Intro to Game Design – Fall 2022

Instructor: Emerson Matsuuchi ([email protected]) Tues/Thur 8:00am-10:45 ET

TA: Dominik Kopiczko ([email protected])

Overview
Intro to Game Design is a one-semester course that explores the fundamentals of game design.
The focus of the class is the actual creation of several games, mostly working off the computer.
Over the course of the semester, we will explore games through many different frames: as
formal systems of rules, as the human experience of play, and as culture that derives its
meaning from larger contexts. The course focuses on the elementals common to all games that
are fundamental for a game designer working in any format, from physical and social games, to
board and card games to computer and videogames. Although the focus of the course is on the
creation of non-digital games, digital games will also be discussed, including the design and
documentation of digital games. The main projects of the course are several short game
assignments. For the final project, students will select a project completed earlier in the
semester to expand and refine.

SPECIAL NOTE: Due to the ongoing pandemic, please note that class logistics may need to
change during the semester. For example, holding class meetings online, adjustments of
assignments and deadlines, etc. Instructors will make all efforts to keep you posted about any
changes. Please do not hesitate to bring up any concerns you may have.

Course Goals
- Explore the basic methodologies and conceptual skills of game design, including
systems thinking, the iterative design process, playtesting, design collaboration, and
critical design analysis.

- Gain the experience of actually creating several playable games using a rigorous and
iterative design process.

- Foster an understanding of what games are, on and off the computer, and how they
function to create meaningful experiences for players.

- Explore fundamental concepts relating to games and design, such as rules and play,
emergent complexity, long and short-term goals, etc. This includes understanding
games as formal systems, human experience, and cultural contexts.

- Become familiar with foundational texts in the field of game design and understand
game design as a field that encompasses all kinds of games.

- Link the ideas of the course to contexts outside the class, including computer and
video games, work in professional game industry, and forms of media and culture
outside of games.
Readings
Many weeks during the class, a reading will be discussed. All students are required to complete
the reading and be ready to discuss on the day that the reading is listed. When readings are
assigned:

At a minimum, each student is responsible for posting a question about the

reading that might be about clarifying the ideas in the reading or possibly a
critical response to the reading in the form of a question. You are welcome to post
more.

In addition, readings will be discussed in class. Many readings for the course will be taken
from the following two books. All students are required to acquire copies of both.

Rules of Play, Katie Salen & Eric Zimmerman

The Game Design Reader, Katie Salen & Eric Zimmerman, eds.

Other readings will be provided by the instructor. Over the course of the semester, readings
may change slightly from what is specified here in the syllabus. The instructor will give advice
notice for such changes.

Assignments
Each class assignment will be accompanied by an assignment brief that details the content,
process, and design goals of the assignment. Below is an overall summary of the class
assignments, organized chronologically. While the class works on these assignments, in parallel
the class will take part in relevant exercises, discussions, and readings, as well as opportunities
for feedback and critique of the design in progress.

2-PLAYER GAME MODIFICATION - 1/2 week

• Pairs of students will be given a simple card game to modify. Each group should analyze their
game, decide what might be made better, and then iterate on the card game design to create
an improved version, using only traditional playing cards as materials.

MECHANICS GAME 3 weeks

• In small groups, students will make games based on two constraints - a gameplay structure
and thematic content. Using traditional tabletop game materials, the goal is to design a game
experience where the theme and formal structures come together for a balanced and playable
player experience. The mechanics game begins with a formal analysis of an existing game
that serves as the basis of the game that is designed.

STORY GAME – 3 weeks

• Small groups will be given a brief narrative and a format constraint. Incorporating these
prompts, they will create a tabletop or other real-world game experience for one or more
players. The goal of this exercise is to explore the intersection of storytelling and games,
specifically to see how procedural representation can work with embedded narrative elements
to produce a dramatic player experience..

