IT-Universitetet i København
 
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Kursusbeskrivelse
Kursusnavn (dansk):Spildesign 
Kursusnavn (engelsk):Game Design 
Semester:Efterår 2008 
Udbydes under:cand.it., medieteknologi og spil (mtg) 
Omfang i ECTS:15,00 
Kursussprog:Engelsk 
Kursushjemmeside:https://learnit.itu.dk 
Min. antal deltagere:15 
Forventet antal deltagere:41 
Maks. antal deltagere:45 
Formelle forudsætninger:This is an introductory course, but it is an advantage to be aware of different computer- and video game genres.

 
Læringsmål:The course enables the student to:
-Create, develop, and implement a game design.
-Use knowledge of different game genres and their particular strengths and possibilities in the practical development of a game, using iterative prototyping.
-Understand the design relevance of the different cultural and social aspects of games: games as fiction, games as rules, and games as social activities. By creating a game, the students will learn the practical aspects of narrative in games, multiplayer dynamics, and game balancing.
-Understand game designs that enable specific types of player experiences. (i.e. social games, strategic games, etc.)
-Understand the relation between design choices and player experiences, as a central element for acknowledging how to make fun and innovative computer games.
-Evaluate game concepts with playtesting methods: what is fun?
-Structure the process from game design to game prototype, to game production and game testing.

 
Fagligt indhold:The course is centered on the design and implementation of a game prototype.
The course is primarily practically oriented, but we will read a number of texts on computer game theory, computer game design, development methods, and game testing as well as examine existing games.
Games are developed in self-selected groups of no more than 3-5 people.

To start designing games, we will spend the first two lectures designing, implementing, and testing a board or card game.

During the rest of the course, course participants must develop and implement a video game design. The game prototype developed is meant as a way of evaluating the core ideas of the game design.
Game designs can be clones of existing games, but must be innovative and fun. Innovation can be on any number of levels such as gameplay, genre, content, experiences, target groups, or alternative interfaces.

This course will give the students:
¿ A basic understanding of game design and game design methods: tools for developing games using iterative prototyping, and a basic knowledge of how to playtest game concepts to test their entertainment value.
¿ The ability to improve a game design based on the insight gained from developing a prototype and testing it on actual users. Students will learn basic playtesting skills that can be applied in future game development projects.
¿ Basic skills with a development tool: Flash/Actionscript, Game Maker, or Python/Pygame/Pyglet. The students will get to choose their development environment according to their needs and skills, and will develop their game in any of these platforms.

To achieve these goals, the students will have to:
¿ Make groups of 3 to 5 people (maximum). The groups should be balanced, combining the skills of programmers, graphic designers, ¿
¿ Create a game design. Implement it using any of the development tools. Test it on players, and modify the game according to the results of the playtest.
Every group will be paired with another group ¿ such two groups will follow each other¿s work and give feedback during the course.
 
Læringsaktiviteter:14 ugers undervisning bestående af forelæsninger og øvelser

Classes take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 10 to 12 and from 13 to 15. Students are expected to attend the lectures and participate in the exercises. The classes are structured as follows:
¿ Mornings (10 ¿ 12): Lecture, discussions on a specific topic, and short exercises.
¿ Afternoons (13 ¿ 15): Exercises, with a strong focus on developing the game that accounts as final project.
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During the intro week (week 35) this class will be held on its regular days but only from 10-12 as exercises are cancelled.

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Se hvordan undervisningen er tilrettelagt her:
link til skemaoplysninger
Skemaoplysningerne for efterårssemesteret vil være tilgængelige fra august måned.

See the schedule here:
link to the time table
The schedule for the fall term will be available in August.

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Information om studiestruktur / Information about study structure
Dette kursus er en del af MTG¿s backbone, som du kan finde beskrevet her:
MTG studiestruktur
For at blive cand.it. i MTG skal du bestå MTG¿s backbonekurser, og desuden gennemføre en 22,5 ECTS specialisering samt to 7,5 ECTS valgfag.

This course is part of the MTG backbone ¿ find it described here:
MTG study structure
In order to graduate as a MSc in MTG, you need to pass the MTG backbone courses, and also take a 22,5 ECTS specialization and two 7,5 ECTS electives. 

Eksamensform og -beskrivelse:X. experimental examination form (7-scale; external exam), 7-trins-skala, Ekstern censur

 

Litteratur udover forskningsartikler:Main course book
The main book of the course is Game design workshop by Tracy Fullerton, Christopher Swain, and Steven Hoffman. Please buy this book.

