Experimental
Game Design

ARTS 4510 ARTS 6400

Spring 2019 VAST Studio, Sage 2411 Wednesday 2-5:50pm
4 credits
Prerequisites: part of GSAS core (or by permission of insturctor)

Radioland created in EGD, Winner 2^nd Place, ‘Vicarious Visions Student Challenge’ Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Gamefest 2015

http://radioland.github.io/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=25&v=XRVRkRMiYZw

Instructor:
Kathleen Ruiz
Associate Professor of Integrated Arts
email: ruiz@rpi.edu
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 and simulation 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 thinking, experimenting, creating, making, resonating and reiterating. Games are analyzed as cultural artifacts reflecting behavior, social formation, and the representation of gender, ethnicity and identity. This analysis is applied to the creation of inventive models for the future.
Students present their work in a series of formal and informal critiques that help to guide and expand their iterative process.

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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 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 project 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 assignments. Interdisciplinary collaborative teams consisting of talents from visual art, music and sound art, computer science, cognitive science, game design, writing, engineering, IT and others. Elements of successful collaboration are covered and camaraderie of invention is encouraged.

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Student upload info

Required Events
Details
Tools
Course Topics
Conferences & Groups

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Course Assessment/Measures: Assignments:

Please upload all projects, studies and readings to your class exchange folder drop box.
Additionally, please print your reactions and GDD.
Info is subject to updates, so please check in and refresh your browser.

Students at the 6000 level have additional readings indicated in grey text.

week 1. Personal Game Archeology & Analysis
5 points
due Jan 16

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 presentation—web links, documentation.

Readings: due Jan 16
* Trends: Here's what 2019 will be like for the game biz
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/333675/Opinion_Heres_what_2019_will_be_like_for_the_game_biz.php

* 11 video game trends that will change the future of the industry
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jul/21/11-video-game-trends-that-will-change-the-future-of-the-industry

Here's what 2019 will be like for the game biz Mistakes we can learn from:
* The 5 Biggest Mistakes Made by Indie Development Studios
http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/AidanMinter/20150818/251514/The_5_Biggest_Mistakes_Made_by_Indie_Development_Studios.php

Additional Readings for 6000 level Students:
select one reading from each of the following that resonates with your personal research and write a short review:
Well Played CMU:
Well-Played-v6n3-17-web.pdf
WellPlayed-v4n3-15-webWomenAndGames.pdf

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week 2. & 3. Experimental Game Jam # 1
“Gaming responds to the big questions of our time.”
10 points
due Jan 30

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 the theme of your game.

Working collaboratively in temporary teams, (ideally creating a balanced team consisting of the following talents: visual artist, programmer, engineer, sound composer & designer) create a short experimental game around a theme that you or your team feels is critical to our time.

This is purposefully broad so use your imagination and creativity and open yourself up to experimenting.
Trust your intuition! Innovation is key here.

Pay attention to the ethics of your theme and intentionality (what world or possibility you create, the realms of possibilities to do what kinds of activities in? Do market research on your ideas!!! If it has been done before, why repeat it?
Original ideas are more important than polished graphics and optimized code for this study.

Deliverables:
* workable game (or app) prototype responding to the chosen question
* PowerPoint or web presentation of the team’s research and ideas that also answers the following questions:
~ What is the game?
~ What is the main focus?
~ Why create this game? Why would someone want to play it?
~ What is different or experimental about your game?
~ Immediate and Long Term Projected Socio-cultural Project Impacts?
~ 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?
~ List of technical information and methodologies of production: any necessary hardware, software, SDKs, and APIs, etc. needed.

Readings: Jan 22
* info you or your team find interesting about your chosen question
* look through and play 3 social awareness games that may be of interest. Then be a game critic and create a short paragraph analysis and critique with suggestions about your 3 chosen games.
Please create 3 short paragraph critiques
Here are some preeminent sites to choose from:
Games for Change : http://www.gamesforchange.org/play/
Persuasive Games: http://www.persuasivegames.com/
Paolo Pedercini www.molleindustria.org
* read Experimental gameplay project - How to Prototype a Game in Under 7 Days

Additional Readings for 6000 level Students:
* 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
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week 4. & 5 Experimental Game Jam #2
The theme is Water
10 points
due Feb 6 water readings & initial research
Feb 13 finished game

Water is life we have heard, but everywhere water is being threatened. What can we do about this? How can games/simulations help this situation?
Your game or simulation project can approach this situation in serious or playful ways.