PLAYFUL INTERVENTION – 2 weeks

• This project explores the ways that games can cross the border that separates them from the
rest of our lived experience. In small groups, students will create games that intervene into an
existing context. A list of possible real-world social and physical contexts will be provided, This
 project is an opportunity to go beyond traditional formats and understandings of what a game
is and how it can intersect with players’ lives.

CONCEPT PITCH – 1.5 weeks

• Each student will individually present an idea for a digital game in a 3-4 minute “pitch”
presentation. The focus of this assignment is on exploring ideas that are meaningful and
relevant to you as a designer, as well as practicing the essential game design skill of
effectively communicating design ideas.

RESEARCH + POLISHED GAME - 5 weeks

• For this assignment, students will work in groups on projects that were completed earlier in
the semester, spending a few more weeks to expand, deepen, refine, and polish the design
and player experience. You can join a group for a project that you did not original create. The
focus of this assignment is on moving a project past a prototype state and experiencing the
process of refining a game design. The first week of the assignment is set aside for research,
when each group will play relevant games and research other relevant media as they begin to
explore the ideas of the polished game.

These design assignments are completed in groups. It is essential that you attend your group
meetings and fully participate in the design and creation of your games. For each group design
assignment, every group must turn in the following:

- Title and logline: The name and a 1-line summary that communicates its essence.
- Abstract/Overview: The name of the game, its creators, semester and class, and a 50-
100 word summary overview of the game.
- Materials list: List of all physical game materials.
- Rules: A complete description of the game rules.
- Images: 1-5 images of the game.
- Design statement: A 2-3 paragraph description of the ideas that the game is meant to
explore. What concepts does your project embody or express?
- Peer Grades: You will evaluate each of your peers based on their participation and
positive contribution to the design process. (See below for more details.)

Required Makerspace Training

Since we will be working on a Polished Project which requires both a high level of craft
alongside technical balancing, all students must complete Makerspace Orientation Training by
the midpoint of the semester. Additional training will be required per machine you wish to use. It
is recommended that you begin the training during the first week of class. You are not required
to use the machines to complete the polished project but you must get training. Get started with
your training here: https://makerspace.engineering.nyu.edu/training-and-reservations/.

If you do need financial assistance with materials for polished project try these makerspace
grants.

Printing Resources
Information about Game Center printing resources can be found here:
https://www.nyugamecenter.info/technology-+-resources/printing. The department can print
large format files (for large sheets of cards or a game board) as well as sheets of letter-sized
paper on cardstock. Do NOT print at the last minute, as it may mean that you are not ready in
time for class.

For Printer access at other parts of the NYU campus check out this link.
Week-by-week Schedule

____________________________________________________________________________

WEEK 0 Lab Thurs 9.01 exercise: modifying tic-tac-toe

kickoff: card game mod assignment

____________________________________________________________________________

WEEK 1 Class Tues 9.06 due: card game mod

discuss: design process reading
kickoff: mechanics game

Lab Thurs 9.08 discuss: formal systems readings

due: formal analyses

____________________________________________________________________________

WEEK 2 Class Tues 9.13 exercises: probability and game design

discuss: games and probability

Lab Thurs 9.15 due: mechanics prototype

work on: mechanics game

____________________________________________________________________________

WEEK 3 Class Tues 9.20 discuss: communicating rules

exercise: rule writing

Lab Thurs 9.22 work on: mechanics game

exercise: how to playtest

____________________________________________________________________________

WEEK 4 Class Tues 9.27 due: mechanics game final

kickoff: story game

Lab Thurs 9.29 discuss: games and stories

exercises: narrative design

____________________________________________________________________________

WEEK 5 Class Tues 10.04 due: story game prototype

discuss: games and stories
review: story game prototypes

Lab Thurs 10.06 work on: story game

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________
WEEK 6 Class Tues 10.11 NO CLASS

