Abstract
For the past six years I have been teaching a game design class to a diverse group of programmers, artists, media theorists and designers. I have found that traditional aca- demic model of teaching, as the handing down of established knowledge from expert to novice, fail badly in such a young and dynamic discipline. Instead I have embraced a more interactive model of learning, accepting students as fellow knowledge-creators and working together to find the ideas to help us better understand our design practice.
In this paper I present a ball game I use as an opener in the very first class. I describe the rules of the game in full and discuss how I employ as a teaching tool. I have used it every year and it has grown in importance as a way to break down the barriers between lecturer and student and between students of different backgrounds. It also serves as an thought-provoking example to help students think more carefully about some of the most obvious and yet trouble-some ideas in the field: ‘fun’, 'rules’, ‘play’ and ‘game’.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | FDG 2013 |
Subtitle of host publication | Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games |
Editors | Georgios N. Yannakakis, Espen Aarseth, Kristine Jørgensen, James C. Lester |
Place of Publication | Santa Cruz, CA |
Publisher | Society for the Advancement of the Science of Digital Games |
Pages | 269-274 |
Number of pages | 6 |
ISBN (Print) | 9780991398201 |
Publication status | Published - 2013 |
Externally published | Yes |
Event | International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games (8th : 2013) - Chania, Greece Duration: 14 May 2013 → 17 May 2013 |
Conference
Conference | International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games (8th : 2013) |
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City | Chania, Greece |
Period | 14/05/13 → 17/05/13 |
Keywords
- Game design education
- Mechanics
- Dynamics
- Aesthetics
- Design Patterns