VGD+282

VGD 282: Game Design II
Hands-on experience with principles of game design. Emphasis on converting a pre-existing tabletop game into a video game proposal, with accompanying design documents, marketing materials, and financial projections. Prerequisite: VGD122 and VGD172 and VGD281. Three lecture.

COURSE CONTENT: 1. Sources of game design ideas 2. Game rules, mechanics, and dynamics 3. Psychological factors involved in the player's experience 4. Types of challenges 5. Strategy vs. reflex 6. Balancing chance vs. skill 7. Game puzzles 8. Engaging the player 9. Enjoyment vs. frustration 10. Goals and achievements 11. Difficulty progression 12. Popular game genres 13. Games as teaching tools 14. Storyline and characters 15. Storyboards, sketches, and other visualizations 16. Game assets 17. Intellectual property considerations 18. Financial projections 19. Characteristics of effective game proposals

LEARNING OUTCOMES: 1. Create a rules document, including detailed description of game mechanics, dynamics, and the player's experience in the game. (1-13) 2. Create a narrative document describing the story elements present in the game. (14) 3. Create game storyboards or other media showing the look and feel of the game. (15) 4. Create an inventory of all assets needed for the game. (16-17) 5. Create a financial projection detailing the costs of the game project. (18) 6. Combine work from throughout the course to create a complete game proposal. (1-19)