IML 203: Media Arts + Practice Design Studio II
Spring 2023 | 4.0 Units
Thursdays | 15:00 – 18:50 | SCI L106
Instructors:
Evan Hughes
Contact Info: ehughes@usc.edu
Office: SCI 101q
Office Hours: by appointment
Kiki Benzon
Contact Info: kbenzon@cinema.usc.edu
Office: SCI 101g
Office Hours: by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION
In this course, we will explore games and play as contexts for research, argumentation, critical engagement, and entertainment. While our activities will be informed by a number of critical texts from games studies, we will concentrate on game design and production, moving through the iterative processes of ideation, systems design, and prototyping toward building games that express shared values. As part of the Design Studio sequence (following IML 202), this course exposes students to a particular design methodology that will expand their own practices as critical makers and designer-theorists.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
– discover the potential of games to be vehicles for the expression of values
– develop expertise in game development processes and protocols
– understand the ways in which core concepts in game studies inform and reflect game design strategies and play experiences
– consider the effects of game accessibility and identity representation on the player experience and the culture broadly
– increase proficiencies in art and design through the development of game assets
– work with a third-party production service toward realizing a polished and complete project
– acquire/enhance professional skills in project/team management, pitch presentation, playtest facilitation, and giving/receiving critique
REQUIRED READINGS AND SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS
All readings will be available as PDFs through Google Classroom.
GRADING BREAKDOWN
| Assignment | Value |
| Reading Reflections | 15% |
| Pitch & Alpha Prototype | 15% |
| Beta Prototype & Playtest | 15% |
| Gold Master Game | 35% |
| Gameplay Video | 10% |
DESCRIPTION AND ASSESSMENT OF EACH ASSIGNMENT
Reading Reflections (15%)
You will submit via Google Classroom 250 words (1 page) per assigned reading; your reflection will be guided by questions provided by the faculty. If you have two articles to read on a week, then you would be expected to write 500 words for the week.
Pitch & Alpha Prototype (15%)
Your pitch deck will outline your team’s shared value, the game concept you’ve devised to express this value, the interactive structure that formalizes this concept (game system), the player experience goal, and prospective game art. The alpha prototype will include all mechanical and formal elements of your game; it must be playable, but needn’t be perfect.
Beta Prototype & Playtest (15%)
The beta prototype should incorporate the changes indicated in alpha testing. It may be hand built, but its materials will be of higher quality and more durable than the alpha build. Design art may not be final, but it should be complete enough to make sense to your playtesters. At the external playtest, students, faculty, and members of the public will volunteer to play your games while your team observes and assesses how the game is experienced. To facilitate this, you must arrive in good time with a completed game and prepared questions to pose to your testers.
Gold Master Game Prototype (35%)
A gold master game prototype is a completely designed and playable game prototype. All games must include a board or tabletop component, instructions, packaging, game pieces, etc. We expect that all game elements are fully designed and realized.
Gameplay Video (10%)
Each team will produce their own video instructions to help facilitate clear and concise instructions to help players get started. It’s important that videos are relatively short (3 minutes or so) and that they represent the look and feel of the game.
PARTICIPATION POLICY
MA+P classes often depend on group work and in-class critique, which makes participation crucial. You are expected to participate in every scheduled class session. This might be through in-person attendance, virtual attendance, or asynchronous viewing of class recordings and subsequent feedback/discussion. If you must miss a class, please be sure to get any notes and assignments from a classmate so you do not fall behind.
If you feel that you are unable to participate in the ways listed above, please speak to your professor. Accommodations may be made for certain situations.
GRADING SCALE
Course final grades will be determined using the following scale:
A 95-100
A- 90-94
B+ 87-89
B 83-86
B- 80-82
C+ 77-79
C 73-76
C- 70-72
D+ 67-69
D 63-66
D- 60-62
F 59 and below
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
The following weekly schedule is subject to change. Please consult the IML 203 Google Classroom for the most current information on activities, assignments, and due dates.
Week 1: January 12
Introduction to Course
Week 2: January 19
Breaking Down Games: Play, Genre, Mechanics
| Activity | play a variety of games; mechanics rapid prototyping |
| Due | reading reflection #1; ; game journal Monopoly |
Week 3: January 26
Games and Cultural Production
| Activity | hacking Monopoly |
| Due | reading reflection #2; game journal Pandemic |
Week 4: February 2
Models for Game Development
| Activity | discuss game studies, MDA, history of the field, core concepts |
| Due | reading reflection #3; game journal Azul/Kingdomino |
Week 5: February 9
Concept Development
| Activity | discuss game concepts and ideology; iterative ideation on values |
Week 6: February 16
Studio: Concept and Mechanic
| Activity | prototype various core game mechanics |
Week 7: February 23
Studio: Mechanic and System
| Activity | prototype core game mechanic and start to build system |
Week 8: March 2
Fall Recess – No Class
Week 9: March 9
Studio: System and Gameplay
| Activity | continue prototyping |
Week 10: March 16
Studio: Alpha Prototype
| Activity | alpha development |
| Due | alpha prototype; design concept; mood board; game journal – your game |
Week 11: March 23
Feedback and Alpha Development
| Activity | alpha development; team meetings with Evan and Kiki |
Week 12: March 30
Alpha prototype and Internal Playtest
| Activity | internal playtest |
| Due | refined alpha; questionnaire; instructions |
Week 13: April 6
Beta Prototype and External Playtest
| Activity | external playtest; observe and discuss; administer questionnaires |
| Due | beta prototype |
Week 14: April 13
Playtest Debrief and Design / Art
| Activity | external playtest reflection and discussion; incorporating feedback; work on design elements / art; upload to GameCrafter this week |
Week 15: April 20
Video Production
Exam Period: May 5
Gold Master Game Play Event
ACADEMIC POLICIES
Land Acknowledgement Statement:
For those participating from the LA Basin, we acknowledge our presence on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Tongva and Chumash peoples.
