|
Experimental
Game Design
ARTS 4510 section 01 &
section 02
ARTS 6400 section 01 graduate level
Spring
2016 VAST Studio, Sage 2411
4 credits
Prerequisites: part of GSAS core (or by permission)
Sync
Excellence in Innovative Narrative winner in Gamefest
2016
created in EGD
William
Pheloung || Programmer || wpheloung@gmail.com
Eric
Walsh || Writer and Producer || walshe3@rpi.edu
Yihao Zhu ||
Director || zhy13@rpi.edu
Luc
Wong || Artist || wongl5@rpi.edu
Robert
Bishop || Sound Designer || rcivilwar1861@gmail.com
You have lost the love of your life. Overwhelmed by grief, you sit by her
tomb, flipping through the pages of the journal that chronicles your life
together. So begins SYNC, an interactive visual novel designed in Unity using
new facial recognition software from Affectiva.
You
assume the role of Alex, grieving the recent death of her lover, Ivy, in a
car crash. Unable to move on, Alex cant help but futilely imagine what she
might done differently to prevent the fateful accident. Players advance the
narrative by syncing their facial expressions with those of Alex. As the
story progresses, players can also change Alexs emotional state, impacting
what happens next. Eventually, Alex (and through her, the player) is faced
with a choice: to accept her doomed relationship so she can begin to move on,
or to reject her relationship and remain trapped in the past.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AH4rMRkki0
Instructor:
Kathleen Ruiz
Associate Professor of Integrated Arts
email: ruiz@rpi.edu
phone: 518-276-2539
office: West Hall 314c
office hours: Thursdays 11 am to 1 pm by appointment
(please use sign up board on office door WH 314c or
via email ruiz@rpi.edu )
Experimental Game Design is an upper level hands-on
studio and seminar focusing on the creation of large scale workable game
projects and prototypes that advance innovative paradigms, emerging forms and
dynamic interfaces. Primary to the course is the formation of
trans-disciplinary collaborative teams whose members learn by making and
experimenting. Students present their work in a series of formal and informal
critiques that help to guide and expand their iterative process. Games are
analyzed as cultural artifacts reflecting behavior, social formation, and the
representation of gender, ethnicity and identity.
Starting
with creating an archeological, socio-cultural and ethical overview of their
own history of game and toy preferences, students then create two short
projects in a temporary teams. The short projects are posed as real world
problems that broadly seek applied or indy games genre solutions.
Final
project teams are then formulated for the remainder of the semester. The
final project, which is the main focus of the course, is a purposeful work
which shows depth and quality of ideation, innovation and interaction. It is
student driven in subject, design and development. The game must be fully
functional and be accompanied by a completed, detailed advanced game design
document using the format: Advanced
Game Design Document
Social action
games & simulation, art games, applied or serious games, indy games,
problem solving, blended/augmented reality, educational games, mobile and
locative games, abstract play, and other inventive forms have been created in
the course. Factors in game design including flow and game play gestalt are
taken into consideration. The aesthetics of game design including interaction
design, character development, level design, game play experience, and
delivery systems are developed as students create the various game
assignments. Interdisciplinary collaborative teams consisting of talents from
visual and sound artists, programmers, cognitive science, designers,
engineers, IT professionals and others. Elements of successful collaboration
are covered and camaraderie of invention is encouraged.
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Required Events
Drop
Box Information
Details
Course
Topics
Conferences
& Groups
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Course
Assessment/Measures: Assignments:
Kindly
upload all projects and studies to your class exchange folder drop box
Info is subject to updates, so please check in and refresh your
browser.
week 1. Personal Game
Archeology & Analysis
5 points
due Aug 31
Archeology and analysis of
personal gaming preferences from:
a. childhood and
b. today as an adult.
Research and present a short power
point or web presentation and demonstration of your favorite game/toy as a
child and why it was your favorite, and your favorite game/toy as an adult
and why. Include a brief history of the origins of each game, and why this
is/was a compelling game experience for you. Thoughtfully research and
consider the socio-political context of the game/toy you have chosen and its
use. Please consider not only the game industry, but also the larger context
as well. Include references in your presentationweb links, documentation.
