Minor in Game Design

Games have evolved from having simple, singular mechanics and visuals to expansive worlds that blur the line between simulations and entertainment. From requiring a controller with a few buttons and a knob to having your entire body as a controller, games have revolutionized the way we consume entertainment and the way we engage with it. However, for every great game, there are a couple of poorly designed or developed ones, hastily put together to capitalize on this growing trend. This puts a great emphasis on understanding proper game design, which is the focus of this minor offering. 

In this minor offering, students would be exposed to various principles of Game Design, including theories surrounding games, principles surrounding the creation of game mechanics as well as techniques to improve player experiences through intentionally designed user interfaces. Upon its completion, students would be able to craft well-designed games anchored in theories, principles and best practices, preparing all the associated game design artifacts (High Concept Document, Game Design Document, Art Bible, etc.).

Program Outcomes

By the end of the program, learners will be able to:

  • Relate various theories around games and game design
  • Articulate well-designed game mechanics that adhere to best practices and sound mechanics design and induces intentional and desired player experiences
  • Properly design games, preparing all the associated game design artefacts (High Concept Document, Game Design Document, Art Bible, etc.), adhering to accepted game design theories (MDA, GameFlow, etc.)

Recommended Prerequisities
(Note that these are not required prerequisites; taking these courses, however, could help prepare you for the requirements for this minor.)

  • Design Thinking
  • Entertainment Theories

Course List

Computer Game Theory (IETHEOR) 3 units
Introduction to Game Design (IEDESGN) 3 units
Game Mechanics (ADRULES) 3 units
Game Design Minor Elective 3 units

Course Details

Computer Game Theory (IETHEOR)
It is recommended that this course is taken at the beginning of the minor program.
This course is an introduction to the interdisciplinary study and applications of video games, with a heavy emphasis on Serious Games. It discusses the cultural, societal, and individual impact of video games. It also introduces the concept of game deconstruction and the research process.

By the end of the course, learners should be able to:

  • Understand various educational, psychological, and philosophical theories related and applicable to video games
  • Execute game deconstruction and the research process in the field of game research
  • Apply various educational, psychological, and philosophical theories in conceptualizing a serious gam
  • Manifest intellectual honesty and punctuality in various class activities

Introduction to Game Design (IEDESGN)
It is recommended that this course is taken after Computer Game Theory.
This is an introductory course that aims to equip students with the necessary skills to design their own game through a play-centric approach. The fundamentals of game design is explored through various activities, including lectures, reflections and play-testing of non-digital tabletop games (e.g. board, card games). Students will be exposed to the iterative process of game design involving conceptualization, prototyping, play-testing and evaluation by reinventing a classic game and creating an entirely original game.

By the end of the course, learners should be able to:

  • Explain why there are different kinds of games and why some feel more fun than others
  • Categorize the kinds of play experiences by the target demographics they appeal towards
  • Critique ideas for a game and evaluate its feasibility or scope
  • Apply the basic iterative process of game development on an original game idea or in the analysis of a finished product

Game Mechanics (ADRULES)
It is recommended that this course is taken after Introduction to Game Design, along with Application of User Interfaces and User Experience in Games.
The Game Mechanics course explores the theories and principles employed in rule–based systems found in games. Students will learn how pacing and thematic structures incorporate conflict resolution and generate a plausible challenge-and-reward system. Students will understand the use of feedback mechanisms by employing a heuristic testing process. After completing this course, students will have a better idea of how to sync gameplay decisions to a specified target audience.

By the end of the course, learners should be able to:

  • Explain theories of game mechanics, including Emergence & Progression, Internal Economies & the Machination Framework, Game Balancing, and Progression Mechanisms
  • Build game mechanics that adhere to the various theories of Emergence & Progression, with respect to given requirements
  • Assess the appropriateness and balance of game mechanics, adhering to concepts of Emergence
  • Compose Machination Diagrams describing Emergence mechanics, either from existing games or from their own designs

Game Design Minor Elective
It is recommended that this course is taken after Introduction to Game Design, along with Game Mechanics.
The final 3 units of the Game Design Minor Offering may be customized to where the student would wish to specialize in the domain of game design. Students can select any of the following courses for this elective:

  • User Interfaces and User Experiences in Games (IEUI-UX, normally offered on Term 3) – As computers become more and more integral in our everyday activities, a key design decision is how they can provide effective interfaces that are accessible, meaningful, visually consistent, comprehensive and oriented around the tasks that users need to perform. The course on HCI (human-computer interaction) explores the principles, process and different techniques in designing interactions between human activities and the computational systems that support them.
  • Game Story Essentials (ADSTORY, normally offered on Term 1) – This course covers storytelling in games. Concepts of linear and branching narratives would be discussed, along with other unique properties of stories told through a game-based medium.
  • Visual Narratives (ADVISNA, normally offered on Term 3) – The course surveys how people have used the visual arts to communicate stories and concepts throughout history and across disciplines. Visual narratives have been used by early ancestors who painted on cave walls and by modern means through digital media to communicate emotions, break sociocultural boundaries and share ideas. Special attention is given to emerging forms of art and media that have developed through the workings of human-computer interaction and implications of these new forms on the future of visual narratives.
  • Introduction to Game Business and Entrepreneurship (IEGMBIZ, normally offered on Term 3) – This course covers entrepreneurship in technology ventures, and takes the student through the commercialization of technology ideas into viable enterprises. The course examines how technology ideas may be developed into opportunities and eventually into viable businesses; it takes the students through the process of crafting the business model canvas, which will be the final (team) output in this course.
  • Game Development Fundamentals (GDFUNDA, normally offered on Term 3) – This course introduces students to game development, with emphasis on developing games using the Unity Engine. Much of the material in this area could be taught under the auspices of a traditional computer science or software engineering curriculum. However, games do present a very specific set of programming challenges, such as asset optimization to make games work even on low-end devices or creating efficient algorithms for complex agent behavior. The major output of this course is a 3D game with several systems implemented such as, but not limited to scene lighting, complex animations, physics, materials, particle systems, AI, scripting, and audio.

Schedule of Course Offerings

Term 1

  • Computer Game Theory

Term 2

  • Introduction to Game Design
  • Game Mechanics

Term 3

  • Game Design Minor Elective (may also be taken on another term, depending on course availability)