Working collaboratively in temporary teams, (ideally creating a balanced team consisting of the following talents: visual artist, programmer, writer, engineer, sound composer & designer) create a game around the theme of water.

Exemplary projects will be encouraged to submit their games to international game festivals.

due Feb 6
power point teams will present a power point that contains the following background research:
* concept ideas and sketches of your team’s 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.

due Feb 13
working games presented formally

due Feb 6
Readings:
Think about how do we foster systems thinking across disciplines, places and spaces for freedom of thinking, for divergent thinking, for creative thinking that asks questions that no single discipline alone can? Revealing not only the complexities, but the impacts of decision making locally, regionally and globally.

See this video: North Country Climate Reality Summit CLIMATE CHANGE AND OUR CHANGING MENU
Mike Hoffmann
https://youtu.be/TIeU001iYTo

See this video: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi asks, "What makes a life worth living? https://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow

Cognitive Flow: The Psychology of Great Game Design
https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/166972/cognitive_flow_the_psychology_of_.php

What games must learn from children's books by Ana Anthropy https://boingboing.net/2015/06/11/what-games-must-learn-from-chi.html

Please create a short reaction to each (a short paragraph) and upload to your class exchange drop folder.

Additional Readings for 6000 level Students:
building upon 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
* Simulating Philosophy: Interpreting Video Games as Executable Thought Experiments
https://link-springer-com.libproxy.rpi.edu/article/10.1007/s13347-013-0102-2
* Technological Unemployment, Leisure Occupation, and the Human Project
https://link-springer-com.libproxy.rpi.edu/article/10.1007/s13347-014-0166-7
* Game Studies: The International Journal of Computer Game Research http://gamestudies.org/1602
* Sage Journal: Games & Culture http://journals.sagepub.com/toc/gac/0/0
* 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.

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Final Project Experimental Game Trajectory
working with permanent teams from this point out

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week 6. Final Project Starting Sketches, Ideas & Concepts Informal presentation 6.6 points
due Feb 20

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 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
don’t worry your will find the answers as you go, and things will change, but just start. And yes philosophy is important to success in innovative game creation

* Answer Ernest Adams Game Design Philosophy Questions:
- What dreams does the game fulfill?
- What is the player going to do?
- What are the physical, intellectual, emotional, economic and ethical spaces of the game world?

Please remember that your completed game project is an innovative, original, purposeful work which goes beyond conventional style gaming paradigms and shows depth of creative goals, sensitivity to social issues, and quality of interaction. The game must be fully functional.

Additionally, the final project must be accompanied by an iterative, completed, (web ready, standalone) game design document and a well-designed poster, project overview sheet and promotional game trailer.

See samples:

Nova Radix: Game Design Document rough and incomplete, but a good starting iteration
Nova Radix Game

Readings: due Feb 20
* 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

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Midterm assessments
(please upload all perfected work to drop box for evaluation)

week 7. Phase I Proposal Final Project Formal Group Presentation 6.6 points
due Feb 27

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 Feb 27
* 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 to each 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

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week 8. Spring Break

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week 9. Phase II Reiteration Informal presentation
6.6 points
due March 13

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 team’s research,

Readings: due March 13
Extra Credits
* No Gendered Mechanics - How Genre Stereotypes Limit Games and Players
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERR1F-zoTVg

* True Female Characters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1qndga6SNU

* Harassment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt9GwmOWoqo

* Sexual Diversity - How a Gay Character Made Persona 4 Great
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUqivXMlpcQ

*create a short, one paragraph, reaction paper to each of the above and place in your drop box folder