Readings:
due Aug 31
Trends:
* 11 video game trends that will change the future of the industry
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jul/21/11-video-game-trends-that-will-change-the-future-of-the-industry
Mistakes we can learn from:
* The 5 Biggest Mistakes
Made by Indie Development Studios
http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/AidanMinter/20150818/251514/The_5_Biggest_Mistakes_Made_by_Indie_Development_Studios.php
Please create a short reaction to each (a short paragraph or a sentence or
two).
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
weeks 2. & 3. Experimental
Game Jam # 1
The theme this semester is
Touch
5 points
due Sept 14
Working collaboratively in temporary teams, (ideally creating a balanced team consisting
of the following talents: visual artist, programmer, engineer, sound composer
& designer) create an experimental game around the theme of touch.
This is purposefully broad so use
your imagination and creativity and open
yourself up to experimenting. Trust your
intuition! Innovation is key here.
Possible suggestions to open up
ideas about touch could include our in-class discussions about the expanded
notion of the exploration of VR and the senses especially touch either as
textural, spatial, or others.
movement is imperceptible without
a fixed point..
P. Virilio
What are the physical, mental,
emotional, intellectual, and spiritual aspects of touch, game space and
touch, deep touch, interior touch, open world space, games as spatial
metaphors, touch through space, exploration of space of all kinds. The realms of possibility of touch beyond touch as
we may currently know it. Possibly breaking through the 4th wall
or considering new kinds of studies in perspective, or touch in space such as
real-time, or the joy of exploring space with touch, the violence of touch,
the construct of what it is to create a game or simulation space, numerical
space, mental space, the space within the computer, an exploration of the
space we physically use to play the game, locative, mobile or hand held games
and touch, what markers you design to indicate what part of touch and space
you want the user to use.
Pay attention to the ethics of touch and intentionality (what world or
possibility you create, the realms of possibilities to do what kinds of
activities in? Do market research on your ideas!!! If it has been done
before, why repeat it?
Original ideas are more important than polished
graphics and optimized code for this study.
Deliverables:
(place in your folder in the class
exchange drop box)
* initial working or semi-working
experimental game prototype
teams will present a power point that contains the following background
research:
* concept ideas and sketches of your
teams creative response to the theme
* storyboards explaining and illustrating your ideas for the project
* Answers to the following questions:
~ What is the game?
~ Why create this game? Why would someone want to play it?
~ Immediate and Long Term Projected Socio-cultural Project Impact?
~ Predecessor or previous games/ distinctive factors in this genre?
~ Target Audience?
~ What is the ethical space of the game?
~ Where does the game take place?
~ What do the players do?
~ How many characters are there, if any?
~ What is the main focus?
~ What is different?
~ List of technical information and
methodologies of production: any necessary hardware, software, SDKs, and
APIs, etc. needed.
Readings: due Sept 7
* Touch:
* The Sense of Touch
http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/information/anatomy/touching.htm
* Touch in VR:
http://uploadvr.com/oculus-touch-vs-htc-vive-better-controller/
* Neuro digital VR Solutions:
https://www.neurodigital.es/
* Independent Games Festival
http://www.igf.com/
Any other readings or info you find interesting about
touch, especially in VR.
* Experimental
gameplay project - How to Prototype a Game in Under 7 Days
*create a short, one paragraph reaction paper to
each of the above and place in your class drop box
Readings for Masters and Ph.D. Students (Optional Extra Credit
for Undergrads):
* Homo Ludens: A study of the Play Element in Culture by
Johan Huizinga
* Man, Play, and Games by Roger Caillois
*create a short reaction paper of each the above and place in
your folder in the class drop box
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
week 4. Experimental Game Jam #2
The theme is Gaming
responds to the big questions of our time.
10 points
due Sept 21
What are the big questions of our time? Being aware of them could mean being beyond the cutting
edge of the game field and being a cultural producer, rather than a follower.
What do we mean by the big
questions of our time?
What larger forces of nature, culture, spiritual, intellectual, emotional,
physical, economic, shifts are on the horizon? What world events are
happening or about to happen that may be of intense interest to you and your
future? You decide on the top issue
that will become our theme.
Deliverables:
* workable game (or app) prototype
responding to the theme
* PowerPoint or web presentation of the teams research and ideas that also
answers the following questions:
~ What is the game?