For those who are elsewhere, please visit Native-Land.ca to discover the Original People of your home.
Disability “Acknowledgement”
In the spirit of disability culture, please feel free to stim, stretch, knit, doodle, move around, change seats, do yoga or do what feels right to your bodymind.
SCA Diversity and Inclusion Statement:
Diversity and Inclusion are foundational to the SCA community. We are committed to fostering a welcoming and supportive environment where students of all identities and backgrounds can flourish. The classroom should be a space for open discussion of ideas and self- expression; however, SCA will not tolerate verbal or written abuse, threats, harassment, intimidation or violence against person or property. If students are concerned about these matters in the classroom setting they are encouraged to contact their SCA Diversity and Inclusion Liaison, http://cinema.usc.edu/about/diversity.cfm; e-mail diversity@cinema.usc.edu. You can also report discrimination based on a protected class here https://equity.usc.edu/harassment-or-discrimination/
Course Content:
The required materials (readings, screenings, etc.) that are used in this course may, at times, depict or address potentially sensitive subject matter. Our discussions in class may also include these topics. The selection and presentation of these materials do not amount to an endorsement of the ideas expressed in them. If you have personal concerns about any of these materials, please discuss them with your professor so they may arrange appropriate alternatives if needed.
Disruptive Student Behavior:
Behavior that persistently or grossly interferes with classroom activities is considered disruptive behavior and may be subject to disciplinary action. Such behavior inhibits other students’ ability to learn and an instructor’s ability to teach. A student responsible for disruptive behavior may be required to leave class pending discussion and resolution of the problem and may be reported to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs for disciplinary action.
Academic Conduct:
Plagiarism – presenting someone else’s ideas as your own, either verbatim or recast in your own words – is a serious academic offense with serious consequences. Please familiarize yourself with the discussion of plagiarism in SCampus in Part B, Section 11, “Behavior Violating University Standards” https://policy.usc.edu/scampus-part-b/. Other forms of academic dishonesty are equally unacceptable. See additional information in SCampus and university policies on scientific misconduct, http://policy.usc.edu/scientific-misconduct
Statement on Fair Use:
Fair use is a legal principle that defines certain limitations on the exclusive rights of copyright holders. MA+P projects are produced with fair use doctrines in mind using its four pillars: (1) the purpose and character of use, (2) the nature of the copyrighted work, (3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole, and (4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. Generally speaking, this means you must only use as much of a copyrighted work as is necessary to make your point, and you must cite your sources accordingly.
Citation Guidelines:
We assert that work produced in our classes is covered under the Doctrine of Fair Use. In order to make this claim, however, all projects must include academically appropriate citations in the form of a References section, which covers all sources, in order to receive a passing grade. The References section is either included in the project itself or as a separate document, as appropriate. For citation purposes, we follow Kairos Journal of Rhetoric,Technology and Pedagogy style guide; Kairos uses APA format, which is slightly modified and whose general guidelines and specific examples may be found here: http://kairos.technorhetoric.net/styleguide.html#apa
Computer Code:
Computer code is often shared and reused. This is appropriate in a MA+P course unless otherwise directed by the assignment. If you do use code, you should attribute it. Please follow these protocols from MIT which call for placing a comment in one’s code with a URL to the original source, a note if it was adapted, and the date of retrieval: https://integrity.mit.edu/handbook/writing-code
Research:
Need to do research but don’t know where to start? Searching for a book, article, or data to support your argument? Not sure how to cite a source in your bibliography? Ask a librarian!
Research help is available:
- In person and by phone, chat and email at Ask a Librarian
- Through research guides and FAQs
- By contacting your subject librarian
USC Libraries: https://libraries.usc.edu/
COVID-19 Information for Students Coming to Campus
USC has COVID-19 and health protocols requirements for students who will be coming to campus.
Please consult the USC COVID-19 resource center website for the latest COVID-19 testing and health protocol requirements. Requirements are continuously updated so please check frequently.
Students should also stay informed with the “We Are USC” portal:
https://we-are.usc.edu/students/
Students are also expected to follow the University’s Expectations on Student Behavior.
PLEASE NOTE:
FOOD AND DRINKS (OTHER THAN WATER) ARE NOT PERMITTED IN ANY INSTRUCTIONAL SPACES IN THE SCHOOL OF CINEMATIC ARTS COMPLEX
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