General provisions

The course is part of the Master's Programme in Game Design.

Entry requirements

Bachelor's degree and knowledge of English corresponding to English 6.

Learning outcomes

Upon completing the course, students will be able to:

• Create a game concept based on a design question
• Evaluate game design methods to determine the most suitable method that answers a design question
• Critically discuss, and reflect on, constraints that affect design decisions
• Create documentation that clearly communicates design with other stakeholders in a production process, and enables reflection on that process
• Experiment with prototyping processes in order to validate design claims and reflect on results.

Content

In this course students are taught game design as a method of inquiry and solution. Using game design methods and process, students devise, and analyse, a design question and formulate a concept document as a potential answer to that question. Students embark on a process to construct small-scale prototypes to validate the design claims in that document. This situates the theories and methods of Game Design into practice.

Students also analyse the constraints of their design (platform, style of play, intended experience for the player in a designed space etc), communicate their design intent, and construct prototypes to validate their design claims. This forms a cycle of design - Communication of Intent, Validation and Reflection - where the results of a prototype inform the next cycle of design.

Instruction

The course is taught in English.

The course consists of lectures, seminars, and workshops.

Assessment

The course grades are Pass with distinction, Pass, or Fail. Assessment is through active participation in seminars with defended critique of design work.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's disability coordinator.

Uppsala University does not accept cheating or plagiarism. Suspected incidents of cheating or plagiarism are reported to the Vice-Chancellor, which may issue a formal warning to the student or suspend the student from studies for a certain period.

Transitional provisions

The course replaces/overlaps 5SD301 Game Analysis: Structure, 7.5 credits.