ARTICULATION DOCUMENT
T231 Analog Game Theory
MODULE STRUCTURE
Module Category: Diploma in Game Design
Level (year of study): Year 2
Credit Units: 4 Modular Credits
Curriculum Hours: 90
Contact Hours: 60 over 15 weeks (4 hours per week)
Module Assessment: Continuous Assessment: 40%
- 15 Daily Grades
Summative Assessment: 60%
Understanding Test 1: 15% (written and online, open book)
Understanding Test 2: 15% (Graded Assignment)
Understanding Test 3: 30% (open book, online)
SECTION 2: MODULE OVERVIEW
This document addresses the content related abilities, with reference to the module.
Abilities of thinking, learning, problem solving and team work, communication, debating
and defending are addressed by the system wide curricular practices at the institute.
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MODULE OUTCOMES AND LEARNING OUTCOMES
Module Synopsis
The Analog Game Theory module is a course using problem based learning with
practical game design challenges to help students understand and apply principles and
theories underlying the design of games and play experiences. Through rapid
prototyping of games with analog media, students will learn to focus on the creative
essence of game design without being impeded by technology, cost and skill.
Rapid prototyping, mirrors real design practice, and provides a key tool in the hands of
the designers to build a quick and rough model of their ideas to play and test over time.
Designers will iteratively rework the model within a team until a desired “fun” experience
is reached. Each class activity poses different design challenges for students to explore,
experiment and apply game design principles through problem solving and prototyping
of analog games.
Module Objectives
Class activity are design challenges for students to explore, experiment and re-apply
principles of game design through thinking and practical prototyping of playable analog
games under different design challenges and scenarios.
This module aims to help students:
1. Build critical vocabulary of game design
2. Learning ideation, sketching, rapid prototyping, balancing, play-testing, research and
analyze, evaluation, non-linear planning and documentation of game designs across
an iterative process.
3. Form a play history and repertoire of mechanics and dynamics through hands-on
activities in and out of class
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4. Students will form their own answers to central questions such as: What is play?
What is game design and how to design games?
5. To add works to their portfolio by encouraging them to build an analog game project,
with a team, that will contribute to their final test scores.
Following are the content related abilities strengthened by the curricular processes
of the module:
Formal Game Elements
To be able to understand that:
1. The role of a designers and players in the design process.
2. the different types of player’s are motivated (attracted to) by different experiences of
play games types as described by R. Bartle such as: killer, achiever, socializer,
explorer3. Games are systems of mechanics (rules) that player dynamically interact through
some interface which create dynamic behaviour and creates an experience.
Different games systems have different core dynamics and can induce different
types of fun (Marc Leblanc).
4. The quality of engagement into any play experience can be seen as a: magic circle
(huizinga), or flow (chen), or immersion (hocking).
5. Game system dynamics creates what are called feedback loops that are reinforcing
or counter balancing rules which affects player’s experience.
6. Good games present interesting meaningful choices or decisions to players.
7. Some games are designed to offer conflicts or obstacles to provide a challenge to
players such as puzzles.
8. Mechanics of time can be used in games to induce pressure for players.
9. The role of randomization and chance mechanics in games
10. Games can be designed for play experiences that are driven by social objectives
11. Games can incorporate a variety of player interaction models to enhance play
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12. Games can be designed to to challenge human dexterity with twitch mechanics.
13. Music and dance movement can be used for games create play through body
sensations.
14. Fantasy/imagination such as character, theme can be used to develop a roleplaying
experiences.
15. Games with narratives requires non-linear structures rules to provide meaningful
decisions that affect the outcome and narrative of a game.
16. Narrative elements together with the game rules and choices work together to
involve and immerse users fantasy/imagination, create suspension of disbelief.
17. Strategy games generally use tradeoff mechanics such as: auction, purchases,
(dynamic) limited use abilities, explicit choices, limited actions, trade and
negotiations, economics, cost and returns, operational and one-off costs.
Process and Skills
To learn how to:
1. Identify and connect with one’s own personal play history.
2. Sketch dynamic play experiences.
3. Identify and infer core dynamics and rules from games and write rules
4. Rapidily (paper) prototype game systems with:
a) puzzles requiring maze, fog of war
b) twitch based games
c) Physical movement and musical rhythm and tempo
d) Story elements such as theme and characters
e) non-linear story-telling
f) meaningful choices
g) strategy decision making
5. Balance a game along the lines of: Skill vs Chance, challenge vs success, challenge
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vs skills/abilities, asymmetry, risk vs reward, competition vs collaboration, twitch
skills vs chance and positive vs negative feedback loops.
