Entry requirements

30 credits, including 15 credits in game design and 15 credits in either game design, software engineering, expression in convergent media or industrial engineering and management.

Learning outcomes

Upon completing the course, students will be able to:

• structure game systems, in practice and theory, to achieve and convey specific expressions and produce specific experiences
• design game experiences using the unique characteristics of games and game systems
• apply system design and applications in the construction of games and prototypes for player comprehension and learnability
• visualize, represent and explain game systems in complex games
• motivate design decisions in complex game systems
• perform and document a case study using design research methods.

Content

Game Complexity 7.5 credits

In this module students study game systems, player comprehension and complexity as well as emergence and systems theory. Students design a system of rules for non-player agents and study complex analog games. The module ends with a project where students design and develop a complex multiplayer game using iterative development methods and playtesting.

Design Research 7.5 credits

Students apply what they learned in the first module to formulate a research inquiry and proceed to develop a prototype which is used to engage with the research inquiry. Using design and playtesting methods, students iteratively develop their prototype to explore the research inquiry and document their study, which is turned into a report.

Instruction

Teaching consists of lectures, seminars, labs and project supervision.

Assessment

Assessment is of written reports, seminars and the game developed in module 1 as well as the prototype developed in module 2.

Graded modules:

Module 1: Game Complexity 7.5 credits

Module 2: Design Research 7.5 credits

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.