~ Why create this game? Why would someone want to play it?
~ Immediate and Long Term Projected Socio-cultural Project Impact?
~ Predecessor or previous games/ distinctive factors in this genre?
~ Target Audience?
~ What is the ethical space of the game?
~ Where does the game take place?
~ What do the players do?
~ How many characters are there, if any?
~ What is the main focus?
~ What is different?
~ List of technical information and
methodologies of production: any necessary hardware, software, SDKs, and
APIs, etc. needed.
Readings: Sept 21
* your research readings and
* look through and play at least 4 social awareness or commentary
games that may be of interest. Here are some preeminent sites:
Games for Change : http://www.gamesforchange.org/play/
Persuasive Games: http://www.persuasivegames.com/
Paolo Pedercini www.molleindustria.org
* Be a game critic: create a short, 1 to 2
paragraph analysis and critique with suggestions about your 4 chosen games
Readings for
Masters and Ph.D. Students (Optional Extra Credit for Undergrads):
building your research with relevant
selections from the following:
* Springer Special issue:
The Philosophy of Computer Games Volume 27, Issue 2, June 2014
vpn or log in to rensSearch then go to http://link.springer.com.libproxy.rpi.edu/journal/13347/27/2/page/1
* Game Studies: The International
Journal of Computer Game Research http://gamestudies.org/0601
*create a short reaction paper to 2 relevant papers from the
above and place in your folder in the class drop box. Come to class ready to
give a briefing on your readings.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Final Project
Experimental Game Trajectory
working with permanent
teams from this point out ____________________________________________________________________________
week 5. Final Project Starting Sketches, Ideas & Concepts Informal
presentation 6.6 points
due Sept 28
Deliverables:
drop in drop box and also print
out the following:
First ideas about your final project game
These are all ITERATIVE
and will be changed and perfected as your ideas unfold.
* rough concept ideas and sketches of
your teams ideas
* rough storyboards explaining and illustrating the project your team has in
mind
* rough initial prototypes
* Fill in the Game Structure
template
* Answers to the following questions:
~ Why create this game?
Why would someone want to play it?
~ Immediate and Long Term Projected Socio-cultural Project Impact?
~ Predecessor or previous games/ distinctive factors in this genre?
~ Target Audience?
~ What is the game?
~ Where does the game take place?
~ How many characters are there, if any?
~ What is the main focus?
~ What is different?
~ List of technical information and methodologies of production: any
necessary hardware, software, SDKs, and APIs, etc. needed.
You are essentially starting your
iterative GDD found here:
Advanced Game Design Document
dont worry your will find the answers as you go, and things will change, but
just start. And yes philosophy is important to success in innovative game
creation
* Answer Ernest
Adams Game Design Philosophy Questions:
- What dreams does the game
fulfill?
- What is the player going to do?
- What are the physical, intellectual, emotional, economic and
ethical spaces of the game world?
Please remember that your completed game project is an innovative, original,
purposeful work which goes beyond conventional style gaming paradigms and
shows depth of creative goals, sensitivity to social issues, and quality of
interaction. The game must be fully functional.
Additionally the final project
must be accompanied by an iterative, completed, (web ready, standalone) game
design document and a well-designed poster, project overview sheet and
promotional game trailer.
See samples:
Nova Radix: Game Design
Document rough and incomplete, but a good starting iteration
Nova Radix
Game
Readings:
due Sept 28
* your research readings
* Play as Design by Brenda Laurel
Play as Design by Eric Zimmerman
*create a short, one paragraph reaction paper of the above and place in your
drop box
____________________________________________________________________________
week 6.
Phase I Proposal Final
Project Formal
Group Presentation
6.6 points
due Oct 5
Midterm assessments
(please upload all perfected work to drop box for evaluation)
Deliverables:
rethink and refine your project based on your
resonation of the feedback your team received in class previously:
* concept ideas and sketches
* storyboards
* Advanced Game Design
Document with blocked out time frame of
production, a schedule and an outline of individual responsibilities
and deadlines
* Game
Structure template
* list of technical information and methodologies of production: any
necessary software, SDKs, and APIs, etc. needed.
* produce new work and progress on your game assets including design, art,
programming, etc.
