Syllabus
WSU Department Name
Computer Science
WSU Course Number & Listing
CS CA1010: Introduction to Interactive Entertainment
High School: Layton High School
WSU Concurrent Adjunct Instructor: Eric Scholer
High School Course Name: Digital Media 2
2011 - 2012
(Attention: Contact the College or University you wish to attend to make sure that
these Concurrent Enrollment courses will meet your goals for fulfilling General
Education requirements or will count toward your chosen major).
Concurrent Adjunct Instructor’s Office Hours
7:15 am- 2:45 pm (Monday to Friday)
Concurrent Adjunct Instructor’s phone, email & website
Phone: 801-402-4878
Email: escholer@dsdmail.net
Website: http://www.davis.k12.ut.us/webs/escholer/digitalmedia/
Prerequisite High School Courses if any
Computer Technology
Digital Media 1
WSU Course Description:
This course examines and analyzes the history of interactive entertainment and its
technology (video games, computer games, and simulations) and their impact on an
individual and society from the perspective of the game designer and player. Students
take a critical look at the artistic, technical, cultural, economic and social aspects of this
expressive medium. Students will analyze how advances in hardware have driven game
design and capability.
WSU Course Objectives:
Students will analyze how advances in hardware have driven game design and capability.
Coursework will enable students to better understand the design implications of the game
in terms of ethics, creativity and socio-cultural impact. Students will be required to play
video and computer games outside of the regularly scheduled class times. Students will
work as a team to design a game.
Allocated Time: You should anticipate spending three hours of study per week for each
credit hour of a university course.
Homework, Group papers, and Group Projects: Homework problems are to be
submitted for grading on the date specified in the schedule. It is HIGHLY recommended
that you complete the assigned homework problems since the final project is based on the
material learned within the assigned chapters.
Cheating: Cheating on any assignment will not be tolerated. This includes any form of
copying without documenting the source, copying answers on a test, copying text without
documenting, and all other forms of plagiarism and unethical academic behavior.
Cheating will result in an automatic failure from the course regardless of the situation! It
will also result in your records being turned over to the institution for further action if
needed.
There is a lot of writing and group work in the course. You can be successful by
participating with your team and by just doing the homework.
WSU Required Textbook & Materials:
Fundamentals of Game Design, 2nd Edition, Ernest Adams, ISBN-978-0-321-64337-7
WSU Grading:
Total >= 94% ...A
90% <= Total < 94% ...A87% <= Total < 90% ... B+
84% <= Total < 87% ... B
80% <= Total < 84% ... B77% <= Total < 80% ... C+
74% <= Total < 77% ... C
70% <= Total < 74% ... C67% <= Total < 70% ...D+
64% <= Total < 67% ... D
60% <= Total < 64% ... DTotal < 60% ... E
Late work penalized 10% per day
Individual Assignments (Survey, papers, discussions, and game
reviews)
Final Group Project (includes all group work design problems for
each chapter)
Total
40%
50%
Group work attendance (face to face class)
10%
IND- Individual Assignment
GRP- Group Assignments included in Final Project
Q-Quiz
DISC- Discussion Topic
Calendar of Course Content:
W
Reading Assignments
ee
k
1
History of Gaming
http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/featu
res/video/hov/
(The History of Video Games)
2
Games and Video Games
Chapter 1
Teams are formed
3
Design Components and Processes
Chapter 2
Homework Problems
IND- Survey of peers on Interactive
Entertainment (# of hours, like,
dislike, addiction
IND- Game Review 1
DISC- Read
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13846_3100049840-62.html and comment
during classroom discussion (Video
games make you feel better about our
economy’s death spiral)
IND- Make a brochure/flier
advertising the game designed in
Chapter 1
DISC- Read
http://www.pbs.org/kets/videogamerev
olution/impact/myths.html
And comment in class (Reality Bytes:
Eight Myths about Video Games
Debunked)
4
Game Concepts
Chapter 3
Got
http://www.sloperama.com/advice.html
and read #s 1,2,3,4,5,7,10-17,24
RRP-Genre Drawing-Start
Brainstorming idea on video game.
