|
Experimental
Game Design
ARTS 4510 section 01 &
section 02 undergraduate level
ARTS 6400 section 01 graduate level
Spring
2014 Wednesdays 2 - 5:50PM
VAST Studio, Sage 2411
4 Credits
Prerequisites: Part of GSAS Core (or by permission of instructor)
from Zineth
created in EGD,
Winner 2013 Independent Games
Festival Student Showcase
©2012
Arcane Kids
- Tom Astle, Jacob Knipfing, Russell Honor, Tom Lanciani, Evan Gonzalez, Dan Spaulding, and Sylvia
Forrest
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)
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 a short project
in a temporary team. These 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 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 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.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Required Events
Drop
Box Information
Details
Course
Topics
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Course
Assessment/Measures: Assignments:
week 1. Personal Game Archeology & Analysis 5 points
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 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. Include references in your presentation—web links, documentation.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Indy IAT Project
Pangaea Mobile Game Temporary Team Based
Project, in 3 parts
Project
description: 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 relevant
mobile/hand held and locative games, projects and apps. After meeting with the client, 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.
week 2. Project Pangaea Part 1: Preliminary Research 5 points
due Jan 29
Research and present at least 5 references to locative, mobile or hand held games
or apps that you find particularly exciting, innovative or relevant
Readings:
due Jan 29
* your personal research
* IAT International Appalachian Trail Project
handout parameters
___________________________________________________________________________
week 3. Project Pangaea Part 2: 5 points
Full Market Research Presentation on Relevant Existing Mobile Games/Apps and Technology
and
Idea Sketches
due Feb 5
Full
Market Research Presentation: create
a short power point or web presentation of your team’s research on mobile,
hand held, and locative games that includes existing trail hiking/biking, art, environmental, educational, social media
games, or commercial games that could
be relevant to Project Pangaea. This presentation should cover your team’s
explorations into the technical, philosophical and theoretical aspects of
mobile game design, development, production and distribution and what your
team sees as potential areas of development. Give references and links. Do your market research to see what is
already out there, then create your own original ideas.
Deliverables:
* power point or html research presentation
and
Preliminary Sketches of
Original Game Designs: After researching, discussing and understanding
the history of Pangaea and the IAT
(International Appalachian Trail) 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. (Original ideas are more important than polished graphics
and optimized code for this part of the study.)
Deliverables:
drop in drop box and also print
out the following:
* concept ideas and sketches of your
team’s ideas
* storyboards explaining and illustrating the project your team has in mind
* 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 SocioCultural
Project Impact?
~ Predecessor or previous games/ distinctive factors in this genre?
~ Target Audience?
~ What is 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 Feb 5
* 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 paragraph, printed reaction
paper to each
of the above
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/
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
___________________________________________________________________________
week 4. Project Pangaea Part 3: Workable Game Prototypes 5 points
due Feb 12
formal
presentation of your teams’ project and client review
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. You can create a
video trailer to demonstrate your ideas if making a working
prototype is beyond the scope of the timeframe here.
Deliverables:
* workable game (or app) prototype relating to the parameters presented in
the IAT International Appalachian Trail Project
* powerpoint or web presentation of the team’s
research and ideas that also answers 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?
~ 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 Feb 12
* 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 paragraph, 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
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Final Project
Experimental Game Trajectory
working with permanent teams from this point out
~ alternating weeks of informal and formal reviews
(formal reviews will be presented by the team members in a formal power
point or web presentation in class)
____________________________________________________________________________
week 5. 1st
Prototype Final Project Concepts Informal
presentation 6.6 points
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 team’s 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 SocioCultural
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.
* 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
Game Overview Sheet
Game
Readings:
due Feb 19
* 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
____________________________________________________________________________
week 6 Phase I
Proposal Final Project Formal Group
Presentation 6.6 points
due Feb 26
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, 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 Feb 26
* 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
____________________________________________________________________________
Week 7.
due March 5 Phase II
Reiteration Informal presentation 6.6 points
Midterm assessments
(please upload all
perfected work to drop box for evaluation)
Reality check on
scope of project and definitive
schedule
Deliverables:
*
gameplay experiments showing clear proof of concept and progress on your game assets
* evidence of new research and
work
* updated and refined GAME DESIGN
DOCUMENT TEMPLATE that includes a game overview sheet, more refined story boards, at least 5
citations of games/ websites/readings/ literature/ films that have influenced
your team’s research, a detailed schedule and outline of individual
responsibilities and deadlines
Readings:
due March 5
* 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
* 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
____________________________________________________________________________
week 8. SPRING BREAK
____________________________________________________________________________
week 9.
due March 19 Phase III Game Prototype Formal
Group Presentation 6.6 points
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 team’s progress of the above reflected in your evolving 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 team’s presentation in class
Readings: due March 19
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
____________________________________________________________________________
week 10. Phase IV Game Content Informal presentation 6.6 points
due March 26
Deliverables:
* evidence of refinement and
progress on your team’s project in design, development, gameplay and depth of
research reflected in the project and game design document
Readings: final project research readings
____________________________________________________________________________
week 11. Phase V Refinement Formal Group
Presentation 6.6 points
due April 2
Deliverables:
*
Play Testing Plans due
* 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
____________________________________________________________________________
week 12. Phase VI Further
Refinement Informal
Group Presentation 6.6 points
due April 9
Yes, we will have
class today, Grand Marshall Week, as Gamefest is in
two weeks
Deliverables:
*
Play Testing Summary results
and Recommendations
* Refinement and progress on your team’s project based on critiques
* Printed Project Posters 34” x 24”
~ you can
print archival prints on the Epson 9800 printer in West Hall 413 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.
Print soon as other students across the campus will be vying for this
printer soon.
Related Readings: final project research readings
____________________________________________________________________________
week
13. Phase VII & Formal Group Presentation 6.6 points
due April 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, 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.
* order all gear in advance for Gamefest for
April 26, 2014
Related
Readings: final
project research readings
____________________________________________________________________________
week 14. Phase VIII
due April 23
intensive work studio in preparation for Gamefest which is April 25 & 26, 2014
Related
Readings: final
project research readings
____________________________________________________________________________
week 15. Phase
VIII 6.6 points
due April 30
second
to last class
* postmortem of Gamefest
* final refining of the game and project assets
* decompression
____________________________________________________________________________
week 16. Phase IX Formal
Group Presentation 60 total points
LAST CLASS
due May 7 (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
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 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.
____________________________________________________________________________
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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% = 5 points
Short study #2. 15% = in 3 parts
@5points each = 15 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 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, 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
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.)
|