Play Lab (Autumn 2024)

Abstract

This course teaches how to explore technologies for their potential in regards to play.

Description

PlayLab is an advanced game design course in which students will engage with specific game design literature and practices with the goal of expanding their creative and intellectual repertoire. The course is structured around reflective practice: students will have to develop playable prototypes as well as reflect upon how their prototypes explore the central topics of the course.

Students will have 3 weeks to create their prototypes, with specific lab-focused sessions dedicated to peer and instructor feedback, as well as to discussions on the readings and topics for the course.

PlayLab 2024 will focus on these three topics: Game Balance, Game Feel, and Procedural Content Generation.
The purpose of PlayLab is to create a space of exploration and reflection through the deliberate practice of game design, focused on specific central aspects of design that demand thoughtful engagement.

Formal prerequisites

PlayLab is an advanced game design course. Experience in designing, developing, and testing games is required.

Intended learning outcomes

After the course, the student should be able to:

• Analyse and discuss the challenges of game balance, game feel, and procedural content generation in the field of game design, using game prototypes as case studies
• Describe the importance of game balance and game feel in diverse player experiences
• Explore the design of balance and feel in game design
• Explore the creative uses of procedural content generation in games
• Design and implement focused prototypes that illustrate and explore key issues in advanced game design topics
• Discuss the importance of procedural content generation in the context of digital game design, digital game business models, and digital game culture

Ordinary exam

Exam type:
C: Submission of written work, External (7-point scale)
Exam variation:
C11: Submission of written work