Assignments/
Related Readings/
Research

1. Personal Game Archeology
due Jan 22

Archeology and analysis of personal gaming preferences from:

a. childhood and
b. today as an adult

research and present a short power point or html 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 the game, and why this is a compelling game experience for you. We explore ludic (playful), parodic, and ironic forms.

Readings:

* Your personal research. Please cite your references in your presentation.

* Read Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals
by Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman Unit 3: PLAY pg. 298-361.
Defining Play
Games as the Play of Experience, Meaning, Pleasure

_________________________

Discussion Points/Optional Readings:

* The Art of Computer Game Design
by Chris Crawford
http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Coverpage.html

2. Design the scenario planning game “Yet to Come”
due Feb. 5

Working collaboratively in groups of four, (creating a balanced team consisting of the following talents: visual artist, programmer, sound composer, & designer)

use a process known as scenario planning where a group of people share information and judgment to create a picture of the future larger than any individual could produce alone.
What is scenario planning anyway?
http://www.sgzz.ch/home/links/scenplan.htm
http://edie.cprost.sfu.ca/~idea/scenarios.html

Tips for successful collaboration:
http://www.nwrel.org/cfc/frc/collabtips1.html

Create a short game proposal plan including sketches/sample sounds/programming elements/game play) which envisions the future and uses strategy.

Using Ernest Adams' Design Philosophy, construct:

the physical space,

the intellectual space,

the emotional space,

the economic space,

and the ethical space of your game concept.

Tell a story or narrative through the use of various multimedia elements which work together to give form to your ideas.

Consider theorist, Roger Caillois' four dimensions of games and play:
- agon (competition)
- alea (chance)
- mimicry (simulation)
- Ilinx (vertigo)
- and also a possible new element, that of repens (or sequesntially embedded surprise)

Yet to Come Game Design Deliverables

High Concept Document consisting of:
text, drawings, 3D models, paper game models, etc.
in a html or Powerpoint document.
Each person in the group must detail their contributions.

Name of Game
who did/does what

* the premise of the game

* intended audience

* genre (if any)

* unique or distinguishing points

* target platform

* overall storyline

Readings:

* Beyond Productivity: Information Technology, Innovation and Creativity, ed. by William Mitchell, Alan Inouye and Marjory Blumenthal, The National Academies Press, Wash., D.C., Computer Games, Cultural Challenges, Overcoming Preconceived Notions about Computer Scientists and Artist and Designers pg. 48-56.
www.nap.edu

* Finish reading Unit 3: PLAY pg. 363- 489 in Rules of Play

* Ernest Adams Design Philosophy

____________________

Discussion Points/Optional Readings:

Everything But the Words: A Dramatic Writing Primer for Gamers, Hal Barwood http://www.gdconf.com/archives/2000/barwood.doc

Storytelling in Action, Bob Bates http://www.gdconf.com/archives/2000/bates.doc

Internationale Situationniste
*http://www2.cddc.vt.edu/situationist/si/play.html

3. Game Prototype Phase I – Storyboard develop a short story board using rough sketches and text to communicate your formative game design deas. due Feb 12

Readings:

Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals Unit 4: CULTURE, pg. 502-587.

__________________

Discussion Points/Optional Readings:

Issues:

Violence
Games Grow Up
A Game Boy in the Cross Hairs
Beyond Shoot your Friends http://www.cpandfriends.com/writing/digital-illusion.html

More than Just a Game, But How Close to Reality? by Amy Harmon, The New York Times, April 3, 2003

Addiction:
Addictive Technologies http://www.cpandfriends.com/writing/addictiv.html
The Addictiveness of Games, Steve Meretsky
http://news.com.com/2100-1040-867451.html

Gender:
Genderplay:Successes and Failures in Character Designs for Video games
http://www.gamegirladvance.com/archives/2003/04/16/genderplay_successes_
and_failures_in_character_designs_for_videogames.html
April 16, 2003 posting by Jane

Identity:
Aspects of the Self, in Life on the Screen by Sherrry Turkle

Communities:

social conditions in MMORPGs:
http://research.yale.edu/lawmeme/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1222

From Ward Childress, (EGD fall '03 student): This trend towards "massively-multiplayer" games has opened up a new way of enjoying virtual worlds. One in which its inhabitants can act out in ways relevant but often impossible in the real world. It has also changed the role of the developers. No longer can they idly sit by watching as things play themselves out. They are the gods and governors of this world, and hold all the responsibilities that go along with it. Edward Castronova site contains a wealth of economic information about these fictional worlds. Just how fictional is a game that has an exchange rate with dollars? His page is at: http://business.fullerton.edu/ecastronova/

By Feb 19 read the following and consider how the following work together:
human factors, sociology, psychology, anthropology, design aesthetics, graphics
& delivery systems: (web, computer, arcade, innovative concepts)

Readings:

Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals Unit 1: CORE CONCEPTS, pg. 29-105.

