CTIN 488 Game Design Workshop Syllabus 2011-3

Game Design Workshop –!Fall, 2011 Syllabus

USC School of Cinematic Arts, CTIN 488

Instructors:

Jeremy Gibson

Vincent Diamante

(512) 659-8624

(213) 840-0645

[email protected]

Student Assistants:

Lab 1: Th 10a–11:50a

Lab 2: F 10a–11:50a

Lab 3: F 12p–1:50p

Lab 4: Tu 2p–3:50p

Michael Chu

Ed Lorenceau

Alex Beachum

Sam Farmer

(650) 380-9365

(213) 300-6043

(419) 377-7942

(818) 383-5864

[email protected]

sbfgamer[email protected]

Course Description: CTIN 488 is the foundation course for game design education at USC.

It is a required course for all students who are majoring or minoring in interactive entertainment

and games from the School of Cinematic Arts or Viterbi School of Engineering. The foundation

mentioned is constructed from a codiﬁed language for games and a set of design methodologies

that collectively we call “playcentric design". Think of playcentric design as the USC school of

thought for games. It is intended to provide ﬂexible skills and knowledge that will enable you to

create playable systems more efﬁciently and collaborate with others more effectively. Playcentric

design strives to enable the student to:

1. Understand Fundamental Theory – You will learn about the Formal, Dynamic, and

Dramatic elements of games and how the three interrelate.

2. Learn the Core Development Process – This process is independent of software tools

(which change over time). It includes understanding iterative design, prototyping,

playtesting, presentation, and collaboration.

3. Make Many Games – Everyone will design many games, hands-on, regardless of

technical skills. Class assignments are designed to make good additions to a

studentʼs demo reel. In addition, everyone will gain considerable experience providing

critiques and analyzing games as playable systems.

CTIN 488 is designed to provide the foundation of knowledge both for succeeding throughout the

game program at USC and for becoming a professional game designer.

Lecture Information: (all students must attend)

When:" Tuesdays 7p - 9p

Where:" SCA 112 - REMEMBER NO FOOD OR DRINK IN THIS ROOM!!!

Labs: All labs are in the XML lab in Zemeckis (RZC 119)

#1 – Thursdays"10a – 11:50a " Jeremy Gibson" SA: Michael Chu" Section 18362

#2 – Fridays" 10a – 11:50a " Vincent Diamante" SA: Ed Lorenceau" Section 18393

#3 – Fridays" 12p – 1:50p " Vincent Diamante" SA: Alex Beachum" Section 18361

#4 – Tuesdays" 2p – 3:50p " Jeremy Gibson" SA: Sam Farmer" Section 18360

Ofﬁce Hours: You should generally call or email ahead of time to set an appointment

Jeremy Gibson " – Tuesdays, 5-6pm (by appointment) @ SCA 211

Vincent Diamante "– Fridays at 9-10am (by appointment)

Student Assistants "– By appointment

CTIN 488 – Game Design Workshop 1

Pre-requisites: N/A

Required Textbooks: (Both are available in the Book Store)

Game Design Workshop, Second Edition, by Fullerton and Swain

The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses, by Jesse Schell

Evaluation of student performance:

Design Projects

70%

Play Experiments

15%

Quizzes (3 @ 5% each)

15%

Total:

100%

Course Outline: (This material is subject to change)

Week 1 – 8/23: Overview of the Course — You are a Game Designer!

NO TUESDAY LABS ON 8/23

Lecture: Overview of the course. What is a game? Formal, dynamic, and dramatic elements of

games. Prototyping, playtesting and iterative design.

In-Class Assignment: Bartok (as played by Malcolm Ryan)

Reading: GDW: Ch. 1-2 / AGD: xxiii-xxx, Ch. 1, Ch. 3

Lab: Up the River: Re-design a simple game system

Assignments: " Play Experiment 1 (Due 8/30)

"" Reﬁne Up the River redesigns (Due next lab)

Week 2 – 8/30: Formal Elements of Games: Objectives, Procedures, Systems and Rules

PLAY EXPERIMENT #1 DUE

Lecture: Discussion of elements that make up the formal structures of game systems. Analysis

of game rules from classic games.

Reading: GDW: Ch. 3 & 6 / AGD: Ch. 4, 6, & 10

Lab: Conceptualizing and brainstorming game ideas / Playtest Up the River redesigns

" Begin Game Project 1

Assignments: " Play Experiment 2 (Due 9/6)

" " Game Project 1 (Due 9/27) – Create 1

Playable (Due next lab)

Week 3 – 9/6: Dynamic Elements of Games: Emergence

PLAY EXPERIMENT #2 DUE

Lecture: Complexity Theory, Conway's Game of Life, The Sims, Gearheads, SimCity,

RollerCoaster Tycoon. Testing your game for functionality, completeness and balance.

