Brunel University MA Digital Games: Game Design I
International Game Developers Association
Table of contents |
[edit] Teachers
[edit] Module Leader
[edit] Additional Tutors
[edit] Course Background Information
[edit] Location
Brunel University
[edit] Classification
Graduate level
[edit] Course Description
Date syllabus written or revised: January 2006
[edit] MAIN AIMS OF THE MODULE
- Increase students’ understanding of conceptual game design practice and principles through a small practical design project;
- Develop a comprehensive knowledge of the types of rules and parameters used to structure games and gameplay;
- Broaden students understanding of the formal, creative and aesthetic processes involved in the conceptual design of games;
- Develop students’ ability to appraise the design of games in formal, evaluative and critical terms.
[edit] LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THE MODULE
The module provides opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, qualities, skills and other attributes in the following areas:
(A) Knowledge and Understanding
- of the processes involved in the development of a conceptual game design;
- of the formal, aesthetic and structural principles at work in the design of games;
- of the factors that make for a positive and engaging gameplay experience;
- of the illegal status of using copyrighted material; the university’s definition of plagiarism.
(B) Cognitive (thinking) Skills
- appraise the conceptual design of existing and self-made games critically and in evaluative terms;
- conceive of and execute a small game design project;
- apply design principles to a self-made game and be able to articulate the use and function of those principles.
(C) Other Skills and Attributes (Practical/Professional/Transferable)
- be able to work effectively in a team context;
- be able to communicate ideas effectively and clearly in oral and written form;
- be able to plan and time-manage effectively project work.
[edit] MAIN TOPICS OF STUDY:
- The function of game rules to create a play-based experience;
- Explore the principles that lie behind different rule systems;
- Explore concepts such as game-balance, interaction, the use of textual strategies to create context for play
- Establish what is ‘core’ to the design of games (ie the inter-play between genre/aesthetics/gameplay/rules);
- Develop within groups ideas for a small game project;
- Understand what is required for the creation of a design document.
[edit] TEACHING AND LEARNING METHODS/STRATEGIES USED TO ENABLE THE ACHIEVEMENT OF LEARNING OUTCOMES:
These might include lectures, seminars, tutorials, practicals, workshops, laboratories, distance learning, projects or other methods (please specify).
- Lectures provide outlines of major principles in the design of games.
- Seminars provide students with the opportunity to discuss and test out ideas from lectures, reading, experience of playing games.
- Workshops provide students with the opportunity to engage with design problems and provide a forum for dealing with issues arising from the three small game project work.
- Tutorials provide students with feedback on their progress and quality of work.
- Distance learning through collaborative online play develops communication skills and provides material for collective discussion.
- Participation in online forums enables staff and students to dialogue, share ideas and good practice.
The University expects student learning hours to be a notional 10 hours per credit awarded (ie a 20 credit module would involve notional learning time of 200 hours) including taught classes, private study, revision and assessment. The University does not provide guidelines on the minimum number of contact hours per module because patterns of study, including the ratio of contact hours to self-study hours, are likely to vary across levels as learner autonomy increases.
Please indicate below the distribution of learning hours across this module:
50 hours taught classes and tutorials.
100 hours private study
100 hours assessment preparation
50 hours collective and solo gameplay activity
| ASSESSMENT METHODS WHICH ENABLE STUDENT TO DEMONSTRATE THE LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THE MODULE | WEIGHTING |
| One group game design project, accompanied by a development diary | 45% |
| One written evaluation of one of those projects (2000 words) | 40% |
| One Oral presentation presenting evaluation of project (10 minutes) | 15% |
[edit] INDICATIVE READING LIST:
[edit] 1 ESSENTIAL READING
(*Purchase advised)
Eric Zimmerman and Katie Salen, Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals. MIT Press, 2004.* Chris Crawford, Chris Crawford on Game Design. New Riders, 2003.* Richard A Bartle, Designing Virtual Worlds. New Riders, 2004. Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams, Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design. New Riders, 2003. Richard Rouse III Game Design:Theory and Practice. Wordware, 2001.
[edit] 2 RECOMMENDED READING
Austin Grossman (ed.) Postmortems from Game Developer. CMP Books, 2003. David Freeman Creating Emotion in Games. New Riders, 2004. Guy W. Lecky-Thompson Infinite Game Universe: Level Design, Terrain and Sound. Charles River Media, 2002.
[edit] 3. OTHER
EDGE magazine Game Developer magazine www.gamasutra.com Randy Pagulayan et al., ‘User-centred Game Design’ www.microsoft.com/playtest/publications/user%20centered20game%20design.doc Betty Edwards, The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. Harper Collins, 2001.
