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Experimental
Game Design
ARTS 4510 section 01 CRN: 45749
& section 02 CRN: 47354
Fall 2013 Wednesdays 2 - 5:50PM
VAST Studio, Sage 2411
4 Credits
Prerequisites: Part of GSAS Core/MSI
(see your GSAS advisor or permission of instructor)
from
The Watershed Project by Dan
Hawkins, Bryce Miller, Evan Minto, Evan-Daniel Rose-Gonzalez,
Randy Sabella, Anthony Szymczyk, Beth Towns, Rosa Tung, Kathleen Ruiz, Beth Werbaneth & Colin Neville
http://watershed.hass.rpi.edu/
Instructor:
Kathleen Ruiz
Associate Professor of Integrated Arts
email: ruiz@rpi.edu
phone: 518-276-2539
office: West Hall 314c
office hours: Thursdays 1 to 3 pm by appointment
(please use sign up board on office door WH 314c
or via email)
Assignments
Required
Events
Drop
Box Information
Details
Course Topics
EMAC Thesis Students: A
B
C
Tools
Conferences and Groups
Experimental
Game Design is a studio arts course focusing on the creation
of innovative workable game prototypes using a variety of multimedia
approaches, methodologies and materials. Games are analyzed as cultural
artifacts reflecting behavior, social formation, and the representation of
gender, ethnicity and identity.
Primary to this course is the formation of trans-disciplinary
collaborative teams doing groundbreaking work that spans across a variety of
genres. Alternate gaming paradigms and emerging forms and interfaces are encouraged.
Starting
with creating an archeological, socio-cultural and ethical overview of their
own history of game and toy preferences, students then create a short
individual game project followed by a short temporary team project. The 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. The
game must be fully functional and must be accompanied by a completed,
detailed, multidiscipline exemplary game design document using the format: Model Game Design Document
Social
action simulation, art games, applied or serious games, indy games, complex
scenario planning, problem solving, blended reality, educational games,
abstract play, and other 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.
Primary to this course is the formation of interdisciplinary collaborative
teams consisting of talents from visual and sound artists, programmers,
cognitive scientists, designers, engineers, IT professionals and others.
Elements of successful collaboration are covered and camaraderie of invention
is encouraged.
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Course
Objectives/Outcomes:
1. Upon successful completion of the course students will have the ability to
explore new approaches to the concepts of “game,” “play”, and “simulation”
and start to define alternate paradigms within this emerging expressive form
as demonstrated in the individual and team based projects.
2. Upon successful
completion of the course 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. Upon successful completion of the course students
will be able to create an archeological, socio-cultural and ethical overview
of their own history of game and toy preferences.
4. Upon successful
completion of the course, 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 articulate in the work of artists, theorists, and institutions who
engage in game creation.
6. Upon successful completion of the course students will demonstrate their process,
code, art and experiments in a detailed game design document, summation
overview, and poster.
7. Upon successful completion of the course
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.
Course
Assessment/Measures: Assignments:
please see assignments website for more detail
1. Personal Game Archeology
& Analysis
due Aug 28
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 each game, and why this
is/was a compelling game experience for you. Include references in your
presentation—web links, documentation, the socio-political context of the game/toy
you have chosen and its use.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
2. 3. 4. 5. Indy Pangaea Mobile Game Temporary
Team Based, due in 3 parts
Working collaboratively in temporary teams, (ideally creating a balanced team consisting
of the following talents: visual artist, programmer, engineer, sound composer
& designer, manager) you will do in-depth research into existing
mobile/hand held games. After meeting
with the client, Ralph Brill, your team will then design, create and produce
an original workable game prototype for Project Pangaea and the
parameters of the IAT International
Appalachian Trail Project for client review and possible (paid) inclusion
into the IAT Project for further development. Each person in the group
must detail their contributions throughout the process.
2. Research and Idea Sketches
due Sept 4
Power
Point Research Presentation on Existing Mobile Games/Technology: power point research presentation on existing mobile, hand
held, and locative games that include environment,
trail hiking/biking, art, educational, commercial and social media games.
This presentation should cover your team’s explorations into the technical,
philosophical and theoretical aspects of mobile game design, development,
production and distribution.
Deliverables:
Research
findings in Power point presentation with references, links
and
Preliminary
Sketches of Original Game Designs: After
researching, discussing and understanding the history of Pangaea and the IAT (International Appalachian Trail) (The
director will come to class Sept 11) and using your own experience and
previous research on what games/toys were engaging to you from the Game
Archeology & Analysis study, temporary teams create an original game based on the parameters of Project Pangaea
and the International Appalachian Trail to excite and engage people to get
out and experience the trail, the countries, the people, nature,
international travel and relations, fresh air, good health, food and drink,
and life beyond the computer. This could be an educational game, an
environment game, a cartography game, a puzzle game, a geocaching game
(finding hidden things in the woods, or on the trial), a commercial game, a
social media game, a tween or teen game, a college age game, young 20’s,
30’s, young family game older person’s game, etc. Do your market research see
what is already out there, then create your own original ideas.
