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Experimental
Game Design
ARTS 4510 section 01 &
section 02
ARTS 6400 section 01 graduate level
Fall
2015 VAST Studio, Sage 2411
4 credits
Prerequisites: part of GSAS core (or by permission)
Radioland created in EGD, Winner
2nd Place, Vicarious Visions Student Challenge Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute Gamefest 2015
©
2015 by Neale LaPlante Johnson, Annie Sardelis, Brian Tam, Tim Terrezza,
Scott Todd, with music by Matt Wellins
http://radioland.github.io/
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=25&v=XRVRkRMiYZw
Join Gunther in Radioland,
where you guide our lovable hero in helping the critters of Radioland get life back from the silence that has
surrounded them. In this 3D puzzle platformer, use the power of radio to
traverse colorful environments, solve puzzles, and collect crazy outfits.
Turn on the radio towers, move the environment, complete the levels and guide
Radioland back to a brighter future!
This
game was the result of three months of work in Experimental Game Design with
continued development in the spring of 2015. We used Unity3D with C#, Maya,
and Photoshop. Streaming live internet radio using a third-party DLL called
BASS from Un4seen Developments. Notable programming feats include audio
spectrum visualization, spline editor tools supporting mesh generation, a
triggered event/effects system, editor scripting, and physics using kinematic
rigidbodies. Our art style is achieved through ShaderLab shaders which we
wrote for tri-planar texture mapping and vertex colored PBR.
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
week 1. Personal Game Archeology & Analysis
5 points
due Sept 2
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 Sept 2
16 trends that will define the future of video games
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jul/23/16-trends-that-will-change-the-games-industry
2015 Indy Games Festival Student Showcase
winners
http://igf.com/2015/01/2015_independent_games_festiva_2.html
The 5 Biggest Mistakes Made by Indie Development
Studios
http://gamasutra.com/blogs/AidanMinter/20150818/251514/The_5_Biggest_Mistakes_Made_by_Indie_Development_Studios.php
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
week 2. Experimental Game Jam # 1
The theme this semester is
Space
5 points
due Sept 9
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 space.
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 space could include our in-class discussions about the expanded
notion of the exploration of game space, physical space, deep space, interior
space, open world space, games as spatial metaphors, speed running through
space, exploration of space of all kinds. The realms of possibility of space
beyond space as we may currently know it. Possibly breaking through the 4th
wall or considering new kinds of studies in perspective, or time in space
such as real-time, slo-mo, bullet time, rewinding time and space, or the joy
of exploring space, the violence of speed, 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 space, what markers you
design to indicate what part of space you want the user to use.
Pay attention to the ethics of space and intentionality (what world or
possibility you create, the realms of possibilities to do what kinds of
activities in). For instance addiction could broadly be interpreted as a
dimension of time in that the time spent playing becomes excessive through
obsession.
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 9
* Experimental
gameplay project - How to Prototype a Game in Under 7 Days
* Philosophy, God, and robots: Writing The Talos
Principle: Road To Gehenna
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/251877/Philosophy_God_and_robots_Writing_The_Talos_Principle_Road_To_Gehenna.php
*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 3. & 4. Experimental Game Jam #2
The theme is Gaming
responds to the big questions of our time.
10 points
due Sept 23
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: due Sept 16
* 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 30
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
Game Overview Sheet
Game
Readings:
due Sept 30
* 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 7
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 7
* 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 14
Midterm assessments
(please upload all
perfected work to drop box for evaluation)
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 14
* Complete
Freedom of Movement: Video Games as Gendered PlaySpaces by Henry Jenkins
*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):
* 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
*create a short, one paragraph reaction
paper of the above and place in your drop box
____________________________________________________________________________
week 8. Phase III Game Prototype Formal
Group Presentation
6.6 points
due Oct 21
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
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
____________________________________________________________________________
week 9. Phase IV Game Content Informal presentation
6.6
points
due Oct 28
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
Readings: final project research readings
____________________________________________________________________________
week 10. Phase V Refinement Formal Group
Presentation
6.6 points
due Nov 4
Deliverables:
*
Play Testing Plans due
* Refinement and progress on your teams project for pre-review and three week trajectory for individual team work
* consider
what gear you will need to exhibit your work
Related
Readings: final
project research readings
____________________________________________________________________________
week 11. Phase VI Further Refinement Informal Group
Presentation
6.6 points
due Nov 11
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 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.
Related Readings: final project research readings
____________________________________________________________________________
week 12. Phase VII & Formal
Group Presentation
6.6
points
due Nov 18
* 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, credits (for all team
members and their roles, and any music credits). 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. OFF FOR THANKSGIVING
Nov 25
____________________________________________________________________________
week 14. Phase VIII
due Dec 2
6.6 points
informal reviews
intensive
work studio:
final refining of the game and project assets
ensure
all work is Gamefest ready - Gamefest will be April 29-30 in EMPAC
-------------------------------------------------------
Related
Readings: final
project research readings
____________________________________________________________________________
week 15. Phase IX Formal
Group Presentation of Final Projects 60 total points
due Dec 9 (last class of the
semester)
All perfected work due this day. NO EXCEPTIONS
Please ensure that all work is spell checked
Submit work on
a labeled DVD
or thumb drive
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.
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Class Schedule
week 1. Sept 2
* Introduction to the course
* review game archaeologies and student aspirations
* formulate temp teams Experimental Game Jam #1
* lecture & discussion on the issue of space
* 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 9
* Review Game Jam #1
* briefly discuss prototyping, short project as opposed to longer project
trajectories
* lecture and discussion and student input on The
Big Questions of Our Time
* vote on 3 top questions to use as the theme of Experimental Game Jam #2
* teams form for the new Experimental Game Jam #2
* lecture & discussion of The Big Questions of our Time
week 3. Sept 16
* Review progress on Experimental Game Jam #2 Big Question
* discuss selected social awareness games from
Games for Change, Persuasive
Games, & Molleindustria,
* grads discuss chosen papers within The
Philosophy of Computer Games
week 4. Sept 23
* Review and critique Experimental Games from Jam #2 The Big Questions of Our
Time
* Formulate permanent Final Project teams
Final
Project Experimental Game Trajectory
working
with permanent teams from this point out
week 5. Sept 30
* 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 7
* 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 14 Midterm Review
* 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
week 8. Oct 21
* Formal presentation and critique of phase III prototypes
* Lecture, video and discussion about the representation of race representation in games and the games industry
week 9. Oct 28
* informal presentations and reviews of phase IV refinements
* review poster and promotional design and high end printing
week
10. Nov 4
*
formal critiques of Phase V refinements
* review of playtest plans
* review team 3 week trajectory schedules
* Lecture, video and discussion about addiction
and games
week
11. Nov 11
* 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 18
*
formal presentations and critiques of phase VII
* review project summaries, game design documents and game trailers
* review installation requirements, tech, and gear
week 13. Nov 25 OFF FOR THANKSGIVING
week 14. Dec 2
* informal reviews of phase VIII
* intensive work studio
*
prepare for Gamefest May 1 & 2nd
week
15. Dec9 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
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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. 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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