Game
Design Workshop
USC School of
Cinema-Television, CTIN 488
Instructors:
Contact Info:
|
|
Tracy Fullerton |
|
(310) 403-0798 |
(310) 390-5520 |
Course Description: The growth digital entertainment is creating tremendous opportunities for creative game designers and developers. The purpose of this workshop is to examine models and strategies for creating electronic games that are based in solid play mechanics. Students will:
·
experience the fundamentals of game design
through the study of classic games in both
traditional and electronic form
·
design their own games
and playtest/critique fellow students’ games
The course is designed to provide
the foundation of knowledge for becoming a professional game designer.
Meeting Information:
Interactive Media Lab, G142 Main Room
(below the
4 hours/week, lecture/lab (day/time TBD)
Pre-requisites: N/A
Evaluation of student performance:
a. Assignments and Quizzes (see
full descriptions below):
1. In-class Design Exercises
2. Design Projects (2)
3. In-class Quizzes (3)
4. Level Editor Assignment
b.
Criteria
for grading:
|
Participation |
10 |
|
In-Class Design Exercises |
15 |
|
Quizzes (3) |
30 |
|
Design Project 1 |
15 |
|
Level Editor Assignment |
10 |
|
Design Project 2 |
20 |
|
Total: |
100 |
Course content
(summarized by class meeting)
Week 1 Lecture: Overview of the course. What is a game? Formal and dramatic structures of games. Prototyping, playtesting and iterative design.
“Game Design Workshop”, by
· Chapter 1-2
Week 1 Lab: Re-design a simple game system
· Thursday afternoon section meets 8/26
· Tuesday afternoon section meets 8/31
Week 2 Lecture: Discussion of elements that make up the formal structures of game systems. Analysis of game rules from classic games.
“Game Design Workshop”, by
· Chapters 3 and 6
Week 2 Lab: Conceptualizing and brainstorming game ideas
· Thursday afternoon section meets 9/2
· Tuesday afternoon section meets 9/7
Week 3 Lecture: Applying traditional tools of drama to game design. Analysis of character, plot, story and metaphor in well-known games.
“Game Design Workshop”, by
· Chapters 4 and 7
Week 3 Lab: Prototyping game systems. Design Project #1 Assigned: Game variant prototype.
· Thursday afternoon section meets 9/9
· Tuesday afternoon section meets 9/21
Week 5 Lecture: Complexity Theory,
Game Design Workshop
· Chapters 5, 8 and 9
Week 5 Lab: In-Class Playtesting for Design Project #1
· Thursday afternoon section meets 9/23
· Tuesday afternoon section meets 9/28
Quiz #1
Week 6 Lecture: Game theory, Minimax theory, strategy games. Tic-tac-toe, Connect Four, Chess, Warcraft II.
Game Design Workshop
· Chapters 10
Week 6 Lab: Designing better choices: variants of Design Project #1
· Thursday afternoon section meets 9/30
· Tuesday afternoon section meets 10/5
Week 7 Lecture: Social roles and player interaction. Killer, Pictionary, You Don’t Know Jack, Acrophobia, NetWits.
Week 7 Lab: Designing for social play: variants of Design Project #1
· Thursday afternoon section meets 10/7
· Tuesday afternoon section meets 10/12
Week 8 Lecture: Types of resources, information structures, game economies. Magic: The Gathering, Settlers of Catan, Pit.
Week 8 Lab: Play and analyze Settlers of Catan
· Thursday afternoon section meets 10/14
· Tuesday afternoon section meets 10/19
Week 9 Lecture: Set, Tetris, Smart Games, MetaSquares, Incredible Machine, Myst.
Week 9 Lab: Designing levels for a puzzle game
· Thursday afternoon section meets 10/21
· Tuesday afternoon section meets 10/26
Week 10 Lecture: Development of interactive drama. Interfilm, Kino-Automat, Eliza, Catz. Social
Week 10 Lab: Designing levels for a strategy game
· Thursday afternoon section meets 10/28
· Tuesday afternoon section meets 11/2
Quiz #2
Week 11 Lecture: Dungeons & Dragons, Hack, Diablo, Ultima Online. M.U.L.E., Habitat, Battle.net, Sony Station.
