DMS199: Making and being made by Media: Introduction to Game Studies

Dave Pape, Associate Professor, Department of Media Study, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, US

Course Type: Humanities-focused

Keywords: Freshman seminar, game studies, Twine, Bitsy

University Department Level Credits Length Medium
University at Buffalo Media Study Undergrad 3 15 Weeks In-person

Course Description

This is a first-year seminar intended to introduce students to college in general, and to some of the ‘big questions’ in the specific field of game studies.  In this course, students develop a critical perspective on games as media. Reading, viewing, and interacting with contemporary projects and media theory that critically addresses the relations between viewers, producers, and media. In addition the course is an introduction to both analog and computer-based game production techniques. The skills learned in making games will be applicable in a range of creative endeavors beyond the course.

Weekly Outline

  1. Introduction to course (What is a game?); introduction to UB
  2. Basic ideas of game design; early video games
  3. History of board games; game mechanics
  4. Academic integrity
  5. Copyright, Free culture
  6. Analyzing games / play-testing; E-portfolio tutorial
  7. Tools for raster & vector drawing; presentation by Study Abroad Office
  8. Uncertainty in games; presenting first project
  9. Systems in games
  10. Interactive narratives; Twine
  11. Workshop on library research
  12. Research bibliography for final project
  13. Advanced Twine (variables, conditionals, etc); UB personal web space
  14. Project management
  15. Final project presentations

Course Objectives ​

  • Think critically using multiple modes of inquiry.    
  • Analyze disciplinary content to identify contexts, learn fresh perspectives, and debate and discuss problems in the field.
  • Understand and apply the methods of close reading, note taking, analysis, and synthesis.
  • Recognize and debate ethical issues and academic integrity in a variety of settings.
  • Demonstrate proficiency in oral discourse and written communication.
  • Develop essential research and study skills such as time management.
  • Use an ePortfolio for at least one assignment.
  • Understand the academic expectations pertaining to student at the University at Buffalo and to higher learning at a research university.

Reading

  • The Art of Game Design, chapter 1, Chris Crawford, (archive.org)
  • Game Design Workshop, chapter 2,Tracy Fullerton (ebook)
  • Rise of the Videogame Zinesters, chapters 1-2, Anna Anthropy (PDF)
  • Uncertainty in Games, Greg Costikyan (ebook)

Viewings

  • “Making Your First Game”, Extra Credits (youtube)

IDE and IDN Authoring Tools

  • Twine
  • Bitsy
  • GIMP

IDN Artifacts

  • Tomohiro Nishikado, “Space Invaders” (web-based emulation)
  • Doug Dyment, “Hamurabi” (web-based emulation)
  • Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium, “Oregon Trail” (dosbox, archive.org)
  • Will Crowther, Don Woods, “Colossal Cave Adventure” (web-based emulation)
  • aniwey, “Candy Box!” (web)
  • Molleindustria, “The McDonalds Videogame” (flash)
  • Jason Rohrer, “Passage” (PC/Mac)
  • Pippin Barr, “The Artist is Present” (web)

Major Assignments (being assignments whose value is of 25% or more)

Board Game Project

  • Platform: paper
  • Purpose: to understand basic game mechanics and game design methods of prototyping and testing
  • Requirements:
    • Project Length: 5-15 minutes
    • Project Size: 2 8.5”x11” pages, plus 1 page of rules
    • Project Aesthetics: The game must represent some form of “race to the end”, more than just a literal foot/car/whatever race.  There must be a path which is more than just a simple straight line.  The chosen narrative of the game must be represented in the pieces and design of the board.
    • Coding Proficiency: N/A
  • Evaluation: 
  •  
    • Interactivity: Players should have some sense of “interesting choices” – the game is not purely chance-driven.  There must be some form of interaction between players, where one player can affect another’s progress.
    • Story and narrative:  The underlying story should be clear as to who is racing, why, and how.  This story must be expressed through the design of the board as well as the mechanics of play.
    • Production values: As the primary objective is to quickly explore game mechanics and game design methodology, the work does not need to be highly polished.  It should, however, demonstrate that thought was given to the purpose of game elements in communicating the narrative, and that feedback from playtesting was used to improve the game.  Written rules must be clear and complete.

Digital Game Project

  • Platform: Twine or Bitsy
  • Purpose: to create a digital game or interactive story based on research into a topic from the history of Buffalo or Western New York
  • Requirements:
    • Project Length: 10-30 minutes
    • Project Size: arbitrary
    • Project Aesthetics: A storyline, based on a historic event or place.  Visuals and text, generally derived from the sources that students research, must be appealing and internally consistent.
    • Coding Proficiency: Some very basic coding concepts, such as variables and conditionals, are needed in order to record the state of gameplay and make simple changes based on that.  For example, requiring the player to collect objects or complete an action before allowing them access to further areas of the game world.
  • Evaluation: 
    • Interactivity: Players should have some sense of “interesting choices” – progress is not linear.  The actions or decisions made must fit with the backstory.
    • Story and narrative: The game must clearly reflect the historic research done by the student.  Although game play can, of course, veer away from actual history (based on player actions), “true” elements must be included.  There must be a definitive beginning and end to the story.
    • Production values: Feedback from playtesting should have been used to improve the game. The game must be documented, in an electronic portfolio, via text description of both the gameplay and the development process, screenshots, and an annotated bibliography.

Course Best Practices

  • As this is an “introduction to university” course, take advantage of resources from other segments of the university for the parts that are not field-specific.  i.e. the library, Study Abroad office, e-portfolio support office, etc, are happy to schedule presentations or workshops for the class
  • In-class time is divided roughly evenly between lectures, reading discussions, and work on projects.  A significant part of the in-class project work is playtesting and critiquing each other’s games.
  • Older games are great for studying because their mechanics are often much clearer, but playing them via emulation is often challenging for new students, and needs to be done at least partially in class.
  • Documenting projects, in an e-portfolio, is a vital part of completing the assignments, as this documentation will likely remain available longer than the actual games.