Principles of Game Design
Unit code: HET325
| Credit points | 12.5 Credit Points |
| Duration | 1 Semester |
| Contact hours | 48 hours per semester |
| Campus | Hawthorn, Sarawak |
| Prerequisites | Nil |
| Corequisites | Nil |
Related course(s)
A unit of study in the Bachelor of Arts (Games and Interactivity), Bachelor of Multimedia (Games and Interactivity) / Bachelor of Science (Computer Science and Software Engineering), Bachelor of Multimedia (Business Marketing), Bachelor of Multimedia (Media Studies) and Bachelor of Multimedia.
(This unit has been recoded as HAGM101 Principles of Game Design.)
Aims and objectives
HET325 Principles of Game Design aims to introduce students to both the theory and practice of developing games. By providing a holistic view of games industry production methodology and artistry, this unit attempts to explore concepts of gameplay through critical examination of past, current and future trends in the definition of what constitutes “play”, as well as providing a practical toolkit to exercise these ideas in the form of the Unreal Tournament 2004 Software Development Kit.
- to give students an overview of key game development concepts and production techniques,
- to provide students with an introduction to the creation of game assets for the Unreal Tournament 2004 game engine,
- to provide students with an insight into the art and business of the games industry,
- to introduce students to explorative methods of developing interactive designs on the computer,
- to allow students to critically analyse appropriate methods of interactive communication and presentation,
- to allow students to apply appropriate communication methods for design development and presentation.
Teaching methods
Lecture (2 hour) and Laboratory (2 hour) based learning with ongoing project development and assessment tasks.Assessment
Reports (20%), Design Documentation (20%), In-class test (20%), Presentation (10%), Game artifact (30%)Generic skills outcomes
The graduate attributes which relate to this subject help to produce graduates who:
• Are capable in their chosen professional areas.
• Are adaptable and manage change.
• Operate effectively in work and community situations.
• Are entrepreneurial in contributing to innovation and development within their business, workplace, or community.
Content
This unit provides an introduction to the principles of game design, and explores them through study and use of the Unreal game authoring environment, by Epic Games.
- Fundamentals of game design theory and practice
- Project planning and pre-production
- An introduction to UnrealScript
- Modifying objects and modelling techniques within UnrealEd
- Shaders, texturing and materials within UnrealEd
- Lighting, environment and atmospheric techniques in real-time engines
- Basic AI Bot Pathing within the Unreal runtime environment.
- Emitters and particle effects
- Compiling and packaging Unreal content for online distribution
- The business of mod development
- Mod Development
- The Anatomy of Modding
- Games as Interactivity
- Pavlov and the one-armed hustler’s
- Story, Myth and Dream
- Games as Interactive Cinema
- The Architecture of Level Design
- Characterisation and Interactive Cinema
- The Psycho-Sexual Aesthetics of Gaming
- The Multiplayer Design Issues
Case Study – analysis of a game. The practical component of the course will take you through the steps required to create game content for the Unreal engine.
Reading materials
Mastering Unreal Technology: The Art of Level Design, Jason Busby, Zak Parrish, Joel Van Eenwyk, 2005, Sams Publishing, Indiana.Koster, R. Theory of Fun for Game Design, Paraglyph, 2004
Kress, G & van Leeuwen, T, Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design, London Routledge, 1996
Bates, B, Game Design: The Art and Business of Creating Games, New York, Premier Press, 2002
Graham, L, The Principles of Interactive Design, Devon, Delmar Publishing, 1999