Readings: due Oct 5
* From Sun Tzu
to Xbox: War and Video Games by Ed Halter
* Baudrillard
and Hollywood: subverting the mechanism of control and The Matrix by Jim
Rovira
* The Oxymoron of Virtual
Violence, J. Baudrillard
*create a short, one
paragraph, reaction paper of the above and place in your drop box
Readings for Masters and Ph.D. Students (Optional Extra Credit
for Undergrads):
* Origins of FPS by Galloway
* Lenoir-Lowood_TheatersOfWar
*create a short reaction paper of each the above and place in
your folder in the class drop box
____________________________________________________________________________
week 7. Phase II
Reiteration Informal presentation
6.6 points
due Oct 12
Reality check on scope of project and
schedule presented
Deliverables:
*
gameplay experiments showing clear proof of concept and progress on your game assets
* evidence of new research and
work
* updated and refined Advanced Game Design
Document that includes a game overview sheet, more refined story boards, at least 5
citations of games/ websites/readings/ literature/ films that have influenced
your teams research,
Readings: due Oct 12
* No Gendered Mechanics - How
Genre Stereotypes Limit Games and Players - Extra Credits
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERR1F-zoTVg
*
Extra Credits: True Female Characters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1qndga6SNU
*
Extra Credits: Harassment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt9GwmOWoqo
*
Sexual Diversity - How a Gay Character Made Persona 4 Great - Extra Credits
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUqivXMlpcQ
*create a short, one
paragraph, reaction paper of the above and place in your drop box
Readings for Masters and Ph.D. Students (Optional Extra Credit
for Undergrads):
* A Game of Ones Own: Towards a New
Gendered Poetics of Digital Space by Tracy Fullerton, Jacquelyn Ford Morie, and Celia Pearce
*create a short reaction paper of the
above and place in your drop box * The Construction of Experience: Interface as Content David Rokeby
*create a short, one paragraph reaction
paper of the above and place in your drop box
____________________________________________________________________________
week 8. Oct 19 Phase III Game Prototype
Formal
Group Presentation
6.6 points
due 19
Deliverables:
* evidence of progress
incorporating critical feedback, polishing and refinement of content, assets,
gameplay, methodology, and delivery system
* final definitive schedule for entire project which will be used as clear
milestones for further project development
* your teams progress of the above reflected in your evolving Advanced Game Design
Document including
completed game overview sheet and image, refined answers to the
philosophical question section
Please print and hand in prior
to your teams presentation in class
Readings:
final
project research readings
____________________________________________________________________________
week 9. Phase IV Game Content Informal presentation
6.6
points
due Oct 26
Deliverables:
* evidence of refinement and
progress on your teams project in design, development, gameplay and depth of
research reflected in the project and game design document
* your game trailer
(approximately 2 to 3 minutes), highlighting
the general gist of your game and the exciting features, with title, credits
for all involved, and sound credits. You can use any screen action capture
program like Frapps or Nvidia
Shadowplay if you have an NVidia card on your
computer or the lab computers. (Please see how to use NVidia Shadowplay here.) You can use Adobe Encoder for good
compression: (. mp4 is recommended.) The game trailers will be used by the
judges as part of the review process and they will be put into a compilation
reel.
Readings: final
project research readings
____________________________________________________________________________
week 10. Phase V Refinement Formal Group
Presentation
6.6 points
due Nov 2
Deliverables:
*
Play Testing Plans due
* Refinement and progress on your teams project for pre-review and three week trajectory for individual team work
* Refined game trailer for presentation this
Saturday, April 9 Judging for Gamefest entries!
* consider
what gear you will need to exhibit your work and reserve it.
Related
Readings: final project
research readings
____________________________________________________________________________
week 11. Phase VI Further Refinement Informal Group
Presentation
6.6 points
due Nov 9
Deliverables:
*
Play Testing Summary results
and Recommendations
* Refinement and progress on your teams project based on critiques
* Printed Project Posters 34 x 24 Print early, as other students across the campus will
be vying for these printers soon.