IND-Game Review 2
DISC-Read
http://www.filibustercartoons.com/ga
mes.htm and comment in class (The
Best Video Games in the History of
Humanity)
5
Game Worlds (Creating Worlds)
GRP-Based upon the game your group
is designing, answer the Design
Practice pagr 83 Questions 1-13
IND – Creativity assignmentStoryboard
Chapter 4
Read
http://www.sloperama.com/advice/m69.ht
m
DISC- Read
http://www.gamerevolution.com/featu
res/worst_game_names
GRP- Based upon the game your
group is designing, answer the Design
practice pg 111 Questions Physical
Dimension, Pempo Dimension,
Environmental Dimension, Emotional
Dimension, and Ethical Dimension
6
Character Development (Creating
characters)
Chapter 6
Read www.slate.com/id/2097296 (The
Game’s the Thing, Why are Holly
woods actors starring on your
PlayStation?)
Read
http://www.gamasutra.com/resource_guid
e/20011119/meretzky_01.htm
7
DISC-Answer: How many hours a
week should someone play video
games? Why? Comment during the
classroom discussion.
GRP- based upon the game your group
is designing, answer the Design
Practice page 153 Questions 1-12
(Building Character: An Analysis of
Character Creation)
Storytelling and Narrative
Chapter 7
8
IND- Game Review 3
Read
http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20041
222/adams_01.shtml
(How many Endings Does a Game
Need?)
User Interfaces
Chapter 8
Download and install Free Anvil Studio
DISC Discussion assignment: Story
(Complete in discussion forum) as a
group
GRP- Based upon the game your
group is designing, answer the Design
Practice pg 199 Questions 1-14
IND- Game Review 4
GRP- Based upon the game your
group is designing, answer the Design
http://www.anvilstudio.com/
9
Read
http://www.anvilstudio.com/TommyMc/St
art_here.htm (tutorial)
IND- Game Review 4
Gameplay
Chapter 9
10
Practice pg 259 Questions 1-15
Core Mechanics (user Interface,
playability, graphics, sounds, etc)
DISC- Read
http://www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerev
olution/impact/future/htm
And comment in class (The Future of
Video Gaming)
GRP- Based upon the game your
group is designing, answer the Design
Practice pg 285 Questions 1-10
DISC- Answer: Do violent video
games make someone violent.
Comment in class discussion
Chapter 10
11
Game Balancing
Chapter 11
12
Level Design (Creating Levels)
Chapter 12
Genre Chapter defined
13
Positive and Negative Effects of
interactive Entertainment
Read http://www.raisesmartkid.com/raisesmart-preschool-kid-articles/the-goodand-bad-effects-of-video.html
Read
http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers
/kooijmans.html
CRP- Based upon the game your
group is designing, answer the Design
Practice pg 322, Questions 1-14
IND- Game Review 5
GRP- Based upon the game your
group is designing, answer the Design
Practice pg 357 Questions 1-13
DISC- Answer: Should video games
be regulated? Comment during class
discussion.
GRP- Based upon the game your
group is designing, answer the Design
Practice pg 357 Questions 1-13
DISC- Read http://www.video-gameaddiction.org/
And comment during class
discussion. (Video Games Addiction,
when video games become more
than just video games)
Read:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/positiveeffects-of-video-games.html
14
Games for Education
GRP- Genre Power Point
Article: Peppler, K., & Kafai, Y. (n.d.).
What videogame making can teach us
about literacy and learning: Alternative
pathways into participatory culture?
Retrieved from
http://www.digra.org/dl/db/07311.33576.p
df
15
FINAL PROJECT PRESENTATION
DUE
WSU Course Evaluation:
As a concurrent student, you are given the privilege of evaluating this course. This is an
anonymous evaluation which allows you an opportunity to express your opinions of the
course and the instructor.
WSU Student Code of Conduct
Download the WSU Student Code of Conduct at:
www.weber.edu/concurrent/students/CodeOfConduct.asp