Guidelines for Groupwork

There are two forms of groupwork for this course: leading reading discussions and game analysis. Each is detailed below both in terms of expectations for the work and how it contributes to your final hand-in.

Leading Reading Discussions

Each week I will provide a brief (15-20 minute) overview of the themes for that session and a highlight or two from the written material. Your job, as part of the group in charge of the reading discussion, is to kick off and help keep sustained the class conversation about the readings and key critical points we should be engaging with. When your group is in charge of leading discussion there are several things you need to make sure to do very early:

• Get the readings done
• Meet to start discussing the material and how you want to handle discussion

Since the reading discussion leaders do not do the game analysis work that week you should remember that I expect you to devote a significant chunk of time to working through the material yourselves in the group and then distilling down key points for us to take up in class. Your preparation work thus includes not only doing all the readings, but meeting together (with your own reading notes in hand!) to collectively work out what themes and issues you want us to tackle. You need not feel that you have mastered all of the material. Indeed, you may have a number of very useful questions that would be good for the class as a whole to take up. You are, however, charged to do your best with your group to dig out as many key areas and points as you can and provide methods for us as a class to collectively sort through both them and the more difficult nooks in the material.

There are several types of questions you can consider employing in class:

• Questions related to clarifying the text and making sure people have down the basics (careful how you ask these, don't simply say "Does everyone understand what X means?" which is likely to be met with blank stares and simple yes/no).
• Questions that prompt comparison between readings, positions, arguments.
• Questions that seek critical evaluation (aka the good, the bad, and the ugly. Make sure though that you watch for such a line devolving into either petty critique or all-too-easy dismissal).
• Questions that pose an issue and ask people to try discuss through the various perspectives/arguments/theory.

As well as several types of formats:

• Full class discussion
• Group work
• Pairs
• Debates

And materials:

• The text itself.
• Bringing in outside videos, games, examples to concretize discussion and allow for reflection.
• Bringing in a short article (popular press) for people to read in class and analyze.
• Having the class generate examples that pertain to the topic at hand.
• Using prior games we have analyzed in class.

Different issues and texts will lend themselves better/worse to the various forms and part of your job is trying to work out a plan that you think will get us going. I am very happy to meet with groups in advance of class, though I require that you have done the initial prep and want to discuss key themes or fine-tuning the plan you have in mind.

A word on responsibility: Class discussion is a two-way street. The reading discussion group is not the MC, entertainer, dispenser of knowledge to an audience, or solely responsible for how class unfolds. Everyone not leading discussion has a parallel responsibility to also help class be a productive time. This means at the most basic level coming prepared having read the material and given it some considered thought, coming with questions, etc. At a more sophisticated level it means engaging. Just keep in mind, at some point your group will be in the position of leading and, trust me, you will be grateful for having fostered goodwill earlier.

Portfolio:

You are expected to include a 2 page write-up (11 or 12 point font, 1.5 linespace) for one the reading discussion sessions your group leads in your final portfolio.These must be unique write-ups.While your major points will certainly be shared with your team members (especially given you are constructing a discussion plan) you are expected to present your argument in your own words. Your discussion should focus on the pedagogic aspect of your leading role. You should frame how you selected what you wanted to focus on in light of the readings that week, say something about your process with the group of constructing a discussion plan, detail that plan (what kick off questions did you have, activities, etc.) and finally, provide a self evaluation (in some detail) of how it went.

Game Analysis

During the first half of the course one game will be analyzed from different perspectives by three groups. Use the following as a rough guideline to get you started (you should additionally draw on your prior work in other courses to help inform how you take on this task, i.e. basics laid out in Game Theory and Game Culture). Below are also details about how I expect you to present the material in class and how to incorporate it in your final portfolio of work.

Structure (S):

When working on this domain your task is to analyze the underlying game structure. This includes rules, gameplay, mechanics, and interface. You should, for example, also consider issues of game balance and replayability. Success and failure states should be of interest. In addition, situate the game in terms of history/genre/tradition.

Aesthetics & Narrative (A):

When focusing on this slice you should give careful consideration to the "content" & aesthetics of the game. Think about (if any) its narrative, world, formulation of its aesthetic character. What is the relationship between the aesthetics and structure? Aesthetics and play? Also situate the game in terms of history/genre/tradition (there may be interesting, albeit different, comparison points here with when the structure group talks about history etc.).

Play (P):

What happens when the game artifact is taken up by real players? To begin, look at the reception to the game (what did the public -players, critics - think) and any marketing materials you can find. Develop this further and look at the general culture around the game (were there active player forums? modding? etc). Finally, turn your attention to analyzing actual play sessions. Does real play diverge/converge on what would be expected given the structure of the game?

Presenting the analysis for class:

We will follow a similar format each week with structure leading, followed by aesthetics then play. Each team is responsible for a 15 minute presentation on their slice. Teams should make sure that all group members present for equal amounts over the course of the term (this will be accounted for). Presentations (on USB only) should include a summary of major points, with examples where helpful. Images & screenshots may also be useful to include. If the live game is to be shown to demonstrate a point the team must make sure to have arranged for this in tems of hardware and use some kind of saved file system so that the class does not have to watch chunks of game being played through to get to the relevant point. Points where the team can signal potential dialogue with other slices of the analysis are particularly interesting as we will be discussing the slices and comparing them with each other (and other games).

Portfolio:

You are expected to submit a 2 page write-up (11 or 12 point font, 1.5 linespace) of four of the game analysis sessions in your final portfolio.These must be unique write-ups. While your major points may certainly be shared with your team members you are expected to present your argument in your own words for these reflection pieces. Your writeup should note the game title, the slice you were responsible for that week, and a substantive reflective argument covering that domain.