GAM 226 Fundamentals of Game Design

Summary

GAM 226

Fundamentals of Game Design

Tuesdays/Thursdays: 11:50 am to 1:20pm

Room 224 CDM building

Instructor: Allen Turner

Summary:

This course aims to provide a foundation for students in the processes of designing a game. Students will be expected to conceive of a number of varied game ideas and develop a subset of them using the development exercises provided in class. Students will be expected to document their progress and submit works in progress for peer review weekly. No programming is required as the focus here is idea development, presentations, and physical prototyping

In this class students will spend time examining such ideas as "Understanding the role between player and Designer, Core mechanics, obstacles and challenge, designing around a theme, working with narrative and pacing. As always in my classes the emphasis is on the design of the game and its play. Students are welcome to bring any skills they have to bear, however they are expected keep in mind that the ultimate goal is a playable core game experience. Students will use physical prototyping in many cases as proof of the functionality of core systems for their games.

Students will be asked to present design papers that compare their proposed ideas to existing games available on the market as well as examine the particular design styles and the influences of a number of designers past and present.

The final project will be the development of a game design, with a predetermined theme, as a team. The limits of the game design and themes available will be discussed in class. Students will have the last 4 weeks of class to develop the idea and have a playable, very detailed, prototype which will be presented on the last day of class.

Texts

Grading

School policies:

Changes to Syllabus

This syllabus is subject to change as necessary during the quarter. If a change occurs, it will be thoroughly addressed during class, posted under Announcements in D2L and sent via email.

Online Course Evaluations

Evaluations are a way for students to provide valuable feedback regarding their instructor and the course. Detailed feedback will enable the instructor to continuously tailor teaching methods and course content to meet the learning goals of the course and the academic needs of the students. They are a requirement of the course and are key to continue to provide you with the highest quality of teaching. The evaluations are anonymous; the instructor and administration do not track who entered what responses. A program is used to check if the student completed the evaluations, but the evaluation is completely separate from the student’s identity. Since 100% participation is our goal, students are sent periodic reminders over three weeks. Students do not receive reminders once they complete the evaluation. Students complete the evaluation online in CampusConnect.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

This course will be subject to the university's academic integrity policy. More information can be found at http://academicintegrity.depaul.edu/ If you have any questions be sure to consult with your professor.

All students are expected to abide by the University's Academic Integrity Policy which prohibits cheating and other misconduct in student coursework. Publicly sharing or posting online any prior or current materials from this course (including exam questions or answers), is considered to be providing unauthorized assistance prohibited by the policy. Both students who share/post and students who access or use such materials are considered to be cheating under the Policy and will be subject to sanctions for violations of Academic Integrity.

Academic Policies

All students are required to manage their class schedules each term in accordance with the deadlines for enrolling and withdrawing as indicated in the University Academic Calendar. Information on enrollment, withdrawal, grading and incompletes can be found at http://www.cdm.depaul.edu/Current%20Students/Pages/PoliciesandProcedures.aspx.

Students with Disabilities

Students who feel they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss their specific needs. All discussions will remain confidential.
To ensure that you receive the most appropriate accommodation based on your needs, contact the instructor as early as possible in the quarter (preferably within the first week of class), and make sure that you have contacted the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) at:
Lewis Center 1420, 25 East Jackson Blvd.
Phone number: (312)362-8002
Fax: (312)362-6544
TTY: (773)325.7296