International Game Developers Association

Full name:

Games Education
Course

Contents 1 Teachers 1.1 Instructors 1.2 Guest speakers 2 Course Background Information 2.1 Location 2.2 Classification 2.3 Student background needed 2.4 Course prerequisites 2.5 Time periods 3 Course Structure 3.1 Course description 3.2 Course learning objectives 3.3 Week by week topics 4 Course Materials & Facilities Used 5 Analysis of learning methods 5.1 What worked 5.2 What didn't work

Teachers

Instructors

• Alex Mitchell
• Kevin McGee

Guest speakers

• Name of guest here

Course Background Information

Location

Communications and New Media Programme, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, National University of Singapore, http://www.fas.nus.edu.sg/cnm

Classification

See: Areas for classifing for your course.

Primary classification:

• Game criticism
• Experience of play
• Conceptual game design

Secondary classification:

• Practical game design
• Game programming

Student background needed

Talk about what educational background students need, if any

Course prerequisites

NUS NM3216 Game Design I

Time periods

Offered in semester 1 each year; 3 hours of seminar/week

Course Structure

Course description

Building on the concepts covered in NM3216 Game Design I, this module looks in detail at the issues involved in designing and developing computer games. Students will be exposed to the latest academic research in the areas of game design theory and critical game studies. Students will also gain hands-on experience with game design, development and project management through project-based learning, which will expose them to the various skills and responsibilities required within a commercial game development project.

Course learning objectives

The aim of this module is to expose students to the latest academic research in the areas of game design theory and critical game studies. Students will also gain hands-on experience with game design, development and project management through project-based learning.

Upon completion of this module, students will

1. Have an understanding of the areas of games and gameplay which academics and game researchers are currently investigating, and be aware of the latest issues and theories;
2. Be exposed to the various skills and responsibilities required within a game development project;
3. Understand how to work effectively within a multidisciplinary game project team;
4. Understand game project management and the game development pipeline; and
5. Understand game development in the local and global context.

Week by week topics

Week 1: Introduction
Topics

• Introduction to module and discussion of goals and expectations

Readings
No readings

Week 2: The Game Industry
Topics

• Structure of the game industry, the game studio and the game team; Publishers, contracts, IP; The state of the local game industry; Issues: Quality of life, outsourcing and globalization

Readings

1. Fullerton, Swain and Hoffman, “Chapter 12: Team Structures”, in Game Design Workshop: Designing, Prototyping and Playtesting Games, CMP Books, 2004, p. 318-346.
2. Fullerton, Swain and Hoffman, “Chapter 15: Understanding the Game Industry”, in Game Design Workshop: Designing, Prototyping and Playtesting Games, CMP Books, 2004, p. 389-415.

Week 3: Innovation and styles of play
Topics

• Concept development, games and innovation, brainstorming and idea generation

Readings

1. Costikyan, Greg, “Game Styles, Innovation, and New Audiences: An Historical View”, in Proceedings of DiGRA 2005 Conference: Changing Views – Worlds in Play, http://www.gamesconference.org/digra2005/viewabstract.php?id=6, accessed 19 July 2006.
2. DeKoven, B., “Changing the Game”, in The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology, Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman, eds., MIT Press, 2005, p. 518-537.

Week 4: From idea to design
Topics

• Going from idea to detailed design, the game design document, introduction to Gamemaker

Readings

1. Fullerton, Swain and Hoffman, “Chapter 14: The Design Document”, in Game Design Workshop: Designing, Prototyping and Playtesting Games, CMP Books, 2004, p. 370-388.
2. Ryan, Tim, “The Anatomy of a Design Document, Part 1: Documentation Guidelines for the Game Concept and Proposal”, in Gamasutra, 19 October 1999, http://www.gamasutra.com/features/19991019/ryan_01.htm, accessed 20 July 2006.
3. Ryan, Tim, “The Anatomy of a Design Document, Part 2: Documentation Guidelines for Functional and Technical Specifications”, in Gamasutra, 17 December 1999, http://www.gamasutra.com/features/19991217/ryan_01.htm, accessed 6 September 2006.

