Module Descriptors
INTRODUCTION TO GAMES DESIGN
GAME40431
Key Facts
Digital, Technology, Innovation and Business
Level 4
30 credits
Contact
Leader: Jarrad Gittos
Email: jarrad.gittos@staffs.ac.uk
Hours of Study
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities: 48
Independent Study Hours: 252
Total Learning Hours: 300
Assessment
  • Coursework weighted at 100%
Module Details
Module Indicative Content
Here is a guide to the topics that will be covered in this module.

- History of Games
- Analysing Levels in Games
- Level Design Documentation
- Games Design Documentation
- Planning & Designing Levels for Games
- Analysing Games & Genre
- Changing attitudes to game playing
- Play as a social construct
- Designing engaging & fun games
Module Additional Assessment Detials
100% Coursework.

A series of mile-stoned parts of the assignment developing analytical skills and developing creative ideas.

These will be made up of four parts ¿ equally waited and will include assignment akin to the following:
- Analysing levels in games
- Designing Levels for a game to a set of constraints and style guide
- Reverse engineering game design documents
- Writing original game design documents.
Module Learning Strategies
1 x 2 hour lecture per week.
Online tutorials via The Digital Academy
Module Texts
Koster, Raph. A theory of fun for game design. - Scottsdale, Ariz. : Paraglyph, 2005. - ISBN: 1932111972

Adams, Ernest. Fundamentals of game design / by Ernest Adams and Andrew Rollings. - Upper Saddle River, N.J. : Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. - ISBN: 9780131687479 (pbk)

Rogers, Scott. Level up! : the guide to great video game design. - Chichester : Wiley, 2010. - ISBN: 047068867X 9780470688670

Bateman, Chris Mark. 21st century game design / by Chris Bateman and Richard Boon. - Hingham, Mass. : Charles River Media, 2005. ISBN: 1584504293

Davies, Mark, Designing character-based console games. - Boston, Mass. : Charles River Media, 2007. -: 1584505214 9781584505211

Salen, Katie. Rules of play : game design fundamentals / by Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman. - Cambridge, Mass. ; London : MIT, 2004. - ISBN: 0262240459
Module Resources
Digital Academy
Module Learning Outcomes
1) UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF CURRENT COMPUTER GAMES STRUCTURES. Learning

2) COMMUNICATE THE PRINCIPLES OF GENRE AND COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS.
Communication

3) EVALUATE AND INTERPRET THE PRINCIPLES OF CHARACTER DESIGN IN REGARDS TO LEVEL DESIGN. Enquiry

4) ANALYSE WORK FLOW AND EVALUATE THE CONTEXT OF A LEVEL DESIGN.
Analysis

5) APPLY THE FUNDAMENTALS OF GAMES DESIGN IN THE PRODUCTION OF A DESIGN DOCUMENT FOR A COMPUTER GAME.
Application