Course Outline


WEEK 1: What’s in a Game?

This session will lay down the broad planks of the course, identify student interests and concerns, and consider the most desirable outcomes. As a jumping off point to our understanding the concept of games and game theory, it is important that we kick off with a common vocabulary. Students will play test ideas, consider practical examples, and begin to make linkages between analog and digital experiences.

Topics:

· Course objectives - familiarization
· Definitions and discussion
· Practical examples

Assignment:

Students will form groups and begin discussing end of term projects
Read Chapters 1-7 in Zimmerman and Salen.


WEEK 2: Understanding Garneau – 14 Forms of Fun

The essence of any memorable gameplay experience is fun. Simple but surprisingly difficult to understand, let alone quantify. This session will explore one of the seminal papers on the nature of “fun” in an effort to deepen our understanding on what will be, at first, a very basic level.

Topics:

· Analysis of analog game experiences
· Discussion of Garneau’s theory
· Classification of experiences

Assignment:

Read Garneau
Read Salen & Zimmerman pp. 329 to 360
Read Falstein



WEEK 3: The Nature of Play

Delving still deeper from the work of Garneau, we will unpack the theories espoused by the French anthropologist Roger Caillois. His book - “Man, Play and Games” – is a deep and commanding treatment of the essence of games; the resultant classification system is one with which any game designer should be at ease.

Topics:


Analysis of childhood games
Discussion of game classification system
Examination of play values vs. combinations


WEEK 4: The Lindley Spectrum

One of the interesting turning points in the consideration of entertainment experiences lies in understanding the steadily blurring line between gameplay, storytelling and simulation. Drawing on the research of Craig Lindley of Sweden’s Zero-Game Institute, this lecture will examine and attempt to categorize contemporary entertainment media.

Topics:

· Analysis of various entertainment experiences
· Discussion of Lindley’s basic methodology
· Extension into virtual and physical spaces




WEEK 5: Simple Strategies and Cold War Reasoning

The father of game theory, John von Neumann, was responsible for the atomic bomb, the digital computer and an interesting conundrum called the Prisoner’s dilemma. This session will explore his works on game theory, including a discussion of such topics as Prussian kriegspielen and Monte Carlo techniques.

Topics:

· Von Neumann’s theories
· Golden Rule, dollar auctions and rationality
· In-class workshop of the Prisoner’s dilemma


WEEK 6: Cross-Cultural Influences

There is a world of difference between games, experiences and the expression of fun as one travels from country to country and culture to culture. This session will feature a guest lecturer who will discuss the practical application of such distinctions in various game titles.

WEEK 7: Final Workshop

Drawing on techniques developed by Marc LeBlanc and leveraging the theories discussed in earlier sessions, students will engage in a manic, three hour prototyping exercise.