Official course description:

Preliminary info last published 15/11-19
Course info
Language:
English
ECTS points:
7.5
Course code:
KGPLDES2KU
Participants max:
3
Offered to guest students:
no
Offered to exchange students:
Offered as a single subject:
no
Programme
Level:
MSc. Master
Programme:
MSc in Games
Staff
Course semester
Semester
Forår 2021
Start
1 February 2021
End
14 May 2021
Exam
Exam type
ordinær
Internal/External
ekstern censur
Grade Scale
7-trinsskala
Exam Language
GB
Abstract
This course teaches how to use play as a source of inspiration and creativity in the design of interactive experiences.

This course is discontinued. A limited number of supervision sessions in course content and objectives will run for students eligible for the exam summer 2020.

Description

Play encourages appealing and intriguing interfaces and experiences that engage users. This course teaches the theoretical as well as practical basis for using play as a design method in the context of creating applications and services.

Students learn to understand playfulness as a tool for creating engaging user experiences in interactive systems.

Prospective students should notice that this is not a game design course. The aim of this course is to explore play as an expressive form and creative framework outside of the domain of games. As such, the learning goals and activities are not oriented towards game design.

The course explores play as a perspective and practice in the design of interactive experiences. In the course, students encounter various theories of play, and how they can relate to practical implementations of play in different contexts. This is a course about making people play, outside of games.

Prospective students should know that this is a demanding course. Students are not only expected to produce several working prototypes, but also to read, apply and reflect on a selection of texts on play. Students are expected to be able to connect and integrate concepts of play with practical play designs. The course facilitates an approach to play in which theoretical and practical angles, concepts and artefacts inspire, challenge, question and necessitate each other.

Formal prerequisites
Students are expected to have a basic command of programming knowledge. For instance, students should be able to write a basic interactive piece of software that imports libraries and makes use of object-based programming techniques. For the project work, any language such as Processing, Arduino or even Python can be used.
Intended learning outcomes

After the course, the student should be able to:

  • Work as part of a team
  • Explore the creative and expressive potential of play outside the scope of game design
  • Identify, understand, apply, communicate and discuss conceptual models of interactive design
  • Gain hands-on experience and technical skills
  • Generate original concepts and prototyping materials for design, development and pitching
  • Design and develop unique interactive works from start to finish
  • Create and integrate media elements, such as images, text, sound, video
  • Reflect on the cultural importance of play as a form of expression
Ordinary exam
Exam type:
C: Submission of written work, external (7-trinsskala)
Exam variation:
C: Submission of written work