Readings for Masters and Ph.D. Students (Optional Extra Credit for Undergrads):
* A Game of One’s Own: Towards a New Gendered Poetics of Digital Space by Tracy Fullerton, Jacquelyn Ford Morie, and Celia Pearce
*create a short reaction paper of the above and place in your drop box * The Construction of Experience: Interface as Content David Rokeby

*create a short, one paragraph reaction paper of the above and place in your drop box

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week 10. Phase III Game Prototype
Formal Group Presentation
6.6 points
March 20

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 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 team’s presentation in class

Readings: final project research readings

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week 11. March 27 No class due to GM Week

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week 12. Phase IV Game Content Informal presentation
6.6 points
due April 3

Deliverables:

* refined game fact sheet overview see http://radioland.github.io/#snab-tm-factsheet
* 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

* your game trailer (approximately 2 to 3 minutes), highlighting the general gist of your game and the exciting features, with title, credits for all involved, and sound credits. You can use any screen action capture program OBS Studio is now installed in the project space. The students that requested recording software are already familiar with how to use OBS. For anyone else I would recommend taking a look at this article. https://www.techradar.com/how-to/how-to-record-your-pc-or-macs-screen

You can use Adobe Encoder for good compression: (. mp4 is recommended.) The game trailers will be used by the judges as part of the review process and they will be put into a compilation reel.
Readings: final project research readings

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week 13. Phase V Refinement Formal Group Presentation
6.6 points
due April 10

Deliverables:
* Play Testing Plans due
* Refinement and progress on your team’s project for pre-review and three week trajectory for individual team work
* Refined game trailer
* consider what gear you will need to exhibit your work and reserve it.

Related Readings: final project research readings

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week 14. Phase VI Further Refinement Informal Group Presentation
6.6 points
due April 17
second to last class

Deliverables:
* Play Testing Summary results and Recommendations
* Refinement and progress on your team’s project based on critiques
* Printed Project Posters 34” x 24” Please print early, as other students across the campus will be vying for these printers soon.
* Your final printed project summary in .doc format with summation image
* high quality edited high def. 1920 x 1080, H264 mp4 promotional video trailer. Please include:
the title,). Show an overview of the distinctive features of your project including interaction and gameplay on and off screen if desired. 2 to 4 minutes maximum should be enough time to give a person a taste of your game project and for them to want to play it.

This video will be used to judge whether your game gets into the competition so please make a good one.

~ 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 vcp7100g (not archival and will fade soon)
Instructions for Printing your Poster at the VCC (Voorhees Computing Center) on the RCS Public Plotters:
You need to configure your computer with the proper drivers in order to print to the plotter
http://dotcio.rpi.edu/services/printing/plotting-rcs-public-plotters

and for general Help Desk info: http://helpdesk.rpi.edu/update.do?catcenterkey=78
The plotter paper is 36 inches wide, but the actual content space is 34 inches. So your document should be 36 wide, but have an inch of whitespace on either side.
The minimum height is 24 inches, but I would recommend the same amount of padding there. If your poster is vertical you can of course rotate it to fit into this space for the lowest cost. File formats: .jpg or even a .png file works from a well configured computer, but to ensure success you should make a PDF. You can possibly use Photoshop and output your file as a PDF or use Illustrator (proven to work very well) (it is on the VAST lab computers if you don't have it), create a document 36" by height + 2", then use File->Place to insert your document. You can then do "Save As" and switch the file type to PDF.

If your computer is not configured you can physically take the PDF file to the VCC and open it in Acrobat (or Reader? whatever it's called these days). Switch the printer to vcp7100g for glossy ($0.25 more per foot, not bad for the shiny effect). The checkboxes are something like:
"Automatically select paper size"
"Allow use of custom sizes"
Select both of those and the rulers in the preview should update to be your document's size. Then you should be able to send it.

The printouts show up rolled in the racks on the right side of the VCC building, near the glass-enclosed classroom on that side. In general, they will put obviously bad printouts up without saying anything, but you can get a refund if there was a problem on their end by going to the help desk.

