UBalt COSC 320.101 Game Concept and Design
International Game Developers Association
COSC 320.101 Game Concept and Design
| Games Education |
|---|
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| Course |
Table of contents |
[edit] Teachers
[edit] Instructors
- Stuart Moulthrop
[edit] Course Background Information
[edit] Location
The University of Baltimore, School of Information Arts and Technologies
[edit] Classification
See: Areas for classifing for your course.
Primary classification: Game Design
[edit] Time periods
Meet once a week for 11 weeks.
[edit] Course Structure
[edit] Course description
This course introduces the critical study of computer games and the professional practice of game design. Students will acquire a comprehensive understanding of the current market for games and simulations, and of the cultural roots from which that market has emerged. They will learn the conceptual basis of games by producing interactive fictions, games that emphasize the design of a coherent, virtual world. By testing one another's productions, they will learn about the continuum of design and play. Readings in commentary and speculation frame this applied work in a network of issues and ideas.
[edit] Week by week topics
October 3
- SZ chaps. 13-14
- IBG chaps. 8-9 Reading quiz in class
- October 10
- SZ chap. 21
- IBG chaps. 10-13
- Reading quiz in class
- Final due date for I.F. Proposal
October 17
- SZ chaps. 24-25
- IBG chaps. 14-17
- Reading quiz in class
October 24
- SZ chap. 26
- Reading quiz in class
October 31
- Class Does Not Meet
- SZ chap. 27
- No work due
November 7
- SZ chaps. 30-32
- Reading quiz in class
November 14
- Everything Bad is Good for You, pp. 1-15
- Reading quiz in class
November 21
- Class Does Not Meet: Happy Thanksgiving
- Final due date for complete I.F. and walk-through
November 28
- Everything Bad is Good for You, pp. 17-62
- Reading quiz in class
December 5
- Everything Bad is Good for You, pp. 62-124; 184-199
- Reading quiz in class
December 19
- Final due date for preliminary game concept
[edit] Course Materials & Facilities Used
Books
- K. Salen and E. Zimmerman, Rules of Play. MIT Press, 2003.
- N. Stephenson, The Diamond Age. Bantam, 1994.
- R. Firth and S. Kesserich, The Inform Beginner's Guide. 3rd ed. Self-published, 2004.
- S. Johnson, Everything Bad is Good for You. Riverhead Books, 2005.
Software (engines, tools)
- Inform Interactive Fiction System, available free from www.inform-fiction.org.
Assessment materials
20% Research assignment
20% Proposal for I.F., completed I.F., and walk-through
20% I.F. play test report
20% Game concept documents, preliminary and final
20% Weekly quizzes (10 highest grades of 12)
[edit] Analysis of learning methods
[edit] What worked
Please discuss what techniques worked well
[edit] What didn't work
Please discuss what techniques didn’t work as well as you had hoped
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