Current offering: Spring 2023, taught by Bernhard Riecke
Join us for our Game Design Showcase on Tuesday 4th March 2023
On Tuesday 4th March 2023, students from my Foundations of Game Design course (IAT 312) will showcase their final game design projects where they were tasked to design a (digital) boardgame that is not only fun to play (addresssing what Lazzaro calls “People Fun”), but also “transformative” or “purposeful” (aka “Transformative Fun”, what Lazzaro refers to as fostering altered states): That is, apart from being fun to play, the game should also be meaningful/purposeful or add value by somehow changing the player’s out-of-game behaviours or perspectives. During the course, students reflected on topics that they care deeply about that could help create a better world, and designed a game to tackle that topic.
How to participate?
To participate in our showcase, you have 2 options:
Join us on Zoom for a live-streamed (online) showcase, from 10:40am - 12:20pm, using this Zoom link
Schedule: [draft]
10:40 — 10:45am: Introductions from Instructor (Bernhard Riecke) and TA (Kenneth Karthik), overview of the course and the projects in the showcase.
10:45 — 12:20pm: Game Showcase & team interview: Each team will be showcased for about 10min, starting with the short project video pitch/trailer of their game (using zoom screen sharing), followed by Bernhard interviewing team members and TA screensharing their game in Tabletop Simulator, while other class students will play the game in the background so we can see life gameplay footage.
12:20pm: Closing: Final Q&A, audience questions, closing
Join us for in-person game demo/playtesting at SFU’s Surrey Campus in the Mezzanine, from 2:30 - 6pm
If you’d like to try out any of the games and/or chat with the game designers or instructional team, join us from 2:30-6pm on the SFU Surrey campus, in the Mezzanine (up the escalator/stairs one flight), see directions.
Documentation of prior course offerings and showcases from
Project posters
Details about the Game Projects
Road to Refuge
Follow and experience the journey of a family as they try to survive and escape their war-torn country.
Razor: A game that tells a story of a family that’s escaping from their country where they need to collect, and manage their resources while trying to survive through events that will challenge their teamwork.
Road to Refuge is a narrative game that lets players assume the role of a family escaping war. Players must cooperate together to manage their resources and survive through random events that will challenge their teamwork. The road to safety is not an easy path, players must traverse their war-torn country. Work together as a team on your road to refuge and a better life.
1 minute game trailer:
Mystery Zoo
Protect or trade? Every choice matters. Can you handle it?
Razor: You decide the life or death of animals. Will you protect or trade them? Brace yourself for tough moral choices. Every decision you make matters. Can you handle the consequences?
Welcome to our game “Mystery Zoo” where your moral decisions are crucial. You’ll enter a map with three difficulty levels and choose between being a protector of animals or living a life of crime for money. Choosing to be good can be lonely and risky, while a life of crime brings wealth but also the threat of arrest or imprisonment. The journey won’t be easy as you’ll face tough choices that test your morality and courage. Each decision you make will lead you down a unique path, shaping your character and worldview. But your experiences and revelations will be invaluable, and you’ll realize the profound importance of animal conservation and we also provide detailed animal information to educate you along the way.
1 minute game trailer:
Rainforest Rivals
Journey through the jungle, cooperate or fight!
Razor: The game promotes cooperation between players and highlights the interconnectedness between humans and nature, featuring gameplay elements that challenge players to make strategic choices about how they interact with the environment and its inhabitants.
In our board game, players take on the roles of either human or orangutan, initially competing for resources in the jungle. However, as they navigate the dangers and challenges of the ecosystem, players soon discover that cooperation is the key to survival. With gameplay that emphasizes strategic choices and the interconnectedness of humans and nature, our game offers a thrilling strategic challenge that will leave players with a new appreciation for the importance of protecting endangered animals and their habitats.
1 minute game trailer:
Blue Planet
Surviving the sea of plastic
Razor: An event based board game where the stakes continue to rise as an increasing amount of plastic enters the ocean
Blue Planet is a survival game where marine life fights against the ocean’s plastic pollution. Each player represents different species of marine life where they get to draw events that connect to the stories of their lives which can work in their favor or not. Each player needs to keep track of their own plastic ingestion due to having a potential in dying or receiving aid from marine doctors. One large source of plastic ingestion is the garbage patch, whereas players encounter early in the game and more gets accumulated as the game progresses.