Week 5: Process and Project Management
Topics

• Game dev process, team management, scheduling and costing, asset management, automation and versioning, deadlines and crunchtime

Readings

1. Fullerton, Swain and Hoffman, “Chapter 13: Stages of Development”, in Game Design Workshop: Designing, Prototyping and Playtesting Games, CMP Books, 2004, p. 347-369.

Note: from week 6 onwards, students lead discussions of research papers

Week 6: Approaches to game design
Topics

• Design patterns, dramatic gameplay, player-created content, case studies

Readings (for research paper)

1. Bjork and Holpainen, “Game and Design Patterns”, in The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology, Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman, eds., MIT Press, 2005, p. 410-437.
2. LeBlanc , M., “Tools for Creating Dramatic Game Dynamics”, in The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology, Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman, eds., MIT Press, 2005, p. 438-459.
3. Robinett, Warren, “Adventure as a Video Game: Adventure for the Atari 2600”, in The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology, Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman, eds., MIT Press, 2005, p. 690-713.
4. Garfield , Richard, “The Design Evolution of Magic: The Gathering”, in The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology, Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman, eds., MIT Press, 2005, p. 538-555.

Week 7: Studying games
Topics

• Playing research, classifications, critical approaches

Readings (for research paper)

1. Aarseth, Espen, “Playing Research: Methodological approaches to game analysis”, in Proceedings of the 5th International Digital Arts and Culture Conference, http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au/dac/papers/Aarseth.pdf, accessed 19 July 2006.
2. Walther, Bo Kampmann, “Playing and Gaming: Reflections and classifications”, in Game Studies Vol 3 Issue 1, http://www.gamestudies.org/0301/walther/, accessed 19 July 2006.
3. Wolf, Mark J.P., “Genre and the video game”, in Handbook of Computer Game Studies, Joost Raessens and Jeffrey Goldstein, eds, MIT Press, 2005, p. 193-204.
4. Zagal, José P., Mateas, Michael, Fernández-Vara, Clara , Hochhalter, Brian and Lichti, Nolan, “Towards an Ontological Language for Game Analysis”, in Proceedings of DiGRA 2005 Conference: Changing Views – Worlds in Play, http://www-static.cc.gatech.edu/~jp/Papers/OntologyDIGRA2005.pdf, accessed 19 July 2006.

Week 8: Game analysis
Topics

• Genre, experience and critical approaches

Readings (for research paper)

1. Rouse III, Richard, “Game Analysis: Centipede”, in The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology, Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman, eds., MIT Press, 2005, p. 460-473.
2. Gingold, Chaim, “What WarioWare can teach us about Game Design”, in Game Studies Vol 5 Issue 1, Oct 2005, http://www.gamestudies.org/0501/gingold/, accessed 19 July 2006.
3. Sudnow, David, “Eyeball and Cathexis”, in The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology, Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman, eds., MIT Press, 2005, p. 558-577.
4. Crogan, Patrick, “Playing Through: the Future of Alternative and Critical Game Projects”, in Proceedings of DiGRA 2005 Conference: Changing Views – Worlds in Play, http://www.gamesconference.org/digra2005/viewabstract.php?id=57, accessed 19 July 2006.

Week 9: Serious games?
Topics

• Games and learning, simulation, meaning and rhetoric

Readings (for research paper)

1. Prensky, Marc, “Computer Games and Learning: Digital Game-Based Learning”, in Handbook of Computer Game Studies, Joost Raessens and Jeffrey Goldstein, eds, MIT Press, 2005, p. 97-122.
2. Uricchio, William, “Simulation, History and Computer Games”, in Handbook of Computer Game Studies, Joost Raessens and Jeffrey Goldstein, eds, MIT Press, 2005, p. 327-338.
3. Gee, James Paul, “Semiotic Domains: Is Playing Video Games a ‘Waste of Time?’” , in The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology, Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman, eds., MIT Press, 2005, p. 229-267.
4. Losh, Elizabeth, "In Country with Tactical Iraqi: Trust, Identity, and Language Learning in a Military Video Game," in Proceedings of the 6th Digital Arts and Culture Conference, University of Copenhagen, 2005, p. 69-78, http://eee.uci.edu/faculty/losh/virtualpolitik/DAC2005.pdf, accessed 20 July 2006.

