Entry requirements

General entry requirements

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Display a basic practical and theoretical understanding of game mechanics and narrative structures.
• Describe and apply methods of observing and evaluating connections between game mechanics and play experiences in simple game systems.
• Display an understanding of how game design can be used in a classroom context.
• Create a plan for a pedagogic game design process.
• Display a fundamental understanding of the ethics of games and how games can be used to both represent and misrepresent topics.

Content

The course comprises lectures on the theory of game design, ethics of game design as well as workshops in tabletop game development. Students apply the theory and skills in a group project through which they develop a plan for a game design project to teach a specific, chosen topic. The project is composed of creating a plan for a pedagogic game design exercise, with intended learning outcomes and study material. Through play tests, students develop a social

tabletop game based on this plan in order to verify if the learning outcomes are being met. Students are supervised during the planning and play tests. The course is concluded with presentations of their projects and their conclusions on the success of their plan.

Instruction

The course is offered as a campus course, on Campus Gotland, or as an online course. The campus based version of the course has regular taught classes in the form of lectures, seminars and tutoring sessions. The online version of the course is web-based but offers the equivalent learning materials and interaction with teachers and students, online. The online version of the course requires a computer capable of running 3D computer software.

Assessment

Examination is based on playtest documentation and a group presentation.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's disability coordinator.