Game Design: Combining Standards & Processes with Creativity & Innovation

Kultima and Kuittinen (2011) characterize the gaming industry as follows: “As a hybrid of engineering and arts, the game industry seems to be essentially coupled with constant change, whether it is change within one project and game concept, change in personnel and company structures, change in production models and tools or business models, contents, platforms, and consumer base — the systematization and standardization of [game design] processes face the challenge of change.”

Given that designing games is such a dynamic process, this course will focus on deeper topics that inform the design of interesting, enjoyable games regardless of the latest trends. For example, consider the recent rise of “gamification” and its application to everything from the software test process to call center operations to exercise regimes. Before gamification, the buzzword among digital gaming researchers was “serious.” Everyone wanted to talk about “serious” games as opposed to “casual” games, which had been the hot topic only the year before. And prior to that, there was plenty of speculation about what might become the first truly popular massively multiplayer online game (MMOG). World of Warcraft concluded that discussion with a flourish by the end of 2006 when nearly 6 million players had subscribed to the game. That number nearly doubled by 2009, although as of July 2012 the game has 9.1 million subscribers.

This course does not teach any specific software tools for prototyping graphics engines, nor will you learn how to model characters in 3D or get your mobile app to the top of the best-seller list. Instead, this course is designed to help you understand the processes that underpin innovation and creativity, as well as the history and future of the digital gaming industry. By studying and experimenting with tools that will help you systematize your creative thoughts and innovative concepts, you will become a better game designer. Expect to learn a little bit about how creative thinking works, a little bit more about different development models in use within the digital gaming industry, and quite a lot about how to hone your creative ideas as tools to generate game designs and design ideas.

The course will be run in a colloquium style, which means you can expect a couple of readings each week that you and your peers will review and present to the rest of us. You will also get a taste for the intense pressures of game development cycles by working in teams on game ideas. You will complete this course with multiple portfolio pieces that highlight your ability to take a game concept from idea to prototype, collaborate with others in the process of developing that idea, reflect critically on your design processes, and harness your creative thinking.