Lecture Notes - Foundations of Interactive Game Design

Class lectures are based on the following lecture notes. Games reviewed in class are listed in italics.

Jan. 6

Course overview [PDF] Legend of Zelda
Jan. 9 Juul's Classic Game Definition [PDF] Super Mario Brothers, Sim City, Chutes and Ladders
Jan. 11 Careers in the computer gaming industry [PDF] Gradius
Jan. 13 Rules and State Machines [PDF] Sonic the Hedgehog
Jan. 18 Viewed "Video Game Invasion: The History of a Global Obsession"
Jan. 20 Viewed "The Video Game Revolution"
Jan. 23 Using Photoshop to make Sprites [PDF] Katamari Damacy
Jan. 25 Game rules, algorithmic rules, games of emergence and progression [PDF] Guitar Hero
Jan. 27 Emergence and interesting choices, possible exam topics [PDF]
Feb. 1 Creating games with Game Maker (overview) [PDF] Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Feb. 3 Creating games with Game Maker: Events [PDF] Dance Dance Revolution
Feb. 6 Creating games with Game Maker: Movement and Rooms [PDF] Psychonaut
Game Maker demo: multi-room movement [GM6]
Feb. 8 Creating games with Game Maker: Inheritance, Variables, Conditionals [PDF] Ico
Game Maker demo: Space Eggs 2006 [GM6]
Feb. 10 Perspectives on design: Challenge and Conflict [PDF] Soul Caliber III
Feb. 13 Perspectives on design: Interactivity, Graphic Realism [PDF] Rez
Feb. 15 Design essays: Centipede, Adventure, Eastern Front [PDF]
Feb. 17 Narrative and Conversation [PDF] Shadow of the Colossus, Zork, Book and Volume, Facade
Feb. 22 Basic behaviors in Game Maker [PDF] Perfect Dark Zero
Game Maker demos: homing-bullets-too-good [GM6], homing-bullets-alarm-adjust [GM6], monsters-run-toward-player[GM6]
Feb. 24 Panel questions about games for women, and women in games [PDF] Street Fighter III
Feb. 27 Character behaviors that depend on seeing the character [PDF] Resident Evil 4
Game Maker demo: firing-moving-in-maze [GM6]
Feb. 28 Potential exam 2 questions [PDF]
Mar. 3 Economics of Virtual Worlds [PDF] Oni
Mar. 6 Governance of Virtual Worlds [PDF] Spore video
Mar. 8 Project Q & A (no lecture notes) Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
Mar. 10 Future Directions [PDF] Mega Man 2
Mar. 20 Potential final exam questions and topics [PDF]

Last updated: 3/20/2006