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week 15. Phase VIII (last class of the semester)
due April 24
Formal Group Presentation of Final Projects
60 total points

All perfected work due this day.

Please ensure that all work is spell checked.

In addition to uploading your work to the class box storage,

It is required to submit all work on a non-returnable, labeled DVDs 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. Jan 16
* Introduction to the course
* review game archaeologies, best works, and student aspirations
* lecture & discussion on ideas for the future of games and gaming as we may not know it now to be, content, platforms and interfaces
* lecture/discussion/student input on “The Big Questions of Our Time.” What are they? Which ones to work with?
* temp teams formulate and pick their question for Experimental Game Jam #1 Gaming responds to the big questions of our time

week 2. Jan 23
* review in-process Games from Game Jam #1
Gaming responds to the big questions of our time
* discuss selected social awareness games from Games for Change, Persuasive Games, & Molleindustria research assignment
* Discussion and lecture on Trajectories from EGD into the real world: case studies of a number of successful students

* grads discuss:
Homo Ludens: A study of the Play Element in Culture by Johan Huizinga
Man, Play, and Games by Roger Caillois
* briefly discuss prototyping, short project as opposed to longer project trajectories

week 3. Jan 30

critique Games from Game Jam #1
Gaming responds to the big questions of our time

* Grads present reaction paper analyses of 2 articles from the following selections:

* 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/1602
* Sage Journal: Games & Culture: http://journals.sagepub.com/toc/gac/0/0

* review parameters for Experimental Game Jam #2 Water

* formulate temporary teams for Game Jam #2

week 4. Feb 6
* Review power point presentations for Jam #2 Fun
* Discuss readings:

What games must learn from children's books by Ana Anthropy https://boingboing.net/2015/06/11/what-games-must-learn-from-chi.html

Cognitive Flow: The Psychology of Great Game Design
https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/166972/cognitive_flow_the_psychology_of_.php

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi asks, "What makes a life worth living? https://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow

* Discussion and lecture on Innovation & Collaboration

week 5. Feb 13

* Formal presentations & critiques of Experimental Game Jam #2 Fun

* Discuss parameter of the final project
* Formulate permanent Final Project teams

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Final Project
Working with permanent teams from this point onward.
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week 6. Feb 20
* Informal review of Final Project Starting Sketches, Ideas & Concepts

* Review the Advanced Game Design Document
* Discuss the iterative process of game design and production as given in Play as Design reading selection

* Lecture, video and discussion about Aesthetics and games

week 7. Feb 27

Midterm Review of all perfected studies uploaded to class exchange folder.

* Formal review of phase I prototypes

* Reality check on scope of project and schedule
* Lecture, video and discussion about virtual violence, catharsis and desensitization

* 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

week 8. March 6 Spring Break

week 9. March 13
* Informal presentation and critique of phase II prototypes
* team meetings with Experts giving feedback on initial ideas
* Lecture, video and discussion about the representation of gender, love and emotion in games
and the game industry and discussion of the related (inverted studio) videos:

* No Gendered Mechanics - How Genre Stereotypes Limit Games and Players - Extra Credits
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERR1F-zoTVg

* Extra Credits: True Female Characters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1qndga6SNU

* Extra Credits: Harassment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt9GwmOWoqo

* Sexual Diversity - How a Gay Character Made Persona 4 Great - Extra Credits
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUqivXMlpcQ
Uncanny Valley

week 10. March 20

* Formal presentations and reviews of phase III refinements

* review poster and promotional design and high end printing
* Lecture, video and discussion about the representation of race representation in games and the games industry

* informal critiques of Phase IV refinements
* review of the ways that playtesting can help garner feedback on your working game
* review projected playtest plans
* Lecture, video and discussion about Breaking through the 4th Wall and issues in player created content

