ClassInfo

GAM 226 Fundamentals of Game Design

Jonathan Hey

Office: CDM 635
Winter 2014-2015
Class number: 26630
Section number: 801
Tu 5:45PM - 9:00PM
LEWIS 01007 Loop Campus

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Summary

Name: FUNDAMENTALS OF GAME DESIGN Course #: GAM-226-801 Time: Tuesdays 5:45-9 PM Campus: LOOP Room: Lewis 1007 Instructor: Jonathan William Hey (Jon) (Lecturer) MBA-University of Chicago Office: CDM 617 Phone: (773) 443-7877 (mobile and text) Email: jhey@cdm.depaul.edu or jhey.depaul@gmail.com Office and Advising Hours: Please see instructor page at the CDM website. COURSE DESCRIPTION
GAM 226 provides students with a practical foundation in game design with a focus on concept development, design decomposition, and prototyping. Using game design theory, analysis, physical prototyping, play testing, and iteration students learn how to translate game ideas, themes, and metaphors into gameplay, game pitches, and design documents.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES Students will learn to: Develop the vocabulary and critical understanding to describe and analyze the components of games and gameplay experiences, Develop a game idea from concept to playable, analogue prototype, Use common methods for documenting game designs such as game design documents and play testing reports, Communicate their game ideas effectively through a game pitch.



Texts

Textbooks and Printed Resources
REQUIRED MATERIALS (Not necessary to buy hard copy, PDFs available) Fullerton, T. (2007). Game Design Workshop: A playcentric approach to creating innovative games. Burlington, MA: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers.
Schell, J. (2008) The Art of Game Design A Book of Lenses. Burlington, MA: Elsevier Inc.
Other recommended reading as listed in the weekly listings.
GAME DESIGN JOURNAL You are expected to bring a game design journal to class. You will be asked to write in your game design journal: (a) during class and (b) to write down ideas you have outside of class. This will help you learn to see life through the eyes of a game designer. As your game designer eyes develop (focus) you will find that game ideas will pop up everywhere and the journal will provide a place to collect them for future reference. You might also be asked to present ideas from you design journal.
RESOURCES As a student in the class, you have access to the CDM Gaming lab (see http://defrag.depaul.edu for details). If youʼre working on an assignment, you have priority for the use of the lab hardware and software. Student ID is required to use the labs.


Grading

Grading Policy Grand total of 100 possible points. A = 91+ A- = 90 B+ = 89 B = 88-81 B = 80 C+ = 79 C = 78-71 C- = 70 D+ = 69 D = 68-61 D- = 60 F = 59 or lower


Prerequisites

Prerequisites None


Policies

Policies:
Attendance You are expected to attend all classes and participate in class activities as scheduled.
Late assignments Late assignments will be accepted upon arrangement with me. Please contact me as soon as you know you cannot meet the deadline. Please note that some of the main assignments for this class consist of in-class play testing of your projects. Since these assignments require your presence on the day of play testing, deadlines are fixed and extensions cannot be granted. Plus you will be working in teams.
While this class does not emphasize essay writing, game rules and text are expected to be clear, spell-checked, and demonstrate a high proficiency in written English. The Writing Center offers free one-on-one professional advice from published writers about all types of academic, creative, and professional writing and oral presentations. Go to http://condor.depaul.edu/writing/ for more information and to set up appointments.
Email Email is the preferred means of communication between faculty and students enrolled in this course outside of class time. My email is jhey@cdm.depaul.edu or jhey.depaul@gmail.com
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 Teaching Evaluation 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 http://campusconnect.depaul.edu
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. It is your professional responsibility to ensure that all submitted work is your own. Please read DePaul's policy on plagiarism and other academic integrity violations at: http://academicintegrity.depaul.edu/ContributionFolder/Resources/Students/ViolationDefinitions.html#aiPlagarism
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: cdm.depaul.edu/enrollment
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: csd@depaul.edu. Lewis Center 1420, 25 E. Jackson Blvd. Phone number: (312)362-8002 Fax: (312)362-6544 TTY: (773)325.7296
Student Rights You have rights as a student. To learn about these rights please read DePaul's policies for students regarding student rights, located here http:// sr.depaul.edu/catalog/catalogfiles/current/undergraduate%20student %20handbook/pg51.html
Incomplete An incomplete grade is given only for an exceptional reason such as a death in the family, a serious illness, etc. Any such reason must be documented. Any incomplete request must be made at least two weeks before the final and approved by the Dean of the School of Computer Science, Telecommunications and Information Systems. Any consequences resulting from a poor grade for the course will not be considered as valid reasons for such a request. Students who feel they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss their specific needs. All discussion will remain confidential. To ensure that you receive the most reasonable accommodation based on your needs, contact me as early as possible in the quarter (preferably within the first week of the course) and be sure to contact the following office for support and additional services.


Introduction, course overview and pragmatics
Role of the game designer
Brainstorming (blank cards)
Reading:
GDW CH1: Role of Game Designer
The Art of Game Design Intro
The Art of Game Design Chapter 1
Assignment 1: due start Week 2
1-3 paragraphs game idea - upload to COLWEB or email to me - Describe [in short, a paragraph or two or three] a premise for a game. Platform, subject, brief description, goal, characters, action, etc.

PART I Discussion of game ideas Formal game elements Types of games PART II Rules and procedures FLUXX Meaningful play; identifying play Reading: GDW CH2: The Structure of Games GDW CH6: Conceptualization Nowords2002 (Costikyan) The Writing of Stones Caillois Assignment 2: due start Week 3 Create a Card Game of Any Type (But not a board game) Please reference Assignment 2 PDF. We will play and evaluate your games in Week 3. Discussion of game ideas Experiences for players: player types and play personalities MDA Sissyfight Prisoner's Dilemma / Game Theory Quiz: Topics covered including Readings through Week 3 Assignment 3: due start Week 4 "Design" 4 distinct characters for a fighting, themed role-playing, sports, or other game. Brief description of game: example: ?Just like Mortal Kombat??. Describe costuming, physical attributes, weapons or gear, powers, personality, traits, background, etc. Write a storytelling scenario of why these 4 characters are in your game and what are they to accomplish, or try to accomplish (goal). This is TEXT only, but if you are handy with graphic arts you can ADD drawings if you please. Reading: MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research Marc LeBlanc - Tools for Creating Dramatic Game Dynamics MUD - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia MUDs (Richard Bartle: players who suit Muds) Interview-importance-of-play-Stuart-Brown Stuart_play_as_organizing_principle Prisoners Dilemma In- class: "Us vs. It" Heroʼs Journey Diagetic / Non-Diagetic Reading: GDW CH 3: Working with formal elements GDW CH 4: Working with dramatic elements Prototyping Pillars, Papo & Yo Mid-Term Exam Reading: GDW CH 11: Fun and Accessibility Game design documentation: Treasure map; game design log Play testing 101 Shooter prototyping Guest(s)? Reading: GDW CH 10: Functionality, Completeness and Balance GDW CH14: The Game Design Document Start on Final Assignment: Treasure Map Board Game, Characters, Cards (Groups 1-4 people allowed) Work on Final Assignment in class Write up core play and procedures; create game flowchart Submit treasure map draft for feedback Bring first playable prototype to class Submit initial final project progress report Submit 2nd final project progress report Work on Final Assignment in class Final Assignment Game Showcase: Game presentation Game demo Write and submit peer evaluations (FINALS) Continue, if necessary: Final Assignment Game Showcase: Game presentation Game demo Write and submit peer evaluations Final wrap-up material

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