(Original ideas
are more important than polished graphics and optimized code for this part of
the study.)
Deliverables:
* concept ideas and sketches
* storyboards
* GAME DESIGN DOCUMENT TEMPLATE rough
out ideas as they develop, refine and build over the course of the project
* Game
Structure template
* 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?
* List of technical information and methodologies of production: any
necessary software, SDKs, and APIs, etc. needed.
Readings: due Sept 4
* your research readings and
* http://civictripod.com/ The Civic Tripod
for Mobile and Games: Activism, Art and Learning Released in IJLM Volume 3 ::
Issue 3 / MIT Press
* Experimental
gameplay project - How to Prototype a Game in Under 7 Days
*create a short, one page, printed reaction paper
to each of
the above
Optional Extra Credit Readings for Masters and Ph.D. Students:
* Homo Ludens: A study of the Play Element in Culture by
Johan Huizinga
* Man, Play, and Games by Roger Caillois
___________________________________________________________________________
3. Workable game prototypes
Due Sept 11
Prototypes or games in an
embryonic state, something between a developed idea and a full game. Think of
them as short studies or experiments. They should be playable or, at the very
least, the mechanics should be evident. You can choose any tools and
techniques you find most adequate to develop your ideas.
Readings: due Sept 11
* your research readings and
* On the Edge
of the Magic Circle Understanding Role-Playing and Pervasive Games, pages
101 to 137 by MARKUS MONTOLA
*create a short, one page, printed reaction paper
to each of
the above
Optional Extra Credit Readings for Masters and Ph.D. Students:
* Learning to Play
or Playing to Learn - A Critical Account of the Models of Communication
Informing Educational Research on Computer Gameplay by Hans Christian Arnseth
___________________________________________________________________________
4. Refinement of games
Due Sept 18
prototypes are now refined based
on class feedback and further research and technical development
Readings: due Sept 18
* your research readings
Optional, but interesting, info on revenues from indy mobile apps:
http://gizmodo.com/5667845/the-trainyard-story-or-how-to-make-a-smash-hit-iphone-app
http://thegamebakers.com/money-and-the-app-store-a-few-figures-that-might-help-an-indie-developer.html
http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/DavidGalindo/20130306/187977/
http://www.pixelprospector.com/the-big-list-of-game-revenue-sales/
___________________________________________________________________________
5. Completed polished indy game
Due Sept 25
Presentation and client review
Readings: due Sept 25
* your research readings
* Play as Design by Brenda Laurel
Play as Design by Eric Zimmerman
*create a short, one page, printed reaction paper to each of the above
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Final Project
Experimental Game Trajectory
working with permanent
teams from this point out
____________________________________________________________________________
6. Prototype 1 Concepts Informal
presentation
due Oct 2
Deliverables:
First ideas about your game
Please include the following: These are all ITERATIVE and will be changed and perfected as your ideas unfold.
* Concept ideas and sketches
* storyboards
* rough Game Design Document GAME DESIGN DOCUMENT TEMPLATE reflecting the progress as your refine and reiterate your
game
* Game Structure
template
* 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?
* List of technical information and methodologies of production: any necessary software, SDKs, and APIs,
etc. needed.
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 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,
standalone) game design document and a well-designed poster.
Readings: due Oct 2
* 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
page, printed reaction paper to each of the above
Optional Extra Credit Readings for Masters and Ph.D. Students:
* Origins of FPS by Galloway
* Lenoir-Lowood_TheatersOfWar
See: Oct 2 Film
Directed by Alan Schneider with a talk with film theorist Ed Halter
http://empac.rpi.edu/events/2013/fall/door-ajar/film
____________________________________________________________________________
7.
Phase I Proposal Formal Group
Presentation
due Oct 9
team meetings with Game Industry Experts
Deliverables:
rethink and refine your
project based on your resonation of the feedback your team received in class
previously:
* concept ideas and sketches
* storyboards
* GAME DESIGN DOCUMENT TEMPLATE with blocked out time frame of production
* 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 9
* Complete
Freedom of Movement: Video Games as Gendered PlaySpaces by Henry Jenkins
*create a short, one
page, printed reaction paper for the above
*create a short, one
page, printed reaction paper for each
Optional Extra Credit Readings for Masters and Ph.D. Students:
* The Construction of Experience: Interface as Content David Rokeby
*Everything
But the Words: A Dramatic Writing Primer for Gamers
by Hal Barwood
* Storytelling in Action by Bob Bates
* The Rhetoric of
Video Games by Ian Bogost
* Materials for an
exploratory theory of the network society by Manuel Castells
* Delightful Identification & Persuasion: Towards an Analytical
and Applied Rhetoric of Digital Games by Steffen P. Walz
____________________________________________________________________________
8. Phase II Reiteration Informal presentation
due Oct 16
Midterm assessments
(please upload all perfected work to drop box for evaluation)
Deliverables:
*
produce new research, work and progress on your game assets
* present a creative statement including treatment, narrative, more refined
story board, and at least 5 citations of games/ websites/readings/
literature/ films that have influenced your team’s research
* Reality check on
scope of project, schedule, including individual responsibilities and
deadlines, more refined game design document, (conceptual geography, maps,
scenarios, trainers, strategies, symbolism, scoring, rules, etc.)