1 minute game trailer:
Likes and Lies
Are you ready to go viral?
Razor: A board game that simulates the fight to gain attention on social media, and the impact of the consequent posting of misinformation on society
Likes and Lies is a social media simulator game for players to hang out and share memes. Each player aims to earn the highest points by sharing memes and information on social media. The player who gets the highest likes from other players will become the influencer and reveal other players’ information. Random events will generate according to the players’ decisions.
1 minute game trailer:
Together we Stand
Win together, or lose trying
Razor: Subterra-like card game where players collaborate to combat life struggles until they reach the end
Together We Stand is a survival and co-op game that challenges players to work together to reach the end goal of creating Utopia. The idea is for people to collaborate with each other to face the tribulations, challenges, and randomness lifes throws at you such as health or financial issues. To win the game, ALL the players must reach Utopia. Players have their own individual perks and weaknesses, and juggling their own individual issues while simultaneously helping others could be difficult but necessary to win.
1 minute game trailer:
Perilous Voyage
Forced out of your home, you and your family travel the vast ocean in a flooded world to find a new place to call home. Will you triumph together over the challenges in this journey or perish alone?
Razor: A cooperative resource management game, players need to work together in order to survive traveling until they reach their end goal.
Perilous Voyage is a co-operative survival game where you travel together on a boat and gather resources in order to survive the journey to find a new home. Each player takes control of a specific character each with their own unique abilities to help the journey in their own way. When traveling players can encounter various events in both the ocean and small islands they encounter along the way, which can either help or hinder the players. On islands players may find NPCs that are willing to join them on their journey, they can be turned away but some will be harder to ignore than others.
1 minute game trailer:
Dust and Gems
The Puzzle of Colors, The Path of Resilience: Explore the struggles and hopes of color-blind miners.
Razor: Keep the player in mind
Carve your own exclusive path through the dimly lit underground, the road is full of surprises that you dig for yourself. Your success in mining for precious gems depends on your ability to navigate through the unknown terrain and uncover hidden treasures. Until the end, harvest a variety of gems in your mining adventure path. Who will be the rich man in the end? Different colors will tell you the answer.
1 minute game trailer:
Cash or Card?
Build your tech empire, no matter the cost.
Razor: Integrating two types of games, board and card as one.
Cash or Card? is a roll and move / card game hybrid that can be played between 2 to 4 players. The objective of the game is to reduce your opponents cash stocks down to zero and the last remaining person alive standing is pronounced the winner. In the roll and move phase of the game, the players progress through the board using a simple 6 sided die and landing on specific tiles can generate various effects, from drawing cards, random events, and negative effects that can impact gameplay. Then the players enter the card game phase, where they’re able to place down cards in their hands, and activate various effects of different cards they have on board.
1 minute game trailer:
Want to try out Games from prior classes?
type “IAT312” into the search field on the Tabletop Simulator site on Steam or through this direct link.
Course outline
Brief course intro video (spring 2021)
Course description
In a nutshell: you’ll learn how to design, build, analyze, and iteratively refine a number of (non-digital) board games.
Course goals
This is an introductory course in game design and we will examine the discipline and practices of game design. Games are studied across three analytical frameworks: games as rules (formal system), games as play (experiential system), and games as culture (social system). This course will include analytical and practical exercises in game design including small non-digital game design projects. Game design is a creative endeavour requiring practical experience through design, critique and iteration. We will explore some of the more universal game mechanisms, such as randomness, economic systems, player motivation and psychology, and a few specific topics in more detail. This course will prepare students to undertake the fundamentals of game design including designing, building, analyzing, and iteratively refining a number of non-digital games.
During the 2021 Spring semester, this course will be taught online and will apply a flipped approach to learning. Each week students will work independently and with peers learning about game design through videos, readings, discussions and small individual and team activities. In the live lecture part of this class, we will read and discuss some of the work that analyzes players, games and the game design process to establish common ground and prepare you for practical work in the labs where students will play(test), critique, improve and design games as well as report on the course’s longer game design projects.
No programming or Unity knowledge is required. All games created in this course will be or mimick analog games.
