Syllabus (subject to change)
Contents
IAT 842 Theory and Design of Games
Course Outline
Instructor
Chris Shaw, Ph.D.
Aims
The aim of this course is to introduce students to the theory and design of games meant for play.
Topics
- Case studies in the design of electronic and non-electronic games.
- Games as formal rule sets.
- Games and play.
- Games as cultural phenomena.
- Games and Narrative.
- Game authoring technologies.
Objectives
- Locate, read, and analyze academic and industrial writings and works related to game design.
- Produce critical analyses of games from different a variety of different perspectives.
- Design non-electronic games.
- Design an electronic game.
Reading Lists (Partial)
- Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals, by Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman, 2003 MIT Press
- The Art of Computer Game Design, by Chris Crawford, http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Coverpage.html
[also online at http://www.costik.com/nowords.html] -line at http://www.costik.com/gamnstry.html
- Various articles selected from http://www.gamasutra.com.
- Paper Protoyping, by Tyler Sigman http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20050913/sigman_pfv.htm
- Game Taxonomies: A High Level Framework for Game Analysis and Design,
by Craig Lindley http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20031003/lindley_pfv.htm
- Fourteen Forms of Fun, by Pierre-Alexandre Garneau http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20011012/garneau_pfv.htm
- The Norrathian Scrolls: A Study of EverQuest, by Nick Yee http://www.nickyee.com/eqt/download.html
- Virtual Worlds: A First-Hand Account of Market and Society on the Cyberian Frontier, by Edward Castranova
http://ideas.repec.org/p/bep/grleeb/2-1-1008.html
Course Requirements
| 30% | 2 to 3 critical essays on games and game design |
| 20% | design of a non-electronic game |
| 10% | presentation of ½ hour lecture (plus slides) on game topics |
| 40% | final project (design of an electronic game) |
Course Syllabus (tentative)
Week 1
- Introduction.
- Overview of suggested implementation technologies and systems for final electronic game project.
Week 2
- Theories of games and play.
Week 3
- Non-electronic games: board games, card games, and traditional games.
Week 4
- Presentations and demos of your non-electronic games.
Week 5
- Games and narrative.
Week 6
- Games and culture.
Week 7
- Video games.
Week 8
- Multiplayer on-line games.
Week 9
- Student topic Lectures 1.
Week 10
- Student topic Lectures 2.
Week 11
- Mathematical Game Theory, game tree search.
Week 12
- Multiplayer on-line games.
Week 13
- Final electronic game demos.