~ you can print
archival prints on the Epson 9800 printer in Sage 2410 by appointment only
see details and instructions at:
http://www.hass.rpi.edu/pl/teaching-facilities-s17/large-format-printer-suite
or
~ on the VCC Pltg
Instructions for Printing your Poster at the VCC
(Voorhees Computing Center) on the RCS Public Plotters:
You
need to configure your computer with the proper drivers in order to print to
the plotter
http://dotcio.rpi.edu/services/printing/plotting-rcs-public-plotters
and for general Help Desk info: http://helpdesk.rpi.edu/update.do?catcenterkey=78
The plotter paper is 36 inches wide, but the actual content space
is 34 inches. So your document should be 36 wide, but have an inch of
whitespace on either side.
The minimum height is 24 inches, but I would recommend the same
amount of padding there. If your poster is vertical you can of course rotate
it to fit into this space for the lowest cost. File formats: .jpg or even a
.png file works from a well configured computer, but to ensure success you
should make a PDF. You can possibly use Photoshop and output your file as a
PDF or use Illustrator (proven to work very well) (it is on
the VAST lab computers if you don't have it), create a document 36" by
height + 2", then use File->Place to insert your document. You can
then do "Save As" and switch the file type to PDF.
If your computer is not configured you can physically take the PDF file to
the VCC and open it in Acrobat (or Reader? whatever it's called these days).
Switch the printer to vcp7100g for glossy ($0.25 more per foot, not
bad for the shiny effect). The checkboxes are something like:
"Automatically select paper size"
"Allow use of custom sizes"
Select both of those and the rulers in the preview should update to be
your document's size. Then you should be able to send it.
The printouts show up rolled in
the racks on the right side of the VCC building, near the glass-enclosed
classroom on that side. In general, they will put obviously bad printouts up
without saying anything, but you can get a refund if there was a problem on
their end by going to the help desk.
Related Readings: final project research readings
____________________________________________________________________________
week 12. Phase
VII & Formal Group Presentation
6.6
points
due Nov 16
* Your final printed project summary in .doc format with summation image
* high
quality edited high def. 1920 x 1080, H264 mp4 promotional video trailer.
Please include:
the title,). Show an overview of the distinctive
features of your project including interaction and gameplay on and off screen
if desired. 2 to 4 minutes maximum should be enough time to give a person a
taste of your game project and for them to want to play it.
This video will be used to judge whether your game gets into the competition
so please make a good one.
Related
Readings: final
project research readings
____________________________________________________________________________
week 13 Nov 23
Off for Thanksgiving! Please
continue your work.
____________________________________________________________________________
week 14. Phase VIII
due Nov 30
6.6 points
informal reviews
intensive
work studio:
refining of the game and project assets
Related
Readings: final
project research readings
____________________________________________________________________________
week 15. Phase IX Formal
Group Presentation of Final Projects
due Dec 7
60 total
points
All perfected work due this day. NO EXCEPTIONS
Please ensure that all work is
spell checked.
Submit work on labeled
DVDs
or thumb drive REQUIRED!
Please include:
*all work from the semester, all short studies, all code, art, reading
reactions, event reactions
*
Your game and all elements including all art, programming code, files,
etc.
*
Printed and digital posters
* Printed and digital Advanced Game Design
Document
* Printed and digital project summary in .doc format with summation
image
* Printed and digital final user Evaluation Testing Summary and Recommendations
*
Video Trailer: High quality edited high def. 1920 x 1080, H264 mp4 video trailer of
game play. Please include your title, overview, interaction, gameplay and
credits.
