Spring 2024 - IAT 410 E100

Advanced Game Design (4)

Class Number: 6610

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 8 – Apr 12, 2024: Wed, 4:30–6:20 p.m.
    Surrey

  • Prerequisites:

    Completion of 60 units, including IAT 265 and IAT 312, with a minimum grade of C-.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Students will design and develop a variety of electronic games, culminating in an advanced game project. They will continue to analyze the experience of play within the game, and the connections between the game experience and broader cultural phenomena.

COURSE DETAILS:

This course is heavily project driven.  Students will form into teams and collaborate with one another to develop games of their choice. Each team will come up with a game concept and submit a game proposal, and then go through the design and development cycle to build the game.  

Students will showcase their final masterpieces, with optional links, on web pages. Students will learn how to apply basic principles of game design as outlined in IAT 312.  In the process, they will be exposed to the production cycle, including idea inception, design, prototyping, testing, critiquing, refining, and finally, presentation.  Students will be introduced to several tools within the lab classes that will aid in realizing their own projects and ideas.  These tools include both 2D and 3D game engines.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:
Understand and communicate the basic principles of game design
Evaluate and critique electronic games
Complete the steps necessary for the effective planning of electronic games
Demonstrate competence in both 2D and 3D game production software
Demonstrate the ability to present electronic games in a web environment
Demonstrate the ability to work effectively in game production teams

Grading

  • Project Development 25%
  • Final Deliverables 35%
  • Game Critiques 25%
  • Weekly Design Journals 10%
  • Class Participations 5%

NOTES:

Each team will set up an online blog for the course, which is used to record team weekly assessment including agenda and progress of the team, and also as a tool for team communications and collaborations. Each individual will have an online blog as well, this is where you will post your game critiques, and individual weekly assessment. Team Leaders please create a blog for your team and link all your members’ blog URLs within it, and send the team blog URL to your instructor at yyang1@sfu.ca. Please note the blogs must be publically visible so that teaching staff can access and grade the assessments.

Materials

MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:

On-line articles on game design and development.

RECOMMENDED READING:

“Game Design Workshop:  A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games” (2018) by Tracy Fullerton; 4th Edition; A K Peters
ISBN: 9781482217162

“The Art of Game Design:  A Book of Lenses” (2014) by Jesse Schell; 2nd Edition; A. K. Peters/CRC Press
ISBN: 9781466598645

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.