Learning Game Design: as a job or a hobby
Pulsipher Technology Associates
Course Summary
Learn the fundamentals of game design - any kind of game Learn to avoid false assumptions that many beginning designers believe Learn a process and structure for designing games Learn what makes a game "good" Learn the vital importance of repeated playtesting
-
+
Course Description
This course is designed for people who want to design games - video or tabletop - but lack information about what is really involved and how to go about it. It's not rocket science, but commercial design is a JOB - one that cannot be done by rote, there is no "Easy Button". I'm not here to encourage you, or entice you to read, I'm here to inform you. I assume you have the motivation to learn how to design games, you just need to know how. And that means you need to do it from start to finish, to complete games rather than merely start them. We'll discuss the process of game design, the possible structures in games, the best way to start learning game design, what makes a game good (there's a great variety of opinion about this), ways to provide a framework for your design efforts, ways to keep records of your work, software to help you learn. Many aspiring game designers have crippling misconceptions (such as the notion that it's all about a great idea, or that everyone who counts likes the same games they do), and I'll try to clear those out of your way. This is not a comprehensive class about game design as a whole, it is a class about learning game design. That's a process that goes on throughout a game designer's career, but it starts here. Review at Jeffro's Space Gaming blog: tinyurl.com/o6t95kn Review at Alan Paull's blog: http://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/26361/learning-game-design-a-udemy-class-by-dr-lewis-pul
-
+
Course Syllabus
Section 1: How this course works Lecture1:What you'll discover Lecture2:Introducing the Teacher Lecture3:Interaction Lecture4:Assessment Lecture5:Game Design is Education, not Rote Learning Lecture6:Course Length - Depends on How Long Your Game Takes Lecture7:Student entry survey - 10 questions, voluntary Lecture8:The Main Assignment Lecture9:Supplemental books and other materials Section2:What game design is - and is not Lecture10:Yes, there are fundamental things to know to be a game designer Lecture11:Definitions Lecture12:Six Words about what a Game Designer Is/Does Lecture13:Stay Behind the Curtain Lecture14:Is game design about "mind control"? Lecture15:Monopoly Exercise Lecture16:The fundamental difference is NOT video versus tabletop Lecture17:Make Money? Maybe. Get Rich? Most Unlikely. Lecture18:Dreamers Lecture19:Typical Illusions of Aspiring Game Designers Lecture20:Reasons to Design Games Lecture21:Meaningfulness? Lecture22:My take on Monopoly's problems Section3:The best ways to learn (other than this course!) Lecture23:Your Goal: COMPLETE Games Lecture24:The Quickest Way to Learn Game Design Lecture25:Gamemaker and other game engines Lecture26:Gamemaker examples - will be added in a few days Lecture27:Creating Levels and Making Mods Lecture28:Traditional Games are NOT a Good Guide Lecture29:A Monopoly "solution" Lecture30:When you first do any complicated thing, you won't be good at it Lecture31:Formal Education (a degree?) Lecture32:Play Lots of Games? Maybe. Quiz1:Self-assessment: Definitions and the Best Ways to Learn Section4:Getting Started Lecture33:The Idea is NOT the Game - Part 1 Lecture34:The Idea is NOT the Game - Part 2 Lecture35:Innovation is Highly Overrated Lecture36:Origins of Games Lecture37:Making Your Very First Game Lecture38:Using Someone Else's Intellectual Property? Avoid it! Lecture39:Games, Puzzles, and Contests Lecture40:"Atoms" and "Game Loops" Lecture41:Games Need Simplicity, Puzzles May Benefit from Complexity Lecture42:Quotations related to game design Lecture43:The System and the Psychological Lecture44:Three Kinds of Games: Math, People, Story Lecture45:"Rules emergent" versus "Progressive" Lecture46:Protecting Your Intellectual Property? Lecture47:Designer Diary: Dragon Rage tabletop game Lecture48:Example of additional voice notes for tabletop War of the Roses game Lecture49:Example of initial voice notes for tabletop War in the Abyss game Lecture50:Example of initial notes for fleet battle game resembling Spelljammer battles Lecture51:Where are you with your game design? Quiz2:Self-assessment: Getting Started Section5:The Process of Design Lecture52:Talent versus Technique Lecture53:The Artisan, the Engineer, and the Mimic Lecture54:Game Design Documents and Problems Lecture55:Mind-mapp
-
+
Recommended Background
A familiarity with many kinds of games No programming or other technical skills necessary An open mind. If you think you know it all, you probably won't like what I have to say
-
+
Course Format
This is a very long online audiovisual course. As is typical, the majority of the information is in screencasts, slides with voiceover. Unlike standard courses, there is no particular start or end, each person proceeds at their own pace. There is a provision for a discussion group on Yahoo Groups.
-
+
Suggested Reading
Book: Game Design: How to create video and tabletop games, start to finish, by Lewis Pulsipher. Available at usual online sites, or the publisher (McFarland) Why I wrote the book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdbAUZ-Bd4I
1 Review
Good Course