Please
ensure all work is Gamefest ready or continue on to
complete and polish further- Gamefest will be April 29-30
(last class of the
semester)
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Class Schedule
week 1. Aug 31
* Introduction to the course
* review game archaeologies and student aspirations
* formulate temp teams Experimental Game Jam #1
* lecture & discussion on the issue of touch
* lecture & discussion on ideas for the future
of games and gaming as we may not know it now to be, content,
platforms and interfaces
week 2. Sept 7
* Review Game Jam #1 touch in process
* briefly discuss prototyping, short project as opposed to longer project
trajectories
week 3. Sept 14
* Review and critique of prototypes for Game Jam#1 touch with emerging
industry professionals
*
discuss selected social awareness games from Games for Change, Persuasive Games,
& Molleindustria research assignment
* grads discuss chosen papers within The
Philosophy of Computer Games
* lecture/discussion and student input on The Big
Questions of Our Time
* top questions are discussed as as the theme of
Experimental Game Jam #2
* teams form and pic their Big Question for the Experimental
week 4. Sept 21
* Review and critique Experimental Games from Jam #2 The Big Questions of Our
Time
*
Discussion and lecture on Trajectories from
EGD into the real world: case studies of a number of successful students
*
Discussion and lecture on Innovation &
Collaboration
* Formulate permanent Final Project
teams
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Final
Project
working
with permanent teams from this point out
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
week 5. Sept 28
* Informal review of Final Project Starting Sketches, Ideas & Concepts
* Discuss the iterative process of game design and production as given
in Play as Design reading selection
week 6. Oct 5 Midterm Review
* Formal review of phase I prototypes
* team meetings with Game Industry Experts giving
feedback on initial ideas
* Lecture, video and discussion about virtual
violence, catharsis and desensitization
week 7. Oct 12
* Informal review of phase II content and reiteration
* Reality check on scope of project and schedule
* Lecture, video and discussion about the representation of gender, love and emotion in games and the game
industry and discussion of the related
(inverted studio) videos:
* No Gendered Mechanics - How Genre
Stereotypes Limit Games and Players - Extra Credits
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERR1F-zoTVg
* Extra Credits: True Female Characters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1qndga6SNU
* Extra Credits: Harassment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt9GwmOWoqo
* Sexual Diversity - How a Gay Character Made Persona 4 Great -
Extra Credits
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUqivXMlpcQUncanny
Valley
week 8. Oct 19
* Formal presentation and critique of phase III prototypes
* Lecture, video and discussion about the representation of race representation in games and the games industry
*
How to make a good videogame trailer game trailer (approximately 2 to 3 minutes), highlighting the general gist of your game and the
exciting features, with title, credits, and sound. You can use any screen
action capture program like Frapps or Nvidia Shadowplay if you have
an NVidia card on your computer or the lab computers. (Please see how to use NVidia Shadowplay here.) You can use Adobe Encoder for good
compression: (. mp4 is recommended.) The game trailers will be used by the judges
as part of the review process and they will be put into a compilation reel.
* Lecture, video and discussion
about addiction and games
week 9. Oct 26
* informal presentations and reviews of phase IV refinements
* review/refine game trailers
* review poster and promotional design and high end printing
*
User Evaluation Testing / Play Testing
* Lecture, video and discussion about DataGames and games
week
10. Nov 2
* formal critiques of Phase V refinements
* review of playtest plans
* review team 3 week trajectory schedules
* Lecture, video and discussion about Aesthetics and
games
week
11. Nov 9
* informal presentations and reviews of phase VI
* examine playtest results and take appropriate actions to refine
* review methodologies of producing game video trailers
* Lecture, video and discussion about Breaking
through the 4th Wall and issues in player created content
week 12. Nov 16
*
formal presentations and critiques of phase VII
* review project summaries, game design documents and game trailers
* review installation requirements, tech, and gear
*
Lecture, video and discussion about Mobile, blended
and AR
week 13. Nov 23 OFF for Thanksgiving
week 14. Nov 30 second
to last class
* informal reviews of phase VIII
* intensive work studio to get Game Projects and GDDs completed
week
15. Dec 7 last class
* final project formal reviews
* all posters, game design documents, video trailers, etc. reviewed
* all work from the semester, all short studies, all code, art, reading
reactions, event reactions are handed in on individual DVS or thumb drives
and in student drop boxes for final review
* lecture and discussion on The Future is Here
Starting a Small Business and wrap up lecture and discussion on what the future may be like in new game worlds
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Grading:
Evaluation:
Students must
demonstrate satisfactory achievement of course objectives through fulfillment
of course projects and by contributing to class discussions and critiques.
