IMED 3010 Video Game Design I - Summer 2005

This syllabus is for the class taught by Jeremy R. Gibson.

Revised: 06/22/05

The official web page for the program is: http://www.austincc.edu/techcert/Video_Games.html

The official web page for this course is: http://imed3010.jrgibson.com

Class Schedule: June 20 - August 8, MW, 6:00-9:00 p.m.

Room: HBC 406.0

Class Unique ID: 78349

Instructor: Jeremy R. Gibson

Email: jgibson@austincc.edu

Telephone: 512-659-8624

Office: N/A

Office Hours: By appointment

Course Description: This class will offer you a historical and practical overview Video Games and of Game Design in general. As the first class in the Design sequence, it will teach a basic understanding of games as systems and a taxonomy for game discussions which will be utilized throughout the sequence. In this class, you will learn, research, and play various games and seek an understanding of the Game Design fundamentals common to all types of games as well as the unique challenges and capabilities of todays modern video games. Class projects and assignments will include reviewing games, modifying existing game rules in order to create different player experiences, and designing new games.

Prerequisites: None

Approved Course Text: Game Design Workshop by Tracy Fullerton, Christopher Swain, and Steven Hoffman. ISBN 1-57820-222-1

Instructional Methodology: Lecture and Discussion. Outside research and projects.

Course Rationale: This course is designed to introduce the student to the basic concepts of Game Design for both the purpose of giving non-game-designers an understanding of the challenges and processes of game design and that of preparing the students for further studies in the field of Game Design.

Course Objectives / Learning Outcomes: The students will learn to critically evaluate existing games, to modify the rules of games in order to change the experience of gameplay, and to create their own game designs. By presenting the students with both a historical overview of and a taxonomy for game design, we will enable them to see where their designs fit into the greater whole of gaming and to effectively communicate their designs to others. In this class, students will develop concept documents for games of their own design.

Who Should Enroll in this Course?: This course is required for all students in the Video Game Development technical certification program.

Grading and Examinations: There will be no traditional exams in this course. Your grade will be based on your class participation, the quality of the written work which you submit (e.g. exercises, game reviews), the quality of your projects and presentations (e.g. original game concept document, game rule modifications), and various quizzes which may be offered. Each assignment will be graded on a 100-point scale. The breakdown for the four areas of the student's final grade is as follows:

Grade Policy and Scale: Your final grade for the class will be calculated by averaging the points received for each of the four areas and then weighting that area average according to the table above. Once this weighting and averaging has occurred, the following table will be used to determine the your final grade for the class. It is possible that a curve may be applied to the final class grades.

Late Assignment Policy: For each calendar day that an assignment is late, 5 points will be deducted from the grade for that assignment. Since assignments are graded on a 100-point scale, this represents the loss of a full letter grade for every two days that the assignment is late. The maximum number of points deducted in this way will be 30. This is calendar days, not class days. If the assignment is due on a Wednesday and you turn it in the next class day (the next Monday), it will lose 25 points for being 5 caldar days late.

Incomplete: A student may receive a temporary grade of "I" (Incomplete) at the end of the semester only if ALL the following conditions are satisfied:

1.    The student is unable to complete the course during the semester due to circumstances beyond their control.

2.     The student must have earned at least half of the grade points needed for a “C” by the end of the semester.

3.     The request for the grade must be made in person at the instructor’s office and necessary documents completed.

4.     To remove an “I”, the student must complete the course by two weeks before the end of the following semester.  Failure to do so will result in the grade automatically reverting to an “F”.

Freedom of  Expression Policy: It is expected that faculty and students will respect the views of others when expressed in classroom discussions. As a course with a high level of discussion, it is imperative that everyone in the class feel comfortable expressing their views.

Academic Integrity: A student is expected to complete his or her own projects and tests. Students are responsible for observing the policy on academic integrity described in the Current ACC Student Handbook.

“Acts prohibited by the college for which discipline may be administered include scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work.  Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their own thought, research or self-expression.  Academic work is defined as, but not limited to tests, quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper; projects, either individual or group; classroom presentations, and homework.”

The penalty assessed for violations will be in accordance with the current ACC Student Handbook policy. See http://www.austincc.edu/handbook/policies4.htm for more information.

Attendance and Participation Policy:  The official college policy states that students are expected to attend classes and will be held responsible for all material covered in class. Regular attendance helps ensure satisfactory progress towards completion of the course. Participation in this case means actively participating in the class assignments and discussions. As you can see above, Attendance and Participation will account for 20% of your final grade in the class.

Withdrawal Policy:  It is the student's responsibility to complete a Withdrawal Form in the Admissions Office if they wish to withdraw from this class. The instructor may withdraw students from this class if their absences exceed 10% of the total number of class meetings. The last date to withdraw for this semester is provided in the ACC Academic calendar for the semester in which the student is enrolled. It is not the responsibility of the instructor to withdraw the students from their class even though the instructor has the prerogative to do so under the above listed circumstances.

A grade of "W" will be automatically assigned if the student initiates a withdrawal through the Admissions and Records office, in accordance with the requirements of that office.  If the student fails to complete the work and also fails to properly withdraw, a grade of A, B, C, D, or F will be assigned in accordance with the work that was completed.

Students with Disabilities Policy: From the ACC Student Handbook:

“Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical or psychological disabilities. Students with disabilities must request reasonable accommodations through the Office for Students with Disabilities on the campus where they expect to take the majority of their classes. Students are encouraged to make this request three weeks before the start of the semester.”

In our particular class, we will be dealing with many games which may or may not have affordances for players with disabilities. If these issues arise, we will deal with them.