* review team 4 week trajectory schedules
* review/refine game trailers

* review methodologies of producing game video trailers (approximately 2 to 3 minutes), highlighting the general gist of your game and the exciting features, with title, credits, and sound. You can use any screen action capture OBS Studio is now installed in the project space. The students that requested recording software are already familiar with how to use OBS. For anyone else I would recommend taking a look at this article. https://www.techradar.com/how-to/how-to-record-your-pc-or-macs-screen

week 11. March 27 No Class due to GM Week

week 12. April 3

* informal presentations and critiques of phase VI
* examine playtest results and take appropriate actions to refine
* review project summaries, game design documents and game posters

* review installation requirements, tech, and gear

* Lecture, video and discussion about Mobile, blended and AR

week 13. April 10

week 14. April 17.

second to last class

informal reviews of Phase VII
intensive work studio:
refining of the game and project assets

week 15. April 24
last class
* Formal reviews of the final completed project Phase VIII
* 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 labeled individual DVS or thumb drives and in student drop boxes for final review
All perfected work due this day.

Please ensure that all work is spell checked.

In addition to uploading your work to the class box storage,

* Your game and all elements including all art, programming code, files, etc.

* 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.

* lecture and discussion on The Future is Here!
.

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Grading:
Evaluation: Students at the 4000 level 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 “Gaming responds to the big questions of our time.” 10% = 10 points

· Short study #3. Experimental Game Jam #2 “Fun”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 = 5points

Evaluation: Students at the 6000 level 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 “Gaming responds to the big questions of our time.” 10% = 10 points

· Short study #3. Experimental Game Jam #2 “Fun”10% = 10 points

· Final Project 60% (incremental evaluation over 9 due dates, each 6.666% = 6.6 points each x 10= 50 points

· Participation in class 10% = 10 points

· Reaction papers 10% to readings 5 and your events 3 = 8 total @ 1.25 points each = 5points

· Students at the 6000 level will give class audio visual presentations of their research = 10 points

Point to Letter grade equivalents for the course are as follows:

LETTER GRADES	PERFORMANCE DESIGNATION the 4000 level	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
LETTER GRADES	PERFORMANCE DESIGNATION for 6000 level	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

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:

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, music, 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 Statement for all courses at the 4000 level or above:

The Rensselaer Handbook of Student Rights and Responsibilities and The Rensselaer Graduate Student Supplement define various forms of Academic Dishonesty and procedures for responding to them. All forms are violations of the trust between students and teachers. 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 performance. Acts that violate this trust undermine the educational process.

The Rensselaer Handbook of Student Rights and Responsibilities and The Rensselaer Graduate Student Supplement define 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. If found in violation of the academic honesty policy, students may be subject to two types of penalty. The instructor administers an academic [grade] penalty and the student is reported to the Dean of Students or the Dean of Graduate Education as appropriate. The first violation results in 0 grade for that assignment. The second violation results in failure of the course. If you have any questions concerning this policy before submitting an assignment, please ask for clarification.

In cases where help was received, or teamwork was allowed, a notation on the assignment should indicate your specific contributions to the collaboration.

Students with Disabilities:

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute strives to make all learning experiences as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience academic barriers based on a disability, please let me know immediately so that we can discuss your options. To establish reasonable accommodations, please register with The Office of Disability Services for Students. After registration, make arrangements with me as soon as possible to discuss your accommodations so that they may be implemented in a timely fashion. DSS contact information: dss@rpi.edu; 518-276-819; 4226 Academy Hall.

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

8. students at the 6000 level will have demonstrable advanced understanding and ability to articulate their opinions regarding the philosophical, theoretical, social and political ramifications of games and in their personal game development for the course.

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Required Materials

• An active RCS account.

• Approximately 10 to 15 dvds, or approximately 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

HASS Information Services assistance: http://www.hass.rpi.edu/pl/helpdesk

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.)

Readings: due March 13 Extra Credits * No Gendered Mechanics - How Genre Stereotypes Limit Games and Players https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERR1F-zoTVg

For problems in the studio please be specific in your email and contact: hasshelp@rpi.edu

HASS Information Services assistance: http://www.hass.rpi.edu/pl/helpdesk

Readings: due March 13
Extra Credits
* No Gendered Mechanics - How Genre Stereotypes Limit Games and Players
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERR1F-zoTVg