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The materials can be provided in Catalan as well as in Spanish or English.
E1. Demonstrate knowledge of the history of video games and analyze the reference video games with arguments based on evaluation criteria contextualized in the historical and cultural framework.
E2. Design the mechanics, rules, structure and narrative of video games following the criteria of gameplay and balance to provide the best possible gaming experience.
G1. Demonstrate having and understanding advanced knowledge of their area of study that includes the theoretical, practical and methodological aspects, with a level of depth that reaches the forefront of knowledge.
G3. Gather and interpret relevant data (usually within their area of study) to make judgments that include reflection on relevant social, scientific, or ethical issues.
G4. Communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to a specialized and non-specialized audience.
T1. Communicate in a third language, preferably English, with an appropriate level of oral and written communication and in accordance with the needs of graduates.
The subject of Introduction to Game Design is the first approach to the ideation, prototyping and creation of a game in the framework of the subject of Game Design and Creation. It works from the perspective of analog play in aspects such as mechanics, dynamics and aesthetics. The course consists of theoretical sessions, game sessions and prototyping sessions. To achieve the knowledge the subject is evaluated on the one hand the creation of a prototype in group and on the other the theoretical knowledge individually.
Topic 1. The analog game and the game designer
1.1. The contemporary board game: evolution and typologies
1.2. From playing to creating: typologies and functions of the game designer.
Topic 2. Elements of the games
2.1. The game as a system
2.1.1. Mechanics: rules as actions
2.1.2. The gameplay or gameplay: the system of loops
2.1.3 The gaming experience: the user at the center of the system
2.2 Nuclear elements of the game
2.2.1. Structure and challenges
2.2.2. Game turn
2.2.3. Actions and resources
2.2.4. Resolution
2.2.5. Victory and completion conditions
Topic 3. Introduction to Game Theory
3.1. Depending on the structure
3.1.1. Symmetrical and asymmetrical games
3.1.2. Zero sum and non-zero sum games
3.1.3. Games of strategy, uncertainty and chance
3.2. According to the knowledge and the winning strategy
3.2.1. Prisoner's Dilemma and Nash Balance
3.2.2. "Maximin" and "Minimax" criteria
3.2.3. Information models
Subject 4. The design of games like discipline
4.1. High level design methodologies
4.2. Design methods or tools
Item 5. Creation and prototyping of games
5.1. Where do the ideas come from? Brainstorming and other strategies
5.2. Choosing a design perspective: from mechanics to subject, from subject to mechanics
5.3. Analog prototyping
The grade of each student will be calculated following the following percentages:
A1. Exercises to do in class or at home: Analysis of mechanics and gameplay in analog games 20%
A2. Exercises to do in class or at home: Analysis of mechanics and playability of analog games with digital support 20%
A3. Group work: Design and implementation of an analog game prototype 30%
A4. Final exam 30%
Final grade = A1 0,2 + A2 0,2 + A3 0,3 + A4 0,3
General Considerations:
Recovery:
Salen, Katie & Zimmerman, Eric (2003). Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Fullerton, Tracy (2014). Game design workshop: a playcentric approach to creating innovative games. Abingdon: CRC press.
Zubek, Robert (2020). Elements of game design. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Salen, Katie & Zimmerman, Eric (2005). The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Colleen, Macklin & Sharp, John (2016). Games, Design and Play: A detailed approach to iterative game design. Boston: Addison-Wesley.
Ham, Ethan (2015). Tabletop Game Design for Video Game Designers. Abingdon: CRC Press.
Schell, Jesse (2014). The Art of Game Design: A book of lenses (3rd Edition). Abingdon: CRC Press.
Rogers, Scott (2014). Level Up! The guide to great video game design (2nd Edition). West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons.
Brathwaite, Brenda & Schreiber, Ian (2009). Challenges for game designers. Boston: Nelson Education.
Koster, Raph (2013). Theory of fun for game design. Sevastopol: O'Reilly Media.
Anthropy, Anna & Clark, Naomi (2014). A game design vocabulary: Exploring the foundational principles behind good game design. London: Pearson Education.
Selinker, Mike (2011). The Kobold guide to board game design. Kirkland: Kobold Press.
Engelstein, Geoffrey & Shalev, Isaac (2019). Building Blocks of Tabletop Game Design: An Encyclopedia of Mechanisms. Abingdon: CRC Press.
Suter, Beat; Kocher, Mela & Bauer, René (Eds.)(2018). Games and Rules. Game mechanics for the "magic circle". Bielefeld: Transcript Verlag.
Woods, Stewart (2012). Eurogames: The design, culture and play of modern European board games. Jefferson: McFarland.