Reflect all work to date in your GAME DESIGN
DOCUMENT TEMPLATE as a working evolving document
Readings: due
Oct 16
final
project research readings
Optional Extra Credit Readings for Masters and Ph.D. Students:
* A Game of One’s Own: Towards a New Gendered Poetics of Digital Space by Tracy Fullerton, Jacquelyn Ford
Morie, and Celia Pearce
____________________________________________________________________________
9.
Phase III Game Prototype Formal Group Presentation
due Oct 23
Deliverables:
*
gameplay experiments showing clear proof of concept
* evidence of progress
incorporating critical feedback, polishing and refinement of content, assets,
methodology, and delivery system
* definitive schedule for entire project which will be used as clear
milestones for further project development
* your team’s progress of the above reflected in your evolving game design
document including game overview sheet, answers to the philosophical question
section, and schedule. Please print and hand in prior to your team’s
presentation in class.
Related
Readings: final
project research readings
____________________________________________________________________________
10.
Phase IV Game Content Informal presentation
due Oct 30
Deliverables:
* evidence of refinement and
progress on your team’s project in design, development, gameplay and depth of
research
Related Readings: final project research readings
____________________________________________________________________________
11.
Phase V Refinement & Formal Group Presentation
due Nov6
Deliverables:
* Refinement and progress on your team’s project for pre-review and three week trajectory for individual team work
Related Readings: final project research readings
____________________________________________________________________________
12. Phase VI Further Refinement & Informal
Group Presentation
due Nov 13
Deliverables:
* Refinement and progress on your
team’s project based on critiques
*
Play Testing Plans due
* Printed Project Posters 34” x
24”
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 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 vcpltg for
glossy ($0.25 more per foot, not bad for the shiny effect). I think 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.
Print soon as other students across the campus will be vying for this
printer soon.
Related Readings: final project research readings
____________________________________________________________________________
13. Phase VII & Formal Group Presentation
due Nov 20 (second to last class)
* Your printed project summary in
.doc format with summation image
* Play Testing Summary results and
Recommendations
* high
quality edited high def. 1920 x 1080, H264 mp4 video trailer of game play.
Please include your title, overview, interaction, gameplay and credits. This
video will be used to judge whether your game gets into the competition.
* order all gear for Gamefest in advance for April 26, 2014
Related
Readings: final
project research readings
____________________________________________________________________________
14.
Thanksgiving Break
Enjoy,
but polish up your work
____________________________________________________________________________
15. Phase
VIII Formal Group Presentation LAST CLASS
due Dec 4 (last class of the semester)
All
perfected work due this day.
NO EXCEPTIONS
Please ensure that all work is spell checked
All work must
be printed and also submitted on a labeled DVD
:
*
Your game and all elements including all art, programming code, files,
etc.
*
Printed and digital posters
* Printed and digital Final Game Design Document
* Printed and digital project
summary in .doc format with summation image
* Printed and digital final user Evaluation Testing Summary and Recommendations
*
High quality edited high def. 1920 x 1080, H264 mp4 video trailer of
game play. Please include your title, overview, interaction, gameplay and
credits. This video will be used to judge whether your game gets into the
Gamefest competition.
Gamefest will be April 26, 2014
____________________________________________________________________________
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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= 5%
Short study #2= 15%
60% Final Project
with Final Game Design Document: incremental evaluation over 9 due dates,
each 6.67%
10% Participation
in class
10% reaction papers
Letter
grade equivalents for the course are as follows: A=4.0,
A-=3.67, B+=3.33 B=3.0, B-= 2.67, C+= 2.33, C=2.0 C-= 1.67, D+=1.33, D=1.0, F=0.0
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
student’s 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.
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 and off campus. The costs of digital
printing vary, but be prepared to incur at least $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, or narration. Students entering
this course have had varied backgrounds coming from Arts, Communication &
Media, Computer Science, Cognitive Science, Engineering, IT and other areas.
Technical Skills Covered:
Concept development and storyboarding, game design, art, elements of
interactivity, multimedia game play experience, and delivery systems.
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
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
(There are many other evolving and
emerging relevant titles of interest.
Please ask the instructor.)
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