Iterate and Prototype

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• use 2d and 3d games specific software, coding and related methodologies.
• undertake user testing and evaluate feedback in relation to your prototypes:

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• apply critical thinking and different working methods to a range of different specialist techniques and processes relevant to game production in order to manifest your ideas;
• translate industry processes into prototype outcomes;
• begin to evaluate specialist concepts and methods in relation to contemporary practice covered by the scope of games production.

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• an introductory range of methods, materials, techniques and skills specific to games design production;
• a game project through the research and reflection of games design production.
• game production teams, task management and project schedule;

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• document your own learning journey in systematic fashion;
• manage and work in an effective team;
• gather research, analyse and synthesise it to make it applicable to prototype practices.

This module continues the work of your previous module Interrogate, Investigate, Instigate. In this module, you will undertake activities that will introduce you to a broader range of design research practices and principles coupled with industry practice for working in an iterative team-based game environment.

You will be set specific projects that will help you focus your work. User testing events and practical application of games for players will feature heavily in the development of your games design and application of industry practices will become embedded in your process. Reflective documentation of your learning journey will form a key component of this module.

This module provides you with an opportunity to enhance your research led approach to games design and introduces you to a range of further pertinent practices, techniques, methodologies and skills associated with game production.

The projects and content of this module provided a focused pathway to the development of your practical skills and conceptual awareness of Games Design & Art. Through theme-informed introductions to content and critical thinking you will explore your ideas and develop an understanding of how different components make up a game.

An important feature of this module is the way in which your involvement with the practices, techniques and content of game production can begin to direct and focus your thinking towards an individual understanding of specialist practice within games practice.

Introduction to 3d design processes for both assets and game coding, 3d animation, game design, character design and project management techniques will be enhanced. These examples are illustrative and not exhaustive. They may vary each academic year. The module will consist of a number of projects that will span the semester utilising methods introduces to create a portfolio of work both individually and working with others.

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods include:

• Talks
• Field trips
• Project briefings
• Tutorials
• Group critiques
• Workshops inductions
• Supporting material distributed via virtual learning environments (VLE) such as Blackboard, Panopto and Bob National

Learning activities include:

• Review and revision of material provided in lectures and VLE’s
• Workshops
• Observational drawing activities
• Research method inductions
• Using, comparing and evaluating specialist resources for Games Design & Art.
• Team work
• User testing events
• Discussion
• Presentations
• Group critiques
• Various Tutorial Activities
• Peer group learning
• Self-assessment

Relationship between the teaching, learning and assessment methods and the planned learning outcomes

In this module teaching and learning activities will focus on helping you to enhance your research led critical skills through making which you will explore through a series of projects. You will experience a variety of inductions that are designed to give you a broad introduction to the specialist areas of Games Design & Art and offer you tools through which to experiment and explore your projects. Talks, workshops, tutorial activities and project briefings will introduce you to the projects and contextualise your thinking. Tutorial activities and your own learning documentation will allow you to reflect on and discuss the projects as they progress and how it bears on your own practical work and the work of others

Resources & Reading list

General Resources

Panaopto Recordings (via Blackboard).

Academic Skills Hub. http://library.soton.ac.uk/sash

Lynda.com (via Blackboard). Lynda.com

Blackboard. www.blackboard.soton.ac.uk

Internet Resources

Glossary of Terms.

Gamasutra.

Guardian Games.

Textbooks

Holmes, D. (2012). A Mind Forever Voyaging. Dylan Holmes.

McCloud, S (1994). Understanding Comics. Turtleback Books..

Bateman, C., (2007). Game Writing: Narrative Skills for Videogames (Charles River Media Game Development). Thompson Delmar Learning.

Dille, F. and Platten (2007). The Ultimate Guide to Video Game writing and Design. Lone Eagle Publishing House.

Schell, J., (2015). The Art of Game Design,. CRC Press.

Sherrod, A. (2008). Games Graphic Programming. Course Technology.

Dille, F. and Platten, J.Z. (2007). The Ultimate Guide to Video Game writing and Design. Lone Eagle Publishing House.

Costikyan, G (2013). Uncertainty in Games. MIT Press..

Solarski, C. (2012). Drawing Basics and Video Game Art. Watson-Guptill Publications.

Perea, A. (2012). Epistemic Game Theory: Reasoning and Choice. Cambridge University Press.

Dutta, P., (1999). Strategies and Games: Theory and Practice. MIT Press.

Sicart, M. (2014). Play Matters,. MIT Press..

Sharp, J. (2015). Works of Game,. MIT Press..

Salen, K. & Zimmerman, E (2004). Rules of Play. MIT Press..

Adams, E (2010). Fundamentals of Game Design. New Riders.

Rogers, S., (2014). Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design. John Wiley & Sons..

Elwes, R (2010). Maths 1001: Absolutely everything that matters in mathematics. Quercus Publishing.

Wigan, M. (2015). Thinking Visually for Illustrators. Bloomsbury Publishing..

Ambrose, G., (2015). Design Thinking for Visual Communication. Bloomsbury Publishing..

Juul, J., (2013). The Art of Failure,. MIT Press.

Isbister, K. (2016). How Games Move Us. MIT Press..

Bestley, R. & Noble (2016). Visual Research. Bloomsbury Publishing..

Norman, D.A. (2013). The Design of Everyday Things,. Basic Books (AZ)..

Salmond, M. (2016). Video Game Design. Bloomsbury Publishing..

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External