F21GB - Games Design Practice and Pre-production Experience

Course leader(s):

Thomas Methven (Edinburgh, September)

Aims

The main aims of this course are to develop active practice in games design and effective experience in the pre-production stages of games development. Students will also develop an awareness and critical understanding of fundamental design principles in games design; they will also be able to identify key game technologies and tools for game design; and finally, apply these principles in the playtesting process including resolving design problems and aligning the creative process to their own ideas.

Syllabus

1. Intro To Games Design (1.1 1. History of Games, 1.2 2. Why Do We Play?, 1.3 3. The Role Of The Game Designer, 1.4 4. Formal Elements, 1.5 5. Dramatic Elements, 1.6 6. System Dynamics)

2. Engines (2.1 1. What’s In A Games Engine, 2.2 2. Basic Engines, 2.3 3. Coupling and Cohesion, 2.4 4. Live Coding)

3. Playcentric Design (3.1 1. Game Design Patterns, 3.2 2. Puzzle Design, 3.3 3. Conceptualisation, 3.4 4. Physical Prototyping, 3.5 5. Playtesting, 3.6 6. Digital Prototypes)

4. Physics (4.1 1. Impacts of Physics, 4.2 2. Collision Detection Intro, 4.3 3. Optimisation, 4.4 4. Common Issues and Solutions, 4.5 5. Live Coding)

5. More Game Design (5.1 1. Player Progression, 5.2 2. Game Flow and Loops, 5.3 3. Game Worlds, 5.4 4. Landmarks/Architecture, 5.5 5. Characters)

6. Intro to Animation (6.1 1. Motion Perception, 6.2 2. Types of Animation, 6.3 3. Principles of Animation, 6.4 4. Interpolation, 6.5 5. Live Coding)

7. Designing For Users (7.1 1. User Interaction in Games, 7.2 2. UI Design Techniques, 7.3 3. Colour, 7.4 4. Pre-Attentive Features, 7.5 5. Gestalt Laws, 7.6 6. Level Design and Pacing, 7.7 7. Live Coding)

1. Research and exploration of design fundamentals.

2. Design principles for game fundamentals and mechanics.

3. Ideation of game designs and mechanics.

4. Collaboration using design tools and methods.

5. Creation of non-digital game mechanic prototypes.

6. Research into critical evaluation of designs prototypes.

7. Studio playtesting of non-digital prototypes.

8. Evaluation of non-digital design prototypes.

9. Refine skills into prototype tools for design.

10. Communication of design ideas and feedback gathering.

11. Creation of design prototypes and evaluation using iterative processes.

12. Research into tools, environments, good practices and applications in the pre-production game design phase.

13. Gamification Concepts.

14. No-Code Visual Scripting of Game Prototypes.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students should be able to do the following:

evaluate the design choices and compromises in released games from a variety of genres and styles
demonstrate critical understanding of the design and pre-production stages in the game production process
critique creative design knowledge and various design choices by applying them to a game prototype
evaluate game design ideas by utilising various industry standard playtesting methods
critique feedback from playtesting sessions and understand the contribution to the design process
research different design processes by creating and iterating on a game idea
develop a range of methods, good practice, and custom tools to enhance the creative process and subsequential design methods
collaborate in a studio environment, demonstrating individual professionalism
communicate a complex game idea to a diverse audience, through a variety of different techniques, such as demonstration and presentation
synthesise varying design standards to ensure an inclusive and accessible game prototype
A detailed understanding and integrated knowledge of the design and pre-production stages in the game production process.
Demonstrate applied knowledge in the creative design of games and critique of various design choices.
Ability to understand, demonstrate and critically evaluate designs and recommendations.
Demonstrate critical awareness and understanding of various playtesting methods to evaluate game design ideas.
Extensive knowledge of different design methods and creative processes in the design of interactive games.
Research and exploration of different design processes in creating game ideas.
Design experimentation through prototyping of game design ideas focusing in exploration, research and design critique.
A detailed understanding and research of design ideas that can facilitate the process of designing games.
Critical enquiry of feedback from playtesting sessions and an understanding of the contribution to the design process and design ideas.
Rational conceptualisations, definition, and identification of creative ideas.
Develop a range of methods, good practice and custom tools to enhance the creative process and subsequential design methods.
Demonstrate collaboration in a studio environment as well as demonstrating individual professionalism.
Skills to interface and demonstrate professionalism in user sessions exploring and gathering design feedback
Ability to express, communicate and evaluate the potential of creative ideas.
Critical understanding and practical skills in common tools used in the creative processes.

Further details

Curriculum explorer: Click here

SCQF Level: 11

Credits: 30