Lab Thurs 10.13 work on: story game

_________________________________________________________________________

WEEK 7 Class Tues 10.18 kickoff: playful intervention

exercise: critical game design

Lab Thurs 10.20 due: narrative game rules

work on: playful intervention or story game

____________________________________________________________________________

WEEK 8 Class Tues 10.25 due: narrative game final

due: intervention prototype
discuss: breaking social rules

Lab Thurs 10.27 work on: playful intervention

____________________________________________________________________________

WEEK 9 Class Tues 11.01 due: playful intervention final

kickoff: concept pitch

Lab Thurs 11.03 due: elevator pitches

discuss: design communication
exercise: communicating a game design

____________________________________________________________________________

WEEK 10 Class Tues 11.08 due: concept pitches

kickoff: polished game research

Lab Thurs 11.10 work on: polished game research

____________________________________________________________________________

WEEK 11 Class Tues 11.15 due: polished game research

kickoff: polished game design

Lab Thurs 11.17 work on: polished game

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

WEEK 12 Class Tues 11.22 due: polished game prototype

discuss: the game industry
exercise: TA special

**THANKSGIVING BREAK**

____________________________________________________________________________

WEEK 13 Class Tues 11.29 exercise: balancing complex systems

discuss: the game industry

Lab Thurs 12.01 work on: polished game

____________________________________________________________________________

WEEK 14 Class Tues 12.06 exercise: balancing multiplayer games

discuss: social economies

Lab Thurs 12.08 work on: polished game

____________________________________________________________________________

FINALS Class Tues 12.13 final crit: polished game

Lab Thurs 12.15 final crit: polished game

Grading
Each project will be evaluated with the following criteria:

• Functionality. Has the student or group made a playable, enjoyable game that can be
completed and does not have any obvious structural problems?
• Balance. Beyond basic playability, are the systems of the game well-balanced and does
the game provide multiple, meaningful choices for players?
• Creativity. Does the project evince innovation and uniqueness? Does it show a creative
imagination that does not solve the given design problem in an ordinary way?
• Appropriate for the assignment. Each project is a response to constraints given by the
instructor. Has the project properly addressed these constraints?
• Presentation. Each game is presented in material form, along with its rules and a
written process statement. Are these materials well-written, well-organized, and easy to
use?

Overall, the emphasis in this class is on EXPERIMENTATION and GAME DESIGN. It is more
important that you spend time revising your rules and rebalancing your system rather than on
graphic design or creating elaborate and polished materials.

That said, designing the sensory and material experience of play is part of design. So as we
move through the semester, the material qualities of the player experience is something that
you can also start exploring. The last few projects, especially the polished game, will have more
of an emphasis on the final form of the game, including the game materials.

Students will be given grades based on a point scale. Each assignment will be graded on a
point scale, and these points will be added up to determine the final grade, according to the
following:

93-100% A
90-92% A-
87-89% B+
83-86% B
80-82% B-
etc.

The following are the components of the grade:

Participation & peer grades 10

Game Modification 5
Formal Analysis 5
Mechanics Game 15
Narrative Game 15
Playful Intervention 10
Concept Pitch 10

Polished game research 5

Polished game 25

TOTAL 100
Late penalties
All assignments must be turned in on time. If an assignment is not turned at the start of the
class for which it is due, its grade will drop by 20%. If it is a week or more late, its grade will drop
by 50%.

Participation
The participation & peer grades portion of your grade is based on the following:
- Participation in group discussions and critiques
- Peer grades from group projects

Attendance
The following is the attendance policy for all NYU Game Center classes:

Attending and arriving on time to all class sessions is required and expected. This
includes all labs, recitations, and critiques. If you will be missing a class due to illness, or
unavoidable personal circumstances, you must notify your professor in advance via
email for the absence to be excused.

Unexcused absences and being late to class will lower your final grade. Three
unexcused absences lower your final grade by a letter. Each subsequent unexcused
absence will lower another letter grade. Two tardies will count as one unexcused
absence. Arriving more than 15 minutes late to class will also count as an unexcused
absence.