____________________

Discussion Points/Optional Readings:

Csikszentmihali, M., Flow: the Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York: Harper Perennial, 1991.
Inherent in the escape from reality are factors that are akin to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s concepts of flow experience where the following occur: 1) a challenging activity that requires skills, 2) the merging of action and awareness, 3) clear goals and feedback, 4) concentration on the task at hand, 5) the paradox of control, 6) the loss of self consciousness and 7) the transformation of time.

see also see "Communication and Community in Digital Entertainment Services" prestudy research report by Aki Jarvinen, Satu Helio and Frans Mayra, University of Tampere, Hypermedia Laboratory pg.20-26.
http://tampub.uta.fi/tup/951-44-5432-4.pdf

Dynamics for Designers
Will Wright (EA/Maxis)
http://www.gdconf.com/archives/2003/Wright_Will.ppt

Great Game Graphics...who cares? http://www.joystick101.org/story/2003/4/11/195033/314

Eric Zimmerman http://www.ericzimmerman.com/digpages/digmain.html

Carl Goodman http://meet-the-makers.com/web/1/guests.asp?c=ammi

Patterns http://www.gamedesignpatterns.org

Developing Wireless Games http://www.gdconf.com/archives/2003/1

Bringing 3D Gaming to Cell Phones by Neil Trevett
http://www.gdconf.com/archives/2003/1

Advanced Techniques in creating Tile-Based Graphics for Game Boy Advance
Karthik Bala (RPI alum) and Steve Derrick (Vicarious Visions)
http://www.gdconf.com/archives/2003/1

4. Dynamic Game Study

due Feb 26

Design a short interactive game based on your previously designed (and perfected) story board in your preferred application/authoring system (i.e. Flash, Director, VRML, Open GL, C++, Active Script, html, xml, open source, game mod, etc.)

Readings:

Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals Unit 2: RULES, pg. 231-245.

____________________

Discussion Points/Optional Readings:

The Construction of Experience: Interface as Content by David Rokeby http://homepage.mac.com/davidrokeby/experience.html
The Art and Science of Level Design by Cliff Bleszinski http://www.cliffyb.com/art-sci-ld.html

5. (Optional for extra credit or instead of short study #4)
Avatar, Synthespian Design and Issues of Synthetic Characters
due Feb 26

Design a character in 3D and inhabit it with human motion. 

____________________

Discussion Points/Optional Readings:

The Semiotics of Virtuality: Mapping the Posthuman & Prologue in How We Became Posthuman: Virtual Bodies in Cybernetics, Literature and Infomatics by N. Katherine Hayles
“Perfect Model: Gorgeous, No Complaints”…..,
“Do Androids Long for Mom?”
Game Character Creation Paul Douglas, Toby Gard http://www.gdconf.com/archives/2000/gard.doc
Building Character by Toby Gard http://www.indiana.edu/~teleweb/T451/character.html

Game Prototype Phase II – further development incorporating critical feedback including treatment, narrative, story board, research with artist statement and at least 5 citations of games/web sites/readings/literature/films that have influenced you.
(conceptual geography, maps, scenarios, trainers, strategies, symbolism, scoring, rules, etc.)

For further research see:
Game Developers conference Proceedings:
http://www.gdconf.com/archives/2003/

The following will be very helpful as a guide:
gamedesigndocument.htm

Game Prototype Phase III – polishing and refinement of content, methodology, delivery system, game design document Due March 22

Readings:

VideoGame Art: Remixing, Reworking and Other Interventions by Grethe Mitchell & Andy Clarke DIGRA proceedings "Level Up", University of Utrecht, The Netherlands

Phase IV- Final Project Pre-Reviews due April 5

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, social responsibility, and quality of interaction. The game must be functional, or at the very least demonstrate some dynamic game play with a high end trailer illustrating the core game play concepts, and it must be accompanied by a completed, (web ready, stand alone) game design document and a well designed poster.
see: gamedesigndocument.htm

Phase V- Final Completed Game Project due April 19
submission day for your two cds containing all your work from the semester for final grading purposes
- CD # 1: your perfected game and your game design document in html format with all relevant files
in a folder labeled: (your name), final project
- CD #2: all perfected short studies in a folder labeled (your name), short studies