In-Class Assignment: Emergent Behavior

Reading: GDW: Ch. 5 / AGD: Ch. 11

Lab: Playtest 1

playable of GP1

Assignments: " Game Project 1 (Due 9/27) – Create 2

Playable

CTIN 488 – Game Design Workshop 2

Week 4 – 9/13: Dramatic Elements of Games: Metaphor, Characters, Roles, and Story

Lecture: Applying traditional tools of drama to game design. Analysis of character, plot, story

and metaphor in well-known games. Interest Curves.

Reading: GDW: Ch. 4 / AGD: Ch. 5, 14, & 15

Lab: Playtest 2

playable of GP1

Assignments: " Game Project 1 (Due 9/27) – Create 3

Playable

Week 5 – 9/20: Creating Interesting Choices

QUIZ #1

Lecture: Game theory, Minimax theory, strategy games. Tic-tac-toe, Connect Four, Chess,

Warcraft III, many others.

Reading: GDW: Ch. 7 / AGD: Ch. 2, 7

Lab: Playtest 3

playable of GP1

Assignments: " Game Project 1 (Due 9/27) – Finalize!

Week 6 – 9/27: Role-Playing Games & Online Communities

GAME PROJECT 1 DUE!!!

Lecture: Roleplaying Games: Dungeons & Dragons, Hack, Diablo, Ultima Online, M.U.L.E.,

Habitat. Online Communities – The 9 Principles of Community Design

Reading: AGD: Ch. 30 & 31

Lab: Play an example RPG / Make RPG Project groups

Assignments: " Role-Playing Game Project (Two are Due 10/11 & Two are due on 10/18)

Week 7 – 10/4: Social Play / Networking with Professionals in the Game Industry

Lecture: Social roles and player interaction. Bartle's 4 player types. Killer, Pictionary, You Donʼt

Know Jack, Acrophobia, NetWits.

In-Class Assignment: Designing for 4 types of players

Reading: GDW: Ch. 11 / AGD: Ch. 21 & 22

Lab: Play one of your group's RPGs

Assignments: " Role-Playing Game Project (Two are Due 10/11 & Two are due on 10/18)

Week 8 – 10/11: Narrative Play

TWO OF FOUR RPG PROJECTS DUE THIS WEEK!!!

Lecture: Narrative Play: Embedded Narrative versus Emergent Narrative. Development of

interactive drama. Planetfall, Collosal Cave Adventure, Myst, Ico, Majestic, ARGs, The Sims,

Jade Empire.

Reading: GDW: Ch. 13 & 16 / AGD: Ch. 28

Lab: Play one of your group's RPGs

Assignments: " Role-Playing Game Project (Remaining RPGPs are due on 10/18)

Week 9 – 10/18: Managing Resources

REMAINING RPG PROJECTS DUE THIS WEEK!!!

Lecture: Types of resources, information structures, game economies. Magic: The Gathering,

Settlers of Catan, Pit.

In-Class Assignment: Resources

Lab: Begin Game Project 2

Assignments: " Game Project 2 (Due 11/15) – Create 1

Playable (Due next lab)

" " Play Experiment 3 (Due 10/25)

CTIN 488 – Game Design Workshop 3

Week 10 - 10/25: Puzzle Games

PLAY EXPERIMENT #3 DUE

Lecture: Puzzle Design: Set, Tetris, Smart Games, Hexic, Incredible Machine, Myst.

In-Class Assignment: Puzzle Games

Reading: AGD: Ch. 12

Lab: Playtest 1

playable of GP2

Assignments: " Game Project 2 (Due 11/15) – Create 2

Playable

Week 11 – 11/1: Guest Speaker

QUIZ #2

Lecture: Guest Speaker

Reading: GDW: Ch. 9, & 10 / AGD:

Lab: Playtest 2

playable of GP2

Assignments: " Game Project 2 (Due 11/15) – Create 3

Playable

Week 12 – 11/8: Concept through Delivery

Lecture: Concept through Delivery - Discussion of teams, process and documentation. Design

and planning documents from actual products will be distributed.

Lab: Playtest 3

playable of GP2

Assignments:" Game Project 2 (Due 11/15) – Finalize!

Week 13 – 11/15: Business of Games / Pitching Games

GAME PROJECT 2 DUE

Lecture: Business of Games - Game market statistics, publisher/developer relationships,

royalties & deal structures. How to Pitch a Game Concept

In-Class Assignment: Quick Pitches – 30-minute Heroes

Reading: GDW: Ch. 15 / AGD: Ch. 27 & 29

Lab: Pick teams for Game Project 3 (the pitch project)

Assignments: " Game Project 3 (Due 12/13) – Create 1

Version of Pitch

Week 14 – 11/22: In-Class Pitches

Lecture: Due to the Thanksgiving holiday this week, we'll be splitting up the Thursday and

Friday labs into two groups and doing pitches in class, just like in lab.

