General provisions

The course is part of the Master's Programme in Game Design, 120 Credits and the Master´s Programme in Transformative Game Design, 60 credits. The course can also be offered as a freestanding course.

Entry requirements

120 credits. Proficiency in English equivalent to the general entry requirements for first-cycle (Bachelor's level) studies.

Learning outcomes

Upon completing the course students will be able to:

• identify and apply theories and methods from a range of disciplines outside game design for the deliberate design of games about the human experience
• draw on theories e g from cognitive linguistics, psychology, phenomenology and existentialism, systematically analyse and understand the structures of experiences to model them in games
• clearly identify a vision for a "deep game" and iteratively design with intent and purpose, and
• use metaphors deliberately and coherently to grasp and model abstract ideas in order to make games about the human experience.

Content

This course combines seminars with game design workshops in order to explore -theoretically and practically- how to design games that can illuminate the human condition and contribute to a meaningful life. We will look to personal experiences as inspiration sources for game ideas and use metaphor and analogy to create games on complex, abstract concepts, such as loyalty, dignity, courage or trust. We are further going to draw on a range of theories and methods from relevant disciplines outside game design to expand our conception of what games can be and how they can impact players profoundly. Theoretical frameworks are then tested through application to practical game design. This course provides opportunities to incubate a topic for a future degree project.

Instruction

The course has an emphasis on workshops, but also includes mandatory lectures and seminars.

For online instances of this course, seminars will take place through online discussions on our learning management system. Lectures will be prerecorded and made available online. Students will present their prototypes in video recorded presentations.

Assessment

The basis for assessment is the students' performance during seminars, their participation in in-class playtesting and/or prototype presentations, peer-critique sessions, and the rigor with which they engage in the iterative process of game design..

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.