1 x 2 hour interactive lecture per week.

Library texts and journals, newspapers and magazines, broadcast media, web media.

Here is a guide to the topics that will be covered in this module:

- Taxonomy of digital game genres.

- Facilitation of game flow via pacing & gameplay loops.

- Understanding target audiences, demographics, and monetisation models.

- Developing a vision using mechanics, systems, and pillars of design.

- Narrative design techniques for themes, plots, and characters.

- Level design practices for planning space, challenges, and tutorials.

- Interface design considerations for control schemes, audio, and user interfaces.

Adams, E., 2014. Fundamentals of Game Design. 3rd ed. London: Pearson Education, Inc.

Bateman, C., 2021. Game Writing: Narrative Skills for Videogames. 2nd ed. New York: Bloomsbury Academic.

Campbell, J., 1972. The Hero with A Thousand Faces. 2nd ed. Princeton: Princeton Bollingen.

Despain, W., 2020. Professional Techniques for Video Game Writing. 2nd ed. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

Fullerton, T., Boca Raton. Game Design Workshop. 4th ed. 2019: CRC Press.

Kramarzewski, A. & De Nucci, E., 2018. Practical Game Design. 1st ed. Birmingham: Packt.

Rogers, S., 2014. Level Up. 2nd ed. Chichester: Wiley.

Schell, J., 2020. The Art of Game Design. 3rd ed. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

Skolnick, E., 2014. Video Game Storytelling. 1st ed. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications.

Walsh, A., 2017. Making Escape Rooms for Educational Purposes: A Workbook. 1st ed. Huddersfield: Innovative Libraries

Zubek, R., 2020. Elements of Game Design. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press

1. DEVELOP CRITICAL AND ANALYTICAL SKILLS FOR STUDYING GAMEPLAY.
[Analysis]

2. DEMONSTRATE A WORKING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF SOME KEY THEORIES AND THEORISTS.
[Knowledge & Understanding]

3. EXPLAIN AND DISCUSS KEY GAMEPLAY IDEAS.
[Communication]

4. PLAN AND CREATE GAME DESIGN CONCEPTS THAT UTILISE THE CORRECT DOCUMENTATION.
[Application]

Design and production of a high concept design document for a digital gameplay experience. Towards learning outcome 1, 2 & 4. 50% weighting.


Design and production of a high concept design document for an analogue gameplay experience. Towards learning outcome 3 & 4. 50% weighting.

This module looks at understanding mechanical approaches of game design theory via fundamental introductions to a wide variety of game design subsets that include gameplay, levels, narrative, UI, UX, systems, and accessibility. Students will learn how to think within the box of game design for a digital platform, as well as how to use those skills to think outside the box for an analogue experience. By the end of the module, students will be equipped with a basic knowledge of a range of game design disciplines that will allow them to choose where they wish to continue specialising.