Lab: Only the Tuesday (11/22) lab will meet this week

Assignments: " Game Project 3 (Due 12/13) – Create 2

Version of Pitch

Week 15 – 11/29: Final Lecture & Dress Rehearsal

QUIZ #3

Lecture: Final Lecture

Lab: Pitch Project – Present 3

version of pitches

CTIN 488 – Game Design Workshop 4

Study Days – 12/6: No Class

VIDEO OF PRESENTATION DUE

Final Exam – 12/13: Game Project 3 – Pitches for Guest Judges

GAME PROJECT 3 DUE – PRESENT IN CLASS TO INDUSTRY JUDGES

Final Exam Time: Present pitches to guest judges

Design Assignment Playtest / Critique Requirements:

Participating in in-lab playtests is a requirement of the class. During each playtest session, the

class will break into four groups. Designers must quickly and clearly explain their game system to

the play testers and lead them through a 25-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

B) An analysis of the critique received as well as plans for how to respond

Both of these documents will be evaluated as part of the assignment grade. Additionally, at the

end of each lab session, we will hold a brief SCRUM in which each group will describe their

accomplishments that week, the critique they received, and their plans for next week.

In-Class Design Exercises:

The In-Class Design exercises will consist of short, focused assignments that can be completed

and playtested during class 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.

Course Website:

Available on USC Blackboard.

Play Experiments:

As part of this class each student will conduct three play experiments. Play Experiments are done

in groups of 3-5 using the 488 collection of board games. Each Play Experiment will be discussed

by the class. The deliverable for each experiment will be a photo essay that shows the students

playing the game and breaks down the formal, dramatic, and dynamic elements. Each student

will be responsible for completing the three experiments across 15 weeks of the class.

Missing a Quiz / Late Assignments / Incompletes:

The only acceptable excuses for missing a quiz, turning an assignment in late, or taking an

incomplete in the course are personal illness or a family emergency. Students must inform the

professor before the date of the assignment or 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 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

CTIN 488 – Game Design Workshop 5

in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301, and is open 8:30a - 5:00p Monday

through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.

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.

Instructor Bios:

Jeremy Gibson, M.E.T.

Jeremy has been an Instructor of Cinema Practice at USC since 2009. He specializes in game

design and digital prototyping and has spoken at the Game Developers Conference about topics

such as Designing for Sporadic Play, Digital Game prototyping, and Networking with

Professionals in the Game Industry.

Prior to joining the faculty of USC, Jeremy was a faculty member at the Masters of Digital Media

Program at Great Northern Way Campus in Vancouver, BC and an Associate Producer and

Designer at Electronic Arts / Pogo.com, where he designed and produced the game Crazy

Cakes.#He served as President of Digital Mercenaries, Inc. from 2001-2003 and is currently the

Vice President of Airship Studios Corp.# In addition to his recent teaching, he has also created

and taught game design and new media courses for Texas State University in San Marcos, Austin

Community College, and the University of Texas at Austin.

Jeremy Gibson received a Masters of Entertainment Technology from Carnegie Mellon University

and a B.S. in Radio, Television, and Film from the University of Texas at Austin.#While at Carnegie

Mellon, his team of students created the multiplayer game Skyrates, that won the Silver Gleemax

Award for Strategic Gaming at the 2008 Independent Games Festival and the Best Simulation

Game of 2008 from JayIsGames.com.# He has worked as a lead programmer and prototyper for

companies such as frog design and Human Code and, while in graduate school, worked as an

intern for both Walt Disney Imagineering and the Spore team at Maxis.

Vincent Diamante, M.F.A.

Vincent Diamante is a music composer, video game design consultant, writer, and artist living in

Los Angeles. As a musician, he has provided sound effects and music for projects ranging from

mobile versions of Castlevania and Metal Gear to original console games. He recently garnered

BAFTA and AIAS nominations for both best music and best sound design for

ThatGameCompany's Flower for PS3. In addition to working as a freelance musician, Vincent

also works as a video game production and design consultant, using his experience games

journalist to help individual game productions. He continues to work as a contributing editor,

technical writer, and photographer for publications ranging from Game Developer Magazine and

Wired to Fox News.

Vincent holds a BM in Electroacoustic Media from USC's Thornton School of Music and an MFA

in Interactive Media from the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

CTIN 488 – Game Design Workshop 6