TC445 Digital Game Design

Overview

TC445 is an introduction the exciting field of computer game design. The course blends high-level concepts with hands-on instruction and activities. The course focuses on game design, architecture, and creation concepts related to the development of interactive digital games.

Topics covered will include Anatomy of a Game, Types of games, Game design theory and concepts, Game algorithms, Game delivery environments, and the game industry. Hands-on activities include game testing, creation of several small games, and the creation of a sizeable game. Game design teams are formed based on complementary skill sets to work on game creation. We use Unity 3D as our primary game engine for many of the projects in the course. We also discuss a variety of other game engines and development tools.

This course is usually taught in the Spring semester.

Prerequisites:

Philosophy

This course may be different from those you have taken in the past. You may view my teaching philosophy for more details.

Contact Information and Office Hours:

Brian Winn
Email: winnb@msu.edu
Office: 420 Comm Arts Bldg.
GEL Lab: 253 Comm Arts Bldg.
Phone: 353-5497

Usually the best way to reach me is through email. I prefer that all questions relating to class materials be ask either on the class web site, in person, or through email.

Office hours will be held during the following times:

Brian Winn in room 420
Wednesday 1:30-3:30
or by appointment

Charles Roman in room 246 (in lab)
Monday 6:10-7:30
or by appointment

Course Web Site

The primary method of out of class communication is the course website. The instructor will use it to post reminders, announcements, and other information. It is your responsibility to check the regularly (daily if possible) for lecture and lab announcements.

Reading and Reference Materials

The following books will be used throughout the course for required reading assignments:

Game Design and Development: Fundamentals of Game Design
by Ernest Adams and Andrew Rollings
ISBN 0-13-168747-6
Publisher: Pearson

Additional reading and reference materials will be distributed in class or available on the web.

Other Course Materials

In addition to your student AFS storage space, it is highly suggested that you have an additional method of storing your course work. Availabe storage methods in the lab include:

• USB Flash Drive
• Portable Hard Drive or iPod
• CD-RW (650 MB)
• DVD-RW Media (5GB)

The storage media is available from several computer and office stores around town. You can also purchase them from online store.

Attendance

Lecture Times:

Lab Times:
Tuesday 12:40p-2:30p (CAS 246 - Section 1)
Tuesday 3:00p-4:50p (CAS 246 - Section 2)

Attendance is required on all lecture and lab days. There are no makeups. If you must miss a class, check the Web pages for what you have missed and ask a friend in the class. The class includes lecture, discussion, and demonstrations.

If you already know the material that is being covered, please participate in the teaching process, rather than leaving or sitting there feeling bored. Let us know of your expertise as we go along and we will include you as an expert.

Religious Observance: If you wish to be absent from class to observe a religious holiday, make arrangements in advance with the instructor.

Missing Class to Participate in a Required Activity: To be excused from this class to participate in a required activity for another course or a university-sanctioned event, you must provide the instructor with adequate advanced notice and a written authorization from the faculty member of the other course or from a university administrator.

Outside of Class

Most assignments require you to do work outside of class time. Many assignment also require you to use computers with game authoring software. While, in some cases, you may use whatever software you wish to accomplish the task, there are certain cases where you must use specific software. This software will be available in the 246 Lab, where we hold the formal class labs. Check the for open hours to see when no classes are in the lab.

Grading

All assignments will be graded on a 4.0 scale. While each assignment may receive fractional grades (ex: 3.78), the final class grade will be rounded to the nearest 0.5 increment (ex: 3.0, 3.5, 4.0).

For each assignment, we will layout the guidelines of what we will be grading on. In general, we will be looking for well thought out work with attention to detail, as is expected of graduate students. The grading standards are based on an industry-quality measure.

We will provide a base-level of feedback on our grading. Additional feedback will be available by request.

Policy on Late Work: Assignments must be turned in sometime during the day they are due. Assignments that are one day to one week late will be marked down one full point (i.e., if it was a 4.0, it is a 3.0, etc). Assignments that are more than one week late will be marked down an additional full grade point. If the assignment is not turned in by the end of finals week, you will receive a 0.0 on that assignment.

You must make every effort to submit your assignments on time. However, we recognize that technology problems can get in the way of submitting a project on time. And we recognize that game design always takes longer than one expects.

With this said, there are at least three good reasons that you should turn assignments in on time:

• There is a lot of work in the course, if you procrastinate on assignments, you will not be able to catch up.
• The assignments are not just busy work. By doing the assignments, you will be gaining valuable knowledge and skills. Further, each assignment builds upon the knowledge and skills of the previous one.
• We will have time to provide feedback to you on how to improve your work, which you can apply to your future assignments.

The one exception to this rule is in class presentations. You must be ready to present on the date you are assigned to present. The presentation will be rescheduled only in extreme circumstances.