Intended learning outcomes
The course is intended to support you to gain both practical experience with and a critical understanding of the foundations of game design in specific contexts. Specifically, by fulfilling the requirements of the course you will be prepared to accomplish key tasks in 4 main game design areas:
- Game Design Basics:
- Explain and critically reflect on games, and the characteristics and features of different types of games including their components, mechanics & rules, dynamics, and aesthetics/UX/fun, the “Magic Circle”, and what makes for a compelling game
- Analyze and argue what makes for a compelling game (or not) and why people like to play games
- Game Design Frameworks & Psychology
- Compare and contrast different frameworks and underlying assumptions, and determine how and when to use which frameworks
- Explain different player types and psychologies, how they affect their gameplay, assumptions, and preferences, and use this knowledge to improve game designs
- Game Design Process:
- Explain and effectively utilize game design best practices/processes/frameworks/mechanics, and explain how you did this when designing several games in teams. This includes typical game design phases such as ideation, prototyping and play testing as the base for an iterative game design cycle
- Analyze, discuss, and critique games using appropriate terminology, and provide well-structured, constructive, and useful feedback (e.g., after playtesting or game pitches).
- Discuss the difference between game critiques vs. playtesting, and demonstrate why, when, and how to use either of them effectively to improve your game and design process
- Effectively demonstrate and reflect on how to effectively communicate your game across different stages (from early prototype to final game), to different audiences (both internal and external), and using different presentation formats (incl. written instructions/rule sheets, pitches, game design documents (GDDs), and game videos)
- Game Design Teams:
- Reflect on and apply suitable processes and team-based, collaborative practices used in game design including ideation, prototyping, iterative revisions, and playtesting as the base for an iterative design cycle to a game design project.
- Specific processes covered in this class may include structured team brainstorming (affinity diagramming), moodboards, inspiration analysis, Razor & Slogan, Play Matrix, playtesting scripts, structured game critique/analysis, and Agile project management)
- Explain what makes a good game designer, and why and how they often work in teams
- Reflect on your own and others’ assumptions, lenses, beliefs, what people really care about, and preferences about games/playing, and how do they affect game design and teamwork
- Explain and utilize a toolbox of how to foster a collaborative, constructive, and supportive team culture and process, including patterns of thinking and behaviour that support effective teams, as well as specific tools, tips, processes and frameworks (incl. Agile) that might be useful
- Find ways to effectively address challenges that can occur in team-based environments while being respectful and constructive. (This could include collaboratively resolve challenges that commonly occur in team-based projects, such as balancing between leading/following, communication challenges, conflicts that arise, ensuring all team members contribute meaningfully, engaging all team members, ensuring all care for the project and each other, getting people on the same page, and figuring out a shared vision/purpose that all can care about).
- Reflect on and apply suitable processes and team-based, collaborative practices used in game design including ideation, prototyping, iterative revisions, and playtesting as the base for an iterative design cycle to a game design project.
Delivery Method
This course will include a weekly live lecture (110 minutes) and a workshop-tutorial (110 minutes) component. The course will be delivered in-person using a partially “flipped” classroom approach. Students are expected to participate in:
- synchronous activities during the scheduled course times. This includes a live, interactive lecture with demonstrations, discussions, and some individual and peer/group work, as well as a live workshop-tutorial where students will practice and apply the concepts of the lecture in designing several games
- asynchronous activities (e.g., independent preparation before the lecture, team work, peer work etc. to prepare each week and to pace yourself carefully in order to stay on top of the activities/assignments and to get the most from the class).
The learning environment will be active, supporting, and will afford opportunities for students to strengthen knowledge, skills, and feel a part of a community.
Teaching/Learning Activities
these include:
- Interactive lecturing and demonstrations
- Flipped-classroom activities: e.g., students are asked to watch online tutorials & do readings at home so they can come to class prepared to do a short quiz, discuss and apply the material, and fill out the weekly JiTT online assignments
- Tutorial sessions
- A team project made up of several team assignments/presentations that culminate in a final group project report/presentation and project video
- Group discussions (in-class and online chat– and discussing forums)
- Short in-class writing and other activities
- Weekly reading and short writing assignments
- Several short student team presentations
- Peer feedback and evaluations
Main textbook
- Fullerton, T. (2019). Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games, Fourth Edition (4th Edition.). Boca Raton, FL: A K Peters/CRC Press. ISBN: 9781315104300. This is our main textbook, so make sure you have access and get your own copy by the first week of the semester. You should be able to access it online through the SFU library.
