Course Outline

WEEK 1: Overview of Course and Expected Outcomes

This will be a general familiarity with the course, students and teaching staff, with a particular emphasis on desired outcomes. We will discuss the difference between games and play and focus on why the game mechanic is the most digestible beat when it comes to design.

Topics:

· Course objectives

· State of the Industry

· Games vs. Play

· What is a game mechanic?

Lab:

• Play through a series of analog games and record the principle game mechanics
• Self-select specialties for team assignments

Readings:

• Read Garneau’s 14 Forms of Fun

WEEK 2: Game Mechanics on a Digital Scale

The second week will concentrate on a discovery of how classic analog techniques have made the jump to a digital environment. A variety of games ranging from the simple to the exotic will be discussed from a theoretical point-of-view.

Topics:

· Review of week 1

· Deeper discussion of game mechanics

· The evolution of digital games

Lab:

• Students will play and analyze a variety of standard online games from sites such as PopCap and MSN games. Results will be recorded.
• Student teams will be assigned

Reading:

• The “magic circle” taken from Zimmerman & Salen’s Rules of Play
• Rule Sets, Cheating and Magic Circles-Consalvo
  

Assignment:

• Prepare for next week's pitch.

WEEK 3: The Magic Circle
An interesting anthropological approach to an understanding of the game experience is the "magic circle" discussed by Huizinga. While the theory may seem a little dated, it has a significant application when one considers those user experiences most sought after by game designers.

Topics:

• Review of weeks 1 and 2
• Discussion of the classical “magic circle”
• What does his mean to digital game design?

Lab:

• Students will present their analysis of game mechanics from week's one and two and will "pitch" the game mechanic they intend to model.
• Analyses/pitches will be graded (10%)

Reading:

• The Liminal Magic Circle--Harvey

Assignment:

• Teams will begin modeling game mechanic

WEEK 4: Design Essentials
The creation of a game requires more than a big idea and an army of willing coders: designers must grapple with how theoretical considerations and user experience goals can be translated into a workable vision. This class will begin building the bridges between the abstract and the practical.

Topics:

• Review of weeks 1, 2 and 3
• Review of game goals and development challenges
• Discussion of translation techniques

Lab:

• Course instructors will walk students through the game design document.

Reading:

• TBD (design fundamentals)

Assignment:

• Student teams will finish modeling their basic game mechanic

WEEK 5: Mo’ Better GDD
Our discussion of theoretical to practical continues. The central issue will be how to preserve the fun when grappling with practical considerations. In other words, project scope – the balance between lofty design goals and production realities is essential for any game production.

Topics:

• Review of weeks 1 thru 4
• Further exploration of translation techniques
• Discussion of production aesthetics

Lab:

• Student teams will present their working game mechanics
• Technical prototypes will be graded (15%)

Reading:

• Ernest Adams article on game interface design
• Effective Affective User Interface Design in Games-Johnson and Wiles
  

Assignment:

• Begin work on GDD

WEEK 6: Visual Information Systems

This lecture will down-shift into a more precise discussion of the game interface. This is the primary information transmission mechanism for digital games and is an often-overlooked design consideration. We will consider how these graphical elements can be deftly used to reinforce the overall gameplay experience.

Lab:

• Presentation of GDDs (first pass)

Reading:

• Tyler Sigman's articles on prototyping

Assignment:

• Student teams will further refine their GDDs based on lab feedback.

WEEK 7: Prototyping Made Easy

Tyler Sigman, award-winning Lead Designer at Backbone Entertainment will lead a highly practical discussion of ways to mock up your games before hours are spent on fruitless coding. An essential lecture.

Lab:

• Presentation of GDDs (final)
• GDDs will be graded (25%)

Reading:

• TBD

Assignment:

• Start work on board games / paper prototypes

WEEK 8: Playtesting – Turn Down the Suck
Another highly practical lecture. This class will discuss how playtesting can improve gameplay. Relevant methodologies will be discussed and a reference grid provided.

Lab:

• Student teams will playtest initial board games / paper prototypes

Reading:

• Callois excerpts from Rules of Play
• Chapters 5 and 6 from Chris Crawford's Art of Computer Game Design.
  

Assignment:

• Students will refine their board game / paper prototypes.

WEEK 9: A Return to Theory
In order to continue the student’s conceptual grounding, this lecture will return to pivotal theoretical concepts. We will discuss the work of Roger Caillois and his anthropological take on the game experience.

Lab:

• Presentation of board games / paper prototypes
• Board games / paper prototypes will be graded (10%)

Reading:

Play Fizzwizzle games.. ok, it’s not really a reading.

Assignment:

Student teams will begin digital production


WEEK 10 The Life & Times of Prof. Fizzwizzle
Award winning game designer Ryan Clark will discuss the small-team development process that has led his company, Grubby Games, to early success.

Lab:
Student teams will meet with course staff to discuss needed refinements for games.

Reading:

• The Importance of Risk in Basic Game Design-Portnow
  

Assignment:
Continue digital production


WEEK 11 Testing
As the course approaches its finale, this lecture will discuss the testing process as it applies to games.

Lab:
Student teams will meet with course staff to discuss needed refinements for games.

Reading:

Optional: Ernest Adams Dos and Don'ts:

http://www.gamasutra.com/features/designers_notebook/19980313.htm

http://www.gamasutra.com/features/designers_notebook/20000331/index.htm

Assignment:
Preparation for presentation of beta games.


WEEK 12 Prisoners’ Dilemma
Provided that the digital production cycle is progressing smoothly, we will discuss the pivotal work of Von Neumann, the prototypical game theorist who gave us the notion of the “zero sum game”.

Lab:
Presentation of beta games.

Betas will be graded (25%)

Reading:
None

Assignment:
Student teams will enhance or refine games as needed


WEEK 13 Development on the Edge
Jim Sink, Business Development Manager for Foundation 9 Entertainment will discuss cutting edge game development.

Lab:
Emergency troubleshooting for final presentation

Reading:
None

Assignment:
Prep for the next week's presentation


WEEK 14 Presentation of final games
This is it – student teams will present their final projects for peer review and evaluation. All games will be graded (15%)