Technical books
These are readings regarding the development tool of choice, oriented to students who do not have a computer science/programming background. The students will choose which readings to make when they have decided which tool to use, and there will be

For Flash/Actionscript: Rich Shupe and Zevan Rosser, ¿Learning ActionScript 3.0. A Beginner¿s Guide¿, O¿Reilly: 2007
For Game Maker: Jacob Habgood and Mark Overmars, ¿The Game Maker¿s Apprentice¿, Apress: 2006
For Python/Pygame: Andy Harris, ¿Game Programming: The L Line¿, Wiley: 2007

The students will get help in choosing which technical book they should read.



Additional texts

Don Carson: "Environmental Storytelling: Creating Immersive 3D Worlds Using Lessons Learned from the Theme Park Industry". Gamasutra 2000.
http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20000301/carson_01.htm

Mark Cerny: "Method". Game Developer Magazine 2002.

John P. Davis, Keith Steury, and Randy Pagulayan: "A survey method for assessing perceptions of a game: The consumer playtest in game design". Game Studies 05/01, 2005.
http://gamestudies.org/0501/davis_steury_pagulayan/

Noah Falstein: "The 400 project". 2001-2004.
http://www.theinspiracy.com/GD1ShortTermGoals.htm
http://www.theinspiracy.com/400_so_far.htm

Bill Fulton: "Beyond Psychological Theory: Getting Data that Improve Games". Gamasutra 2002.
http://www.gamasutra.com/gdc2002/features/fulton/fulton_01.htm

Jussi Holopainen & Staffan Björk: "Game Design Patterns". 2003.
http://www.nokia.com/library/files/docs/Game_Design_Patterns.pdf

Robin Hunicke, Marc LeBlanc, Robert Zubek: MDA: "A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research". 2004
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~hunicke/pubs/MDA.pdf

Katherine Isbister: "10 tricks from psychology for making better characters". GDC 2004.
http://www.katherineinterface.com/isbister_gdc_2004.htm

Jesper Juul: The open and the Closed: Games of Emergence and games of progression. CGDC, Tampere, 2002.
http://jesperjuul.dk/text/openandtheclosed.html

Medlock, Wixon, Terrano, Romero, Fulton: "Using the RITE method to improve products; a definition and a case study". 2003.
http://download.microsoft.com/download/5/c/c/5cc406a0-0f87-4b94-bf80-dbc707db4fe1/mgsut_MWTRF02.doc.doc

Rouse, Richard: "The Elements of Gameplay". Fra Game Design: Theory and Practice p. 121-145. Plano, USA: Wordware Publishing 2001. p. 1-19.
http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20010627/rouse_01.htm

Shelley, Bruce: "Guidelines for Developing Successful Games". Fra Gamasutra, 2001.
http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20010815/shelley_01.htm

Harvey Smith: "Systemic level design for emergent gameplay". GDC 2002.
http://www.gamasutra.com/features/slides/smith/index.htm

Harvey Smith: "Practical Techniques for Implementing Emergent Gameplay". GDC 2004.
http://www.planetdeusex.com/witchboy/GDC04_Emergence/sld001.htm

M. Wibroe, K.K. Nygaard & P. Bøgh Andersen: "Games and Stories". In Lars Qvortrup (red.): Virtual Interaction. London: Springer Verlag 2001. p. 166-181.

 
 
Afholdelse (tid og sted)
Kurset afholdes på følgende tid og sted:
UgedagTidspunktForelæsning/ØvelserStedLokale
Tirsdag 10.00-12.00 Forelæsning ITU 2A12
Tirsdag 13.00-15.00 Øvelser ITU Gamelab, 2A54
Torsdag 10.00-12.00 Forelæsning ITU 2A12
Torsdag 13.00-15.00 Øvelser ITU Gamelab, 2A54

Eksamen afholdes på følgende tid og sted:
EksamensdatoTidspunktEksamenstypeStedLokale
2008-12-17 Written work to be handed in no later than 3 PM Skriftlige arbejder ITU The Examination Office
2009-01-19 Tidspunkt oplyses senere Mundtlig eksamen ITU Lokale oplyses senere
2009-01-20 Tidspunkt oplyses senere Mundtlig eksamen ITU Lokale oplyses senere
2009-01-21 Tidspunkt oplyses senere Mundtlig eksamen ITU Lokale oplyses senere
2009-01-22 Tidspunkt oplyses senere Mundtlig eksamen ITU Lokale oplyses senere