6. Analyse, plan for play-testing with players (who may be experts, or amateurs).
7. To learn to critically analyze a game design objectively and with reflection. 8. Documentation
across the game design process within a standard.
9. Pitch a game design concept.
Allocated time per day
Module Coverage
Discussions in
Study Cluster
Resource
gathering
and team
work
Skills acquisition
and practice
Problem 01: Personal Play History
1.
To be able to understand and
apply the following principles by way of recreating play experiences as sketches:
a.
The role of a designers and players
in the design process.
b.
Types of play experience.
c.
Types of motivations why people
prefer some forms of play over others. Play
experiences result from the player(s)
interactions with what they are playing
“with” (i.e. an object or environment) i.e.
game designers do not create directly play
experiences for players rather the means in
which they can happen i.e. through games.
d.
The quality of any play experience
can be seen as a “magic circle“(Huizinga).
4
1
1
Acquired skills and abilities (optional)
2.
To learn how to sketch dynamic
play experiences as a means to convey
essential information that communicates
effectively dynamic ideas such as games i.e.
imply rules and their consequences.
3.
To learn to identify and connect
with one’s own personal play history.
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Problem 02: Rapid Paper
Prototyping
1. Learn basic rapid paper prototyping by
building a game system.
2. Understand that Rapid Paper
Prototyping is a hands-on, practical &
iterative process.
3. Understand the importance of Iteration
- elements such as testing, balancing,
evaluating etc.
4. Understand that Games are Systems of
Mechanics (rules).
5. Games have formal design elements
and over time patterns/types of game
objectives and CORE dynamics have
evolved.
4
1
1
4
1
1
4
1
1
Problem 03: Games are Systems of
Rules – Converting Digital to Analog
1. To be able to re-create and/or derive
working game designs from a given source.
2. Understand that Games are systems of
mechanics (rules) affecting
components/elements that player
dynamically interact with.
3. Games have formal design elements and
over time patterns/types of game
objectives and CORE dynamics have
evolved
4. To learn basic rapid prototyping process
of a game system building that implies
other aspects of testing, balancing,
evaluating etc.
Problem 04: Critique & analysis:
Balancing a Games as a Systems
1. Games are Systems.
2. Changes made will affect the entire
Game System.
3. MDA Framework (Mechanics, Dynamics,
Aesthetics)
4. Games offer conflicts, problem, obstacles
to challenge to players.
5. Determine how randomness influences,
determines or compliments the play
experience.
6. Identify and differentiate between how
probability works across Independent (e.g.
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dice) and dependent (e.g. cards) mediums.
Problem 05: Rules Writing
1. Rules (mechanics) need to be clearly
written, or else would be open to
misinterpretation/ contention of players
that would otherwise break the game.
2. Rules would govern, determine &
influence the play experience of the
player(s).
4
1
1
4
1
1
4
1
1
Problem 06: Player Test and
Documentation
1. Formulating a Test Plan.
2. How to playtest objectively.
3. Understand what is documentation and
the role as an on-going process.
4. Coherent documentation of the
development from activities within the
game design process for communicating
ideas.
Problem 07: Re-producing core
Strategy Games (War Game/
resource management)
1. Strategy games generally use tradeoff
mechanics such as:
- auction
- purchases
- limited use abilities
- explicit choices & actions,
- trade & negotiations,
- economics
- cost (operational & one-off) and returns
2. To understand the role of and how to
apply the skill of balancing chance vs
strategic skills through adding and
subtracting of mechanics.
3. Be able to identify variables that would
be used for strategic meaningful decisions
within a game such as tradeoffs Risk (cost)
vs reward (profit, time-saving) etc.
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2. Meaningful Decisions
3. Resource Management
Problem 08: Social Play
(Competition vs Collaboration)
1. Competition Vs Collaboration
2. Games can be designed for socially
oriented play experiences.
3. Player interaction models can be used as
mechanics to enhance play such as:
- Single player versus game
- Player vs player
- Team competition
- Multiple individual players versus
game
- Cooperative play
- Team competition
- Unilateral competition
- Multilateral competion
4
1
1
4
1
1
4. Emergent properties e.g.
collusion/diplomacy, sabotage/griefing
Problem 09: Critique & analysis:
Balancing Games as a Systems II
1. e able to map out decision
matrixes/algorithms and understand the
relationship with interesting decisions.