- Schell, J. (2019). The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses, Third Edition. A K Peters/CRC Press. doi:10.1201/b22101. You should be able to access this online through the SFU library.
Additional readings will be provided through Canvas.
Software used for game design & playtesting: Tabletop Simulator
Based on prior student feedback and recommendations, and there being chance we might need to switch to online teaching: you won’t need to purchase physical prototyping materials for designing your own games. Instead we will use an online board game simulator, the “Tabletop Simulator” https://www.tabletopsimulator.com/about. Course assignments will be taught and demonstrated with this software, and other software will not be supported by the course. You can also use this software for rapid prototyping and designing your games in your teams, and it also works really well for online and distributed playtesting (and of course gaming just for fun), and sharing your final games online. Thus we strongly recommend that you purchase, download, and install your own copy of it before class starts, see link above of directly from Steam https://store.steampowered.com/app/286160/Tabletop_Simulator/. it runs on both Windows and MacOS and currently costs CDN$ 21.99. The software has a lot of excellent online resources and tutorials available at https://www.tabletopsimulator.com/about. Note that to minimize your extra costs for this class, we are removing the need to purchase physical prototyping and game design materials, and I chose a textbook where our library provides free online access.
To see and try out prior games from my IAT 312 course you can enter “IAT312” into the search field on the Tabletop Simulator site on Steam or through this direct link.
Weekly Structure
The course will apply a “flipped” approach to learning. This requires you to prepare each week and to pace yourself carefully in order to stay on top of the activities/assignments and to get the most from the class. Each week it will go something like this:
Preparing Before Lecture
You will begin the week by checking the weekly plan and your tasks on Canvas, and then watching short, online tutorials, lectures, or other videos related to this week’s topics; then you will be invited to do the weekly readings that will cover topics of the week. You will use a reading guide/JiTT questions to help you focus on key aspects of the readings, to answer key questions that will help you to understand the ideas in the readings, and start applying them in the JiTT (“Just in Time Teaching”) online short weekly assignments. We will also ask you about any “muddy points” or questions you might still have after going through the videos, readings, and JiTTs. This will be done before the live lecture and will help us decide what aspects to focus on specifically in the “lecture”. Occasionally you may be asked to do a short quiz to indicate how well you have understood the concepts in the readings and videos.
We will assist you in forming small study groups for those interested to help you digest and reflect on the materials before class, and have people to discuss the topics with (as that can sometimes be a challenge in online teaching). We will also have a course slack channel for online discussions and Q&A.
Engaging in the Live Lecture where we discuss and apply the material
The lectures will be interactive and include small group discussions, demonstrations, student presentations and feedback sessions, and instruction on key ideas. Parts of the lectures may be recorded for review. It is important to realize that the lectures will focus on key ideas and applications and will not be a re-teaching of content found in the readings and videos. You are required to read and prepare for the live lecture.
Participating in the Tutorials (aka Workshops or WKS)
Following the live lecture each week there is a tutorial aimed to provide opportunities for practicing and applying the knowledge and skills of game design. The tutorials will include small group learning, team activities, game playtesting, and peer feedback in particular on the game design projects. Teams may be called upon to do short presentations or pitches of their game ideas and receive feedback from peers and the instructor on their designs. The tutorials will be highly engaging and practical and require your full contribution. They also require active participation in the prior lecture.
Documentation of prior (and ongoing) games that students created
Spring 2022,
Fall 2021
Summer 2021
Spring 2021
Examples and details from the Fall 2017 course offering
For their final game project, students were asked to design a non-digital game that includes “Transformative Fun” aspects, also known as “serious fun” (e.g., Lazzaro): That is, the game should be meaningful/purposeful or add value by somehow transforming the user, e.g., by providing a novel/meaningful user experience, different perspectives/viewpoints, altered states etc.
Pictures from the final showcase on Dec 13, 2017
Sample Project Videos
Shelter
ōBit
StranDead
Left Behind Bars
False Illusion
Rescue
One Week to Refuge
Questionnaire
Some examples from the 2019 offering:
Student debt