Short
study #1. Personal Game Archeology & Analysis 5% = 5 points
Short study #2. Experimental Game Jam # 1 5% = 5
points
Short
study #3. Experimental Game Jam #2 Gaming responds to the big questions of
our time. 10% = 10 points
Final
Project 60% (incremental evaluation over 9 due dates,
each 6.666% = 6.6 points each x 10= 60 points
Participation in class
10% = 10 points
Reaction papers
10% to readings 5 and your events 3 = 8 total @ 1.25 points each = 10 points
Point to Letter grade equivalents for the course
are as follows:
|
LETTER GRADES
|
PERFORMANCE DESIGNATION
|
POINTS
|
|
A+
|
EXCELLENT
|
90-100 points
|
|
A
|
85-89 points
|
|
A-
|
80-84 points
|
|
B+
|
GOOD
|
77-79 points
|
|
B
|
73-76 points
|
|
B-
|
70-72 points
|
|
C+
|
SATISFACTORY
|
67-69 points
|
|
C
|
63-66 points
|
|
C-
|
60-62 points
|
|
D+
|
MARGINAL
|
57-59 points
|
|
D
|
53-56 points
|
|
D-
|
50-52 points
|
|
F
|
UNSATISFACTORY
|
0-49 points
|
Participation: you are invited, encouraged, and expected to
engage in discussion, reflection and activities.
Class Attendance
Policy
As an enrolled student, you have made a commitment to this class and
your attendance is a significant part of that commitment. Attendance will be
taken at every class. An absence is considered excused if the student has
informed the course instructor by email or in person before the beginning of the class and the excuse is considered
reasonable by the instructor.
Late Policy: All
students are required to be on time and in attendance for each and every
class. Students arriving to class more than 10 minutes late may be counted as
absent. Two (2) unexcused absences
will result in a reduction of one entire letter grade.
Adherence to deadlines is expected. It is the individual student's
responsibility to keep track of deadlines and to present the work to the
class and instructor on the specified dates. 15% per day will be subtracted from
late assignments.
If you are concerned about your creative trajectory or your grade at
any point during the semester, please do not hesitate to contact your
Instructor and schedule an appointment.
Academic Honesty:
Statement On
Academic Integrity
Class Specific
Collaboration and discussion about class projects is actively encouraged,
and is in no way considered cheating. This is a studio course, and personal
ownership of information is not deemed to be appropriate. Original game
design, art and design, programming and production are required.
Projects are expected to reflect personal endeavor, but
may also be collaborative in nature when
the nature of the collaboration is clearly indicated.
Academic Integrity
Student-teacher relationships are built on trust.
For example, students must trust that teachers have made appropriate
decisions about the structure and content of the courses they teach, and
teachers must trust that the assignments that students turn in are their own.
Acts, which violate this trust, undermine the educational process. The
Rensselaer Handbook of Student Rights and Responsibilities defines various
forms of Academic Dishonesty and you should make yourself familiar with
these. In this class, all assignments that are turned in for a grade must
represent the students own work. In cases where help was received, or teamwork was allowed, a notation on
the assignment should indicate your collaboration. Submission of any assignment
that is in violation of this policy will result in a penalty of a grade of F
given for failure in the course and also further disciplinary action as
outlined in the Handbook of Student Rights and Responsibilities.
Addressing Academic Dishonesty at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Intellectual
integrity is critical to the foundation of all academic work. Academic
dishonesty, therefore, is considered a serious matter and will be addressed
as such. As defined in the current Rensselaer Handbook of Student Rights
and Responsibilities, examples of academic dishonesty include, but are
not limited to: academic fraud, collaboration, copying, cribbing,
fabrication, plagiarism, sabotage, and substitution. Additionally, attempts
to commit academic dishonesty, or to assist in the commission or
attempt of such an act, are also violations of the academic dishonesty
policy. If found in violation of the academic dishonesty policy, students may
be subject to two types of penalties. The instructor administers an academic
(grade) penalty of F, and the student may also enter the Institute judicial
process and be subject to such additional sanctions as: warning, probation,
suspension, expulsion, and alternative actions as defined in the current Handbook
of Student Rights and Responsibilities.