Week 10: Narrative and the Player's Experience
Topics

• Interaction, play, narrative and framing of the game experience

Readings (for research paper)

1. Eskelinen, Markku, “The Gaming Situation”, in Game Studies Vol 1 Issue 1, July 2001, http://www.gamestudies.org/0101/eskelinen/, accessed 19 July 2006.
2. Mateas, Michael, and Stern, Andrew, “Interaction and Narrative”, in The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology, Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman, eds., MIT Press, 2005, p. 642-669.
3. Ryan, Marie-Laure, “Peeling the Onion: Layers of Interactivity in Digital Narrative Texts”, http://lamar.colostate.edu/~pwryan/onion.htm, accessed 18 July 2006.
4. Fine, Gary Alan, “Frames and Games”, in The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology, Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman, eds., MIT Press, 2005, p. 578-601.

Week 11: Identity and Participation
Topics

• Identity formation, games as evocative objects, games as participatory culture

Readings (for research paper)

1. de Mul, Jos, “The game of life: narrative and ludic identity formation in computer games”, in Handbook of Computer Game Studies, Joost Raessens and Jeffrey Goldstein, eds, MIT Press, 2005, p. 251-266.
2. Turkle, Sherry, “Computer games as evocative objects: from projective screens to relational artifacts”, in Handbook of Computer Game Studies, Joost Raessens and Jeffrey Goldstein, eds, MIT Press, 2005, p. 267-282.
3. Tan, R.K.C., Todorovic, V., Cheok, A.D., Teh, J.K.S., Lee, S.P. and Andrejin, G. "Metazoa Ludens: Playing games with pets", in Proceedings of SIGGRAPH 2006.
4. Huisman, Jan-Willem, and Marckmann, Hanne, “I am what I play: participation and reality as content” , in Handbook of Computer Game Studies, Joost Raessens and Jeffrey Goldstein, eds, MIT Press, 2005, p. 389-404.

Week 12: MMOGs and beyond
Topics

• Online and multiplayer games, virtual economies, TING, big games

Readings (for research paper)

1. Farmer and Morningstar, “The Lessons of Lucasfilm’s Habitat”, in The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology, Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman, eds., MIT Press, 2005, p. 728-753.
2. Castronova, “Virtual Worlds: A First-Hand Account of Market and Society on the Cyberian Frontier”, in The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology, Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman, eds., MIT Press, 2005, p. 814-863.
3. McGonigal, Jane, “The Puppetmaster Problem: Design for Real-World, Mission-Based Gaming”, , to appear in Second Person, Noah Wardrip-Fruin and Pat Harrigan, eds., MIT Press, 2006, http://avantgame.com/McGonigal_THE-PUPPET-MASTER-PROBLEM_MITpress.pdf, accessed 19 July 2006.
4. Benford, S., Crabtree, A., Flintham, M., Drozd, A., Anastasi, R., Paxton, M., Tandavanitj, N., Adams, M. and Row Farr, J. (2005) Can You See Me Now? To appear in ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction, ACM Press, http://www.mrl.nott.ac.uk/~axc/documents/ToCHI_2005.pdf, accessed 20 July 2006.

Week 13: Project presentations
Readings
No readings.

Course Materials & Facilities Used

Books

• Handbook of computer game studies, Joost Raessens and Jeffrey Goldstein
• The Game design reader : a rules of play anthology, Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman
• Game design workshop : designing, prototyping, and playtesting games, Tracy Fullerton, Christopher Swain, Steven Hoffman

Analysis of learning methods

What worked

Please discuss what techniques worked well

What didn't work

Please discuss what techniques didn’t work as well as you had hoped

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