Lecture Notes - Foundations of Interactive Game Design

Class lectures are based on the following lecture notes. Games reviewed in class are listed in italics.

Jan. 5

Key issues in game design & course overview [PDF] [PPT]
Final Fantasy XII, Legend of Zelda, Pong, Plasma Pong, Pong Skit from Saturday Night Live (video)

Jan. 8

Gamelog and Game Ontology overview by Jose Zagal [PDF] [PPT]
Overview of Gamelog assignment, definitions of what is a game [PDF] [ZIPed Keynote]
Super Mario Bros. 2

Jan. 10

Game and play definitions, magic circle, rules as limitations and affordances [PDF] [ZIPed Keynote]
Radiant Silvergun

Jan. 12

Qualities of rules, three leves of rules (operational, constituative, implict), games of emergence and progression, state machines, Conway's Game of Life [PDF] [ZIPed Keynote]
NiGHTS intro Dreams, Chutes and Ladders, Conway's Game of Life

Jan. 17

Anime, Overview of RPG Maker, Games created using Game Maker [PDF] [ZIPed Keynote]
Astro Boy episode 1 (video), Divinity of Innocence, The Life of a Chicken 2: True Fight, Pixeland, The Fray

Jan. 19

Key abstractions in Game Maker [PDF] [ZIPed Keynote]
Sakura Taisen

Jan. 22

Overview of Game Ontology Project, description of gameplay rules entries [PDF] [ZIPed Keynote]
Gradius V

Jan. 24

Potential exam questions, overview of Doodler tool [PDF] [ZIPed Keynote]
Dead Rising

Jan. 26

Exam 1 answer key [PDF]
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved

Jan. 29

Genre specific game studies, design history of Shmups [PDF] [ZIPed Keynote]
Gradius, Dodonpachi, Ikaruga, Shooot the Bullet

Jan. 31

Design history of Platformers [PDF] [ZIPed Keynote]
Donkey Kong (arcade), Pitfall!, Super Mario Bros., Super Mario 64, Banjo Kazooie

Feb. 2

Design history of Role Playing Games [Part 1 - PDF] [Part 1 - ZIPed Keynote] [Part 2 - PDF] [Part 2 - PPT]
Video showing clips from many Final Fantasy games, Video showing Xenogears, Chrono Cross, and Disgaea.

Feb. 5

Creating a Shmup using Game Maker (rooms, views, ports, backgrounds, variables, conditionals). Overview of game concept document assignment. [PDF] [ZIPed Keynote]
Rez, Gradius

Feb. 7

Creating a Platformer using Game Maker (collision detection, undesirable collision detection cases, creating simple state machines, jumping mechanic). [PDF] [ZIPed Keynote]
Gears of War

Feb. 9

Creating a Platformer using Game Maker, Part 2 (advanced collision detection, all-in-one collision handler for platformers, jumping onto a moving platform). [PDF] [ZIPed Keynote]
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike - Fight for the Future

Feb. 12

Challenge and conflict [PDF] [ZIPed Keynote]
Guest presentation by Matthew Group
Wii Sports (tennis, bowling)

Feb. 14

Interactivity and the Core Game Mechanic [PDF] [ZIPed Keynote]
Guest presentation by Eric Carter
RoboBlitz

Feb. 16

Games as systems of pleasure, goals, rewards [PDF] [ZIPed Keynote]
Project Justice (Dreamcast)

Feb. 26

Narrative elements of games, topics for second midterm [PDF] [ZIPed Keynote]
Kingdom Hearts II

Mar. 2

Games for girls & women, violence in games [PDF] [ZIPed Keynote]
Facade

Mar. 5

Economics of virtual worlds [PDF] [ZIPed Keynote]

Mar. 7

Governance of virtual worlds [PDF] [ZIPed Keynote]
Eve Online

Mar. 14

Final game demonstrations and judging [PDF] [ZIPed Keynote]

Last updated: 3/14/2007