Peer grades
Peer grades will be emailed to the instructor for each group assignment. You will give a grade to
each member of your group. You can add a short explanation if you like, and you must add
some explanation when giving a grade of C or below.
1 = Outstanding: fully participated, hard worker and great teammate
2 = Good: no complaints, consistent participation throughout the process
3 = Satisfactory: some problems or inconsistencies
4 = Difficult: hindered the progress of the project, or counter-productive in some way
NYU STATEMENT OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work as though it were your own. More specifically,
plagiarism is to present as your own: A sequence of words quoted without quotation marks
from another writer or a paraphrased passage from another writer’s work or facts, ideas or
images composed by someone else.

ACCESSIBILITY AT NYU
Academic accommodations are available for students with documented disabilities. Please
contact the Moses Center for Students with Disabilities at 212 998-4980 for further information.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Your health and safety are a priority at NYU. If you experience any health or mental health
issues during this course, we encourage you to utilize the support services of the 24/7 NYU
Wellness Exchange 212-443-9999. Also, all students who may require an academic
accommodation due to a qualified disability, physical or mental, please register with the Moses
Center 212-998-4980. Please let your instructor know if you need help connecting to these
resources.
Tips for Working Successfully in a Group
From the Building Virtual Worlds class at Carnegie Melon’s ETC Program

Meet people properly. It all starts with the introduction. Then, exchange contact information, and make sure
you know how to pronounce everyone’s names. Exchange phone #s, and find out what hours are acceptable
to call during.

Find things you have in common. You can almost always find something in common with another person,
and starting from that baseline, it’s much easier to then address issues where you have differences. This is
why cities like professional sports teams, which are socially galvanizing forces that cut across boundaries of
race and wealth. If nothing else, you probably have in common things like the weather.

Make meeting conditions good. Have a large surface to write on, make sure the room is quiet and warm
enough, and that there aren’t lots of distractions. Make sure no one is hungry, cold, or tired. Meet over a meal
if you can; food softens a meeting. That’s why they “do lunch” in Hollywood.

Let everyone talk. Even if you think what they’re saying is stupid. Cutting someone off is rude, and not worth
whatever small time gain you might make. Don’t finish someone’s sentences for him or her; they can do it for
themselves. And remember: talking louder or faster doesn’t make your idea any better. Check your egos at the
door. When you discuss ideas, immediately label them and write them down. The labels should be descriptive
of the idea, not the originator: “the troll bridge story,” not “Jane’s story.”

Praise each other. Find something nice to say, even if it’s a stretch. Even the worst of ideas has a silver lining
inside it, if you just look hard enough. Focus on the good, praise it, and then raise any objections or concerns
you have about the rest of it.

Put it in writing. Always write down who is responsible for what, by when. Be concrete. Arrange meetings by
email, and establish accountability. Never assume that someone’s roommate will deliver a phone message.
Also, remember that “politics is when you have more than 2 people” – with that in mind, always CC (carbon
copy) any piece of email within the group, or to me, to all members of the group. This rule should never be
violated; don’t try to guess what your group mates might or might not want to hear about.

Be open and honest. Talk with your group members if there’s a problem, and talk with me if you think you
need help. The whole point of this course is that it’s tough to work across cultures. If we all go into it knowing
that’s an issue, we should be comfortable discussing problems when they arise -- after all, that’s what this
course is really about. Be forgiving when people make mistakes, but don’t be afraid to raise the issues when
they come up.

Avoid conflict at all costs. When stress occurs and tempers flare, take a short break. Clear your heads,
apologize, and take another stab at it. Apologize for upsetting your peers, even if you think someone else was
primarily at fault; the goal is to work together, not start a legal battle over whose transgressions were worse.
It takes two to have an argument, so be the peacemaker.

Phrase alternatives as questions. Instead of “I think we should do A, not B,” try “What if we did A, instead of
B?” That allows people to offer comments, rather than defend one choice.
Peter Fischli and Davis Weiss