Intro to Video Game Development
CS 390
DETAILS:
COURSE TITLE: Intro to Video Game Development
COURSE INSTRUCTOR: Carolyn Handler Miller, video game writer-designer and author of Digital Storytelling, A Creator’s Guide to Interactive Entertainment (Second Edition)
COURSE NUMBER: CS 390
REGISTRATION: http://registrar.unm.edu
TIME, CLASSROOM: Wednesdays 2 to 5 pm; Hibben Center 125
DESIGNED FOR: All juniors, seniors and grad students interested in the video game field, including students in CS and EE; the IFDM program; theatre; English, media arts, education; communications, journalism; music; and business
Goal and thrust of this course:
To familiarize students with basic concepts of video game design and development; to give students a solid foundation for more advanced courses in video game development. This course focuses on the fundamental concepts and theories behind the making of video games, and the emphasis is on the creative side of game development, not on the technical aspects of this field, though technical areas will be addressed.
When held:
This class is scheduled to take place on Wednesday afternoons from 2 to 5 pm.
Instructor:
Carolyn Handler Miller, author of Digital Storytelling: A Creator’s Guide to Interactive Entertainment, contributor (as writer and writer/narrative designer) to numerous video games; and co-instructor in previous video game classes for UNM (2 semesters), as well as sole instructor of UNM’s Digital Storytelling class (3 semesters)
Who this class is for:
Students in computer science and electrical engineering who are interested in applying their skills to the video game industry. Also for students in media arts, the Interdisciplinary Film and Digital Media program, and other students interested in interactive media, particularly video games. In addition, it is anticipated that a wide variety of students will be interested in this course, such as students in music, graphics, journalism, business and education.
Prerequisites
Students taking this course must be juniors or seniors, but otherwise there are no prerequisites for taking it. No special computer skills or other technical skills are needed to be able to participate or do well in this course.
Methodology:
Students will gain an understanding of this arena through lectures, class discussions and workshopping, writing exercises, and demonstrations of produced games. Guest lecturers will do talks on specialized topics.
Student work:
Readings from selected books
Writing assignments on various aspects of video games
Class exercises
Individual demonstrations of video games to the class; writing a paper analyzing the demoed game
Creating a game on paper and writing a “concept document” describing it
A team project in which students collectively design a game (on paper)
Topics to be covered:
The historic roots of gaming and what we can learn from ancient games
The typical development steps for creating a video game
Major genres of games
The role of narrative in games
Types of characters found in video games
Game worlds
The structural elements of video games
Level design
The importance of gameplay
Game mechanics
Navigation and Interface
AI (artificial intelligence)
Graphics in games
Game engines
Specialized forms of gaming:
“Serious games”: games for education and training
games for mobile devices
Games for children
Games made for advertising and promotion
Games made to Inform
ARGs (Artificial Reality Games)
Augmented Reality Games
Casual games
MMOGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Games)
Group-based immersive games
DETAILS:
COURSE TITLE: Intro to Video Game Development
COURSE INSTRUCTOR: Carolyn Handler Miller, video game writer-designer and author of Digital Storytelling, A Creator’s Guide to Interactive Entertainment (Second Edition)
COURSE NUMBER: CS 390
TIME, CLASSROOM: Wednesdays 2 to 5 pm; Hibben Center 125
DESIGNED FOR: All juniors, seniors and grad students interested in the video game field, including students in CS and EE; the IFDM program; theatre; English, media arts, education; communications, journalism; music; and business
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