input system) that together constitute a typical game engine and enable a game to run. Theoretical foundations of engine systems and processes will be reinforced with practical examples in Unreal Engine and Unity3D. By the end of the course, students will have a complete understanding of how a game engine works.

by Almaskhan Baimyshev
Game programming patterns
Creating a video game is a complex and daunting task. While assembling a prototype to test a game idea is relatively easy, refining and polishing that game is no trivial matter. As the size of games increases, their complexity grows exponentially. To keep complexity at levels manageable by the human brain, certain techniques and practices (also known as patterns) unique to game development can significantly simplify the development process. This course will cover various game programming patterns that ease game development. By the end of the course, students will comfortably use these patterns, and have two game projects to add to their resume.

by Almaskhan Baimyshev
XR (AR/VR)
This course will cover the basic principles and tools used for creating augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applications. Studying AR, students will learn how marker-based and markerless systems work, create masks using face tracking, and develop several projects with interactive and non-interactive elements. The VR part will focus on the features and potential pitfalls of immersion.

by Dmitry Tuchashvili
Master's thesis
You can write your master's thesis on the topic of development and research of video games at KBTU.
Game systems programming
This course is devoted to a range of systems and tools widely used in game development. Some, like procedural generation and animation tools, are useful during the development stage. Others, like multiplayer and artificial intelligence, help make the game more varied and engaging. There are many ways to create such systems, and this course will explore some of them. Throughout the semester, students will gain insights into these systems and implement them in a game project. The course is based on Unreal Engine.

by Almaskhan Baimyshev
Game graphics programming
This course is dedicated to one of the most critical technical aspects of computer games - rendering graphics. Students will learn all stages of various rendering pipelines, the advantages and limitations of programs written for GPU computations. Creating custom shaders using HLSL, Shaders, and Shader Graph in Unity engine, they will control how lighting affects scene objects. Creative use of color mathematics will help students achieve realistic and stylized image effects. Understanding how graphics work will open new ways to optimize games for different platforms.

by Dmitry Tuchashvili
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Almaty, Tole bi street 59 (KBTU), 47 auditorium