Academic Honesty

Academic Honesty: Article 2.3.3 of the Academic Freedom Report states that "the student shares with the faculty the responsibility for maintaining the integrity of scholarship, grades, and professional standards." In addition, the Department of Telecommunicatoin adheres to the policies on academic honesty as specified in General Student Regulations 1.0, Protection of Scholarship and Grades, and in the all-University Policy on Integrity of Scholarship and Grades, which are included in Spartan Life; Student Handbook and Resource Guide.

Plagiarize: Copying material and claiming it as your own is considered plagiarism. Make sure you cite all of your sources and give credit where credit is due.Students who plagiarize may receive a 0.0 on the assignment or fail the course.

Copyright: Most material developed by others is protected by the Copyright Act. There are guidelines available for "fair use" of copyrighted material for education. Make sure you adhere to these fairly restrictive guidelines. And once again, give credit where credit is due.

If you plan to use your project outside of the class setting, make sure you receive permission from the copyright holder for all copyrighted material.

Submitting Work from Other Classes: The Digital Media Art and Technology courses in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences are creative courses. It is not acceptable to turn in the same creative assignment to more than one course. (If you wish to do a larger project that counts for two different courses, please ask permission of the instructors.) It is not acceptable to turn in the same creative assignment in two different semesters. DMAT faculty talk to each other often, and outstanding projects are shown at the annual DMAT Student Showcase. If we discover the same assignment being turned in to more than one course without prior instructor approval, the project grade will revert to 0.0.

Classroom Courtesy

The classroom is a community, and, as such, the instructor requires that the students must follow several basic guidelines:

Cell Phones: The instructor has a strict no cell phone policy (this includes pager’s and PDA phones) during class time. If you have a cell phone, be absolutely sure that it is turned off during class. If any student engages in a phone discussion during class, they will be immediately asked to leave.

Late Arrival: The instructor understands that there are often unpredictable events that prevent students from arriving to class on time. If this is the case, please be respectful of others, and enter the class as quietly as possible.

Departing Early: It is extremely rude and oftentimes disruptive to both fellow classmates and the instructor when students leave early without a genuine reason. If you know in advance that you are going to be forced to leave the class early, be absolutely sure that you take a seat as close to the exit as possible so that when you do leave, your departure will cause a minimum of disruption. You should also notify the instructor at the beginning of class of your early departure.

In Class Talking: It is extremely important that all students respect their peers (as well as the instructor) and refrain from any unnecessary disruptive talking during class. The instructor encourages an open environment in which everyone has a right to express their own opinions and ideas. However, everyone should be able to do so without having to talk over any of their peers in order to be heard.

Portable Music Devices: Under no circumstances are students allowed to use portable music devices (MP3 players, CD Players, etc.) during class. You come to class to learn. If students are observed using portable music devices when the class starts, they will be asked to put the device away. If they persist on using the device, they will be asked to leave the class.

Portable Video Game Systems: Under no circumstances are students allowed to use portable video game systems (GameBoy, etc.) during class. If students are observed using a portable video game system when the lecture starts, they will be asked to put the device away. If they persist on using the device, they will be asked to leave the class.

Accommodations for Disabilities

Students with disabilities should contact the Resource Center for People with Disabilities to develop reasonable accommodations. For an appointment with a counselor, call 353-9642 (voice) or 355-1293 (TTY).

Game Theory, Play, and Critique

Assignment	Top Score	Assigned	Due Date
Class Participation	5%	Monday, January 12	Throughout the semester
Board Game Play, Analysis, and Write-Up	5%	Tuesday, January 13	Tuesday, January 27
Weekly Knowledge Challenges	15%	Monday, January 19	Monday by 11:59pm most weeks throughout the semester
Game Play and Critique	15%	Monday, January 26	Monday by 11:59pm most weeks throughout the semester
Participation in game jam (extra credit)	+1%		TBA
Participation in research studies (extra credit)	+1%		TBA

 

Game Design and Production

Assignment	Top Score	Assigned	Due Date
Level 1: First Person Game	5%	Tuesday, January 20	Tuesday, February 3
Level 2: Third Person Game	15%	Tuesday, February 3	Tuesday, March 3
Level 3: Team Game	---	Tuesday, March 3	Monday, May 4
Level 3: High Concept	5%	Tuesday, March 3	Tuesday, March 17
Level 3: Design Document	2.5%	Tuesday, March 17	Tuesday, March 31
Level 3: Game Pitch	2.5%	Tuesday, March 24	Tuesday, March 31
Level 3: Progress Report	2.5%	Tuesday, March 31	Tuesday, April 14
Level 3: Prototype and Playtesting	2.5%	Tuesday, April 14	Tuesday, April 21
Level 3: Final Game Delivery	20%	Tuesday, April 21	Monday, May 4
Level 3: Debriefing	---	Tuesday, April 21	Monday, May 4
Level 3: Peer Review	5%	Monday, May 4	Thursday, May 7

Weekly Calendar of Events