Designing an Online Computer Game

ITC, Autumn 2002

Front page
Literature
Course plan
About the exam
Previous sessions
The system
 

Previous sessions

 

28/8: Introduction

Henry Jenkins: "Art Form for the Digital Age". Technology Review September. Cambridge 2000.

http://twist.lib.uiowa.edu/webclass/student/kapler_anne/tracingimage/

Slides.

Spilanalysemodel guide.

Links that uncovered in our discussion.

 

4/9: Game design and game genres

Rouse, Richard. 2001. Game Design. Theory and Practice. Plano, USA: Wordware Publishing. p. 1-19. (kompendium)
Bruce Shelley: "Guidelines for Developing Successful Games". Fra Gamasutra, 2001. http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20010815/shelley_01.htm
Bates, Bob. 2001. "Genre-Specific Game Design Issues" in Game Design: The Art and Business of Creating Games. California: Prima Publishing. p. 48-74. Rouse - Brainstorm. (kompendium)

 

Tech and brainstorm handout.

Slides.

 

Additional readings:

The question of multiple vs. single solutions:
Harvey Smith: The Future of Game Design: Moving Beyond Deus Ex and Other Dated Paradigms
http://www.igda.org/Endeavors/Articles/hsmith_intro.htm

 

Battle in the schoolyard:
http://www.sissyfight.com/

 

11/9: Game and RPG history

Readings

  • Susana Tosca: “Role-playing in multiplayer environments. Vampire: The Masquerade. Redemption” in CGDT Proceedings. København: IT University. p. 10-18. (Kompendium)
  • Simon Egenfeld-Nielsen: Computerspillene "I sig selv". (Kompendium)
  • Richard Rouse chapter 17: The Design Document
  • Astinus: A History of Role-Playing
    http://ptgptb.org/0001/history1.html

Main lecture slides.

More slides.

VisiChat scripting tutorial.

VisiChat scripting reference.

 

18/9: Gameplay

Readings

  • Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: From Flow. The Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York: Harper. p. 43-77. (Kompendium.)
  • Richard Rouse: Chapter 7, Gameplay.

Slides.

World editing exercise handout.

 

25/9: Storytelling

  • Carson, Don "Environmental Storytelling Creating Immersive 3D Worlds Using Lessons Learned from the Theme Park Industry". Gamasutra 2000.
  • Rouse Storytelling, chapter 11.
  • Wibroe, K.K. Nygaard & P. Bøgh Andersen "Games and Stories". In Lars Qvortrup (red.) Virtual Interaction. London Springer Verlag 2001. p. 166-181. Kompendium 171-178
  • Gerrold, David. From Worlds of Wonder. Kompendium 51-71

Slides.

Quest & NPC exercise.

 

Additional readings:

Jesper Juul: Time to play. (On time in games.)

 

2/10: Sociology of online worlds

Slides.

 

 

9/10: Player types

Player type slides.

Design plan slides.

 

23/10: Characters & agents

  • Seger, Linda. 1990. Creating Unforgettable Characters. New York: Henry Holt. p. 22-46. (Kompendium.)
  • Murray, Janet H. 1997. Hamlet on the Holodeck. The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace. Cambridge: The MIT Press. p. 13-26 and 185-213. (Kompendium.)
  • Marc Saltzman: Game Design: Secrets of the Sages: Creating Characters, Storyboarding, and Design Documents
    http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20020308/saltzman_01.htm

Additional reading: Assorted texts on intelligent behaviour and interactive narrative:

Slides.

Eliza.

Alice bot.

 

30/10: Performance & identity

Slides.

 

6/11: Project Work

This session is "Project Work", and mostly about the
final stages of game production. It might be specially interesting
for those of you going for the "pure game design document" examination
option (see link about exams below), but in any case for everybody. The
readings are all from Gamasutra and the Rouse book:

Optionally also:

Slides.

 

13/11: Industry visit

Homepage of The Planet.

 

Slides.