Week 11 Lab: Designing levels for a roleplaying game
· Thursday afternoon section meets 11/4
· Tuesday afternoon section meets 11/9
Week 12 Lecture: Principles of online community design. Design Project #2 Assigned: Original game prototype.
Week 12 Lab: Avatars Online documentary (or Gamers documentary)
· Thursday afternoon section meets 11/11
· Tuesday afternoon section meets 11/16
Game Design Workshop
· Chapters 12 and 14
Week 13 Lab: In-Class Playtesting for Design Project #2
· Thursday afternoon section meets 11/18
· Tuesday afternoon section meets 11/23
Week 14 Lecture: Game market statistics, publisher/developer relationships, royalties & deal structures.
Game Design Workshop
· Chapters 15 and 16
Week 14 Lab: In-Class Playtesting for Design Project #2
· Thursday afternoon section meets 12/2
· Tuesday afternoon section meets 11/30
Quiz #3
Week 15 Guest Speaker: TBD, Quiz #3 and Course Wrap-Up
Week 15 Lab:
·
Thursday
afternoon section Week 14 lab is on 12/2
· Tuesday afternoon section – no lab on 12/7
Design Assignment
Playtest/Critique Requirements:
Participating in in-class play tests is a requirement of the class. During each play test session, the class will break up into as many groups as there are games to be tested. Designers must quickly and clearly explain their game system to the play testers and lead them through a 20-minute play session.
After the group has played the game, the designers must lead a critique of their own game, eliciting as much feedback as possible from their play testers. At the end of the session, the designers must submit a) a copy of the game description and rules, and b) a critique document from the comments of the play testers. Both of these documents will be evaluated as part of the assignment grade.
In-Class Design
Exercises:
The In-Class Design exercises will consist of short, focused assignments that can be completed and playtested during the lab time. These exercises will give students hands-on experience with core concepts in game design, including breaking and balancing systems, changing game variables and system scope, designing for meaningful choice, brainstorming, conceptualization, and responding to player feedback.
Level Design
Exercises:
The Level Design Exercises in Weeks 9, 10, and 11 require students to complete assignments using level editors programs on PCs. Students will have access to the programs in the USC IML lab as well as access from home.
Reading Requirements:
The textbook is “Game Design Workshop: Designing, Prototyping and Playtesting Games.” It is available at the University bookstore or online at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.
Course Website
Address:
Missing
an Exam, Incompletes:
The only acceptable excuses for missing an exam or taking an incomplete in the course are personal illness or a family emergency. Students must inform the professor before the exam and present verifiable evidence in order for a make-up to be scheduled. Students who wish to take incompletes must also present documentation of the problem to the instructor or teaching assistant before final grades are due.
Note for students
with disabilities:
Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a
disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP)
each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be
obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to us as early in the
semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301, and is open
Academic Integrity:
The School of Cinema-Television expects the highest standards of academic excellence and ethical performance from USC students. It is particularly important that you are aware of and avoid plagiarism, cheating on exams, submitting a paper to more than one instructor, or submitting a paper authored by anyone other than yourself. Violations of this policy will result in a failing grade band be reported to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs. If you have any doubts or questions about these policies, consult “SCAMPUS” and/or confer with the instructor.
Additional Suggested
Bibliography and Game List:
Rules of Play, by
Game Over, by David Sheff
Hackers, by Stephen Levy
Computers as Theater, by Brenda Laurel
Hamlet on the Holodeck, by Janet Murray
Inside Electronic Game Design, by Arnie Katz and Laurie Yates
The Art of Computer Game Design, by Chris Crawford
Playing the Future, by Douglas Rushkoff
Seafarers of Catan, by Klaus Teuber
Scotland Yard, by Ravensburger
El Grande, by Wolfgang Kramer & Richard Ulrich
Modern Art, by Reiner Knizia
Illuminati, by Steve Jackson
Acquire, by Sid Sackson
Cosmic Encounter, by Bill Eberle, Jack Kittredge, and Bill Norton
The instructors are Tracy
Fullerton and
Previously, they were founders of
game developer, Spiderdance, Inc.
Spiderdance’s mass audience interactive television games included NBC’s Weakest Link, MTV’s webRIOT, The WB’s No
Boundaries, History Channel’s History
IQ, and Game Show Network’s Inquizition
among others.
Before starting Spiderdance, Tracy and Chris were
founding members of the
Their work has received numerous
industry honors including best Family/Board Game from the