Course
Objectives/Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of the course:
1. students will have the ability to explore
new approaches to the concepts of game, play, and simulation and start
to define alternate paradigms and expressive forms as demonstrated in the
individual and team based projects
2. students will
develop one or more of the following skills: design, art making, game
programming, or engineering strategies which merge concept, process and form
- encouraging approaches that are at once inquisitive, analytical, creative,
experimental and articulate
3. students will be able to create an archeological,
socio-cultural and ethical overview of their own history of game and toy
preferences
4. students will
demonstrate the ability to work together in trans-disciplinary teams to
conceptualize, design, produce and express ideas through game or simulation
projects
5. students
will become more articulate in the work of artists, theorists, and institutions
who engage in game creation
6. students will demonstrate their process, code,
art, design and experiments in a detailed game design document, summation
overview, poster and short video game trailer
7. students will successfully articulate informed ideas relating to the
representation of gender, race, and behavior in games and simulations and an
increased awareness of games as cultural and aesthetic artifacts as
demonstrated in class discussions and critiques and in short written reaction
papers to relevant readings and events
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Required Materials
An active RCS account.
Approximately 10 to 15 dvds,
or a 60 GB usb drive and or high
capacity external hard drive will be necessary to back up and archive your
work
Other materials on a project basis
You may
be making a number of digital prints/manifestations of your work on or off campus.
The costs of digital printing vary, but be prepared to incur approximately
$25 in fabrication/material costs.
Electronic
Communication
Email: All students are expected to have an active electronic mail
account, and should check mail at least four times a week for class
information. Some essential class information is communicated by email only.
Work Habits
Always back-up your work frequently; that is, every time you make
something you think is worth keeping. Systems crash when least expected
and you could lose all your work.
It is a good idea to make three backups
(on different media), as storage media are sometimes unstable. Always save
onto your own media or into your account as files left on hard drives will be
removed.
Also, please keep in mind the highly addictive aspects of working with
computers. Many people lose track of time and later wonder why they have
severe back, neck and eye problems. It
is a good idea to take a rest every 15 to 20 minutes. Look up or beyond your computer or, better
still, at a long distance to relax your eyes.
Take a walk or stretch. Fatigue
can lead to frustration. Stay in touch with your body's needs.
Try not to harm or deface any equipment or software in any way or lose
files and folders belonging to our class or other classes.
For problems in the studio please be specific in
your email and contact: hasshelp@rpi.edu
Please follow the guidelines for working in each studio very
carefully, as you will be held personally responsible for problems you incur.
At all times please keep the lab clean and sanitary.
Overview of Game
Design Document:
Title of the Game, Artist Statement/Philosophy/The WHY Factor (why create
this game? why would someone want to play it?), Predecessors or previous
games/ distinctive factors in this genre, Target Audience, Introduction &
Story, Immediate and long term projected socio/cultural project impact,
Delivery System & Requirements, Interface, User Interaction, The World
Layout, Level Design, Visualization (characters, flow charts), Music/ Sound
Design, Rules and Game play (Setup, Scoring (if applicable)), Program
Structure, Technical Specs (such as Physics, Rendering Systems, Lighting
Models), Implementation, Production Timeframe, Research, References and other
Features Unique to the Project.
Background needed:
Students entering the course should have a basic general awareness of
contemporary socio-cultural issues, have some exposure to interactive digital
simulation, and possess the ability for personal expression using any one or
combinations of the following: media applications, drawing, music
composition, programming, visual art, design, narration, or engineering.
Students entering this course have had varied backgrounds coming from
Computer Science, Arts, Communication & Media, Cognitive Science,
Engineering, IT, Management, and other areas.
Suggested further
readings:
Wardrip-Fruin,
Noah and Pat Harrigan, Editors. First Person: New Media as Story,
Performance and Game
Laurel, Brenda and Zimmerman, Eric, editors.
Play as Design
Saarkeesian, Anita, www.feministfrequency.com
Halter, Ed. From
Sun Tzu to Xbox: War and Video Games
Huizinga, Johan. Homo Ludens: A study of the Play Element
in Culture
Caillois, Roger. Man, Play, and Games
Schell, Jesse. The Art of Game Design
Lenoir-Lowood. Theaters Of War
Nitsche, Michael. Video Game Spaces. Image, Play, and
Structure in 3D Worlds
Adams, Ernest. Fundamentals of Game Design, Second Edition
Jenkins, Henry. Complete
Freedom of Movement: Video Games as Gendered PlaySpaces
Baudrillard, Jean. Passwords
Juul, Jesper, The Art of Failure : an Essay on the Pain of Playing Video Games
(There are many other evolving and
emerging relevant titles of interest.
Please ask the instructor.)
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