General provisions

The course is part of the Bachelor's programmes Game Design and Graphics, 180 Credits, Game Design and Programming, 180 Credits, Game Design and Project Leadership, 180 Credits and Game Design, 180 Credits

Entry requirements

60 credits in game design with progressive specialisation

Learning outcomes

Upon completing the course, students will be able to:

• apply rapid prototyping methods and theory in order to develop game ideas into testable prototypes in a short amount of time,
• discuss, evaluate and reflect upon the development of their own ability within game design,
• discuss and evaluate the semiotics and design of non-verbal communication in games,
• apply techniques for non-verbal communication through their design of game prototypes.

Content

The course teaches 'rapid prototyping' from a design perspective. Students are divided into pairs or small work groups. Each work group will during the course be provided a number of themes, where each theme is an instruction for devleopment of a very restricted but playable digital prototype. The prototypes are presented for the class, but are not graded. The course is summarized through a written essay and a presentation where the student relects upon their protyping process and how they have developed their ability to quickly develop playable games. The students should also discuss how non-verbal communication has been utilized and could be utilized to communicate with the player.

Instruction

Instruction is done through lectures and tutoring.

Assessment

Examination is done through a presentation of the prototypes and an essay. For the grade Pass, the student should be able to present their prototypes and in essay form, discuss how they have developed their ability utilizing both the semiotics of non-verbal communication and rapid prototyping as a method.For the grade Pass with Distinction, the student should, in their presentation and their essay, be able to reflect upon and discuss their own use of the semiotics related to non-verbal communication in their design of the game mechanics as well as the audiovisual elements of their prototypes.For the grade Pass with Distinction, the student should present within the provided deadline.

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.

NOTE: Only completed courses can count toward a degree.