2. Balancing in game design is by adding,
subtracting and merging and revising
mechanics(rules) to adjust dynamics (such
as positive/negative feedback loops) of
prototypes versus the experiences (e.g.
flow) that designers intends for their
players.
3. Be able to identify the critical areas to
balance against; in which is key to the
design of the game or core dynamics or
play experience. (e.g. Risk vs rewards. Skills
vs chance, symmetry vs asymmetry etc.)
4. Games are systems
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Problem 10: Rules Writing II
1. Skill vs Challenge
2. Risk vs Rewards
3. Skills vs Chance
4. Symmetry vs Asymmetry
4
1
1
4
1
1
4
1
1
5. Rules (mechanics) need to be clearly
written, or else would be open to
misinterpretation/ contention of players
that would otherwise break the game.
Problem 11: Testing &
documentation II
1. Game system dynamics reacts or creates
feedback loops
2. Understand that any action of a system
will result in an equal overreaction of an
opposing system.
3. Game Balance
4. Understand what is documentation and
the role as an on-going process.
5. Coherent documentation of the
development from activities within the
game design process for communicating
ideas.
Problem 12: Story based Games
(Maps, Events, Encounters)
1.
To be able to understand, analyse
and apply the principles of game design to
engage players through
fantasy/imagination with story , character,
theme to develop a role-playing experience
such as:
a.
Using mechanical features of a
MAP to develop story
sequence/event/encounters
b.
Connecting story narrative
elements to game elements e.g. character =
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player, goal of game and story are the
same, obstacles are given representation as
events on a board. However in story-based
games, players control the character to
determine the outcome by making choices
for the character. The designer has to
(therefore) understand and create the
connection between choices and
consequences in order to immerse players
as the character of the story e.g.
Suspension of disbelief
2.
To be able to identify and explain
the quality of any player’s “immersive”
experience in story-based games as
qualities described in a “magic circle“
(huizinga) or flow (chen)
Problem 13: Story based Games
(Planning & Play testing, Balancing
Experience with Plotting and
diagramming )
1. To be able to plan and test a story-based
game on a map, then plot, read and analyse
charts below to make recommendations for
balancing.
a. A player/event chart
b. A flow chart/directed graph of the
story events
4
1
1
4
1
1
To be able to identify, distinguish linear and
non-linear structures used in story-based
games and how they might affect the
degree of immersive play experience.
Problem 14: Stories based games
(Adding Puzzles to create challenge
and engagement)
1. To be able to understand, analyse and
apply the principles of puzzle design to add
problem solving challenge that engages
players within the context of story-based
games that utilize
narrative/fantasy/imagination:
2. All forms of puzzles use different
combinations of text, image and logic (scott
kim, bob bates et al.) in which the player
must deduce a pattern in order to find the
solution. All puzzles unlike games have only
one solution or outcome.
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3. The role of randomization and chance in
games e.g. for starting points to ensure
different states to ensure different starting
points.
Problem 15: Twitch Games
1. Twitch skill (fast-choice) with mechanics
such as:
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
Pure speed
Timing
Precision
Avoidance
Time pressure
4
1
1
60
15
15
2. Be able to simulate randomness of
realistic physical experiences.
3. To understand: Twitch skills vs Chance,
challenges vs success, for an enjoyable play
experience.
Total = 15 Problems = 90 hours
TEACHING AND LEARNING
This module equips students who wish to pursue a career in the Creative Industries with
necessary creative, critical, and technical skills. The module emphasise traditional
intellectual skills in terms of writing short reports, and conducting appropriate research
when preparing for projects. Students are routinely required to conduct seminar discussions
and presentations. The Module inspires and nurtures creative expression, in terms of both
form and content, and in the context of both individual and group productions. Students are
encouraged to analyse contemporary culture to develop their area of expertise. Throughout
the module, engagement with new, digital technologies is emphasised.
The module is predominantly delivered via a problem based learning style curriculum.
However, up to 15% of the module uses a technical hands-on tutorial style curriculum. The
module is predominantly taught in a classroom.
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LEARNING RESOURCES
Brenda Brathwaite, 2008. Challenges for Game Designers. 1 Edition. Cengage Learning.
Tracy Fullerton, 2014. Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative
Games, Third Edition. 3 Edition. A K Peters/CRC Press.
Jesse Schell, 2014. The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses, Second Edition. 2 Edition. A K
Peters/CRC Press.
MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research 2015. . [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~hunicke/MDA.pdf. [Accessed 15 January 2015].
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