Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, any references to assessment tasks and on-campus delivery may no longer be up-to-date on this page.
Students should consult iLearn for revised unit information.
Find out more about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and potential impacts on staff and students
Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Convenor/Lecturer
Michael Hitchens
Contact via michael.hitchens@mq.edu.au
Lecturer
Malcolm Ryan
Tutor
Mitchell McEwan
Tutor
Sammy Madafiglio
Tutor
Oliver Smith
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Credit points |
Credit points
10
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
(COMP1000 or COMP115) and ((COMP1150 or COMP111) or (MMCC1011 or MAS111))
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit covers the theory and practice of designing games, using an iterative, player-centric approach. Students will be introduced to different aspects of game design and will develop their game design skills through hands-on creation and evaluation of their own games.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
Assessment details are no longer provided here as a result of changes due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Students should consult iLearn for revised unit information.
Find out more about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and potential impacts on staff and students
No extensions will be granted without an approved application for Special Consideration. There will be a deduction of 10% of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark for each 24 hour period or part thereof that the submission is late. For example, 25 hours late in submission for an assignment worth 10 marks – 20% penalty or 2 marks deducted from the total. No submission will be accepted after solutions have been posted.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
Any references to on-campus delivery below may no longer be relevant due to COVID-19.
Please check here for updated delivery information: https://ask.mq.edu.au/account/pub/display/unit_status
Each week COMP2150 has three hours of lectures and a two-hour tutorial. Please see the Timetable at http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au. for details
Prescribed Textbooks
The textbook for this unit is:
Additional References
These recommended texts are not compulsory for the subject, however, they do provide reliable and relevant resources to support the course material. These texts may be useful for later subjects that you will study as part of your degree. You are also encouraged to check for other sources, including alternative books and on-line material.
Other Readings
Other reading(s) for this subject will be provided via on-line material on the Web. You should be familiar with accessing through links to on-line sources of information. It is important to realise that there will be additional costs to you which may not be present in traditional presentation of education materials. Such costs include connection, time charges and access to specific information on the Web. Your Internet provider can supply you with more details.
Online Resources
The official location (URL) of unit information once you have loaded your WWW browser is: http://ilearn.mq.edu.au
Once you have enrolled in the unit, you must gain access to comp2150 website. We will be using the University’s Online Learning at MQ website (iLearn). Students should check this site for regular updates.
Technology Used and Required
Unity 3D. The free version of this can be downloaded at http://unity3d.com/get-unity
Various commercial games will be referred to as examples in class.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
The unit schedule/topics and any references to on-campus delivery below may no longer be relevant due to COVID-19. Please consult iLearn for latest details, and check here for updated delivery information: https://ask.mq.edu.au/account/pub/display/unit_status
Week | Lecture Topic | Assessments |
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1 |
Unit Introduction Revision of MDA/Kinds of fun. Player-centric design. |
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2 |
Iterative Design. Prototyping and playtesting Design Documents |
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3 | Challenge and Drama | |
4 | Level design - Laying out challenges in space/time. Teaching the player, Difficulty | |
5 | Level design - Architectural design, white-boxing, molecule diagrams | |
6 |
Games as systems. Toys, resource economies. Interesting choices. |
Assignment 1 due |
7 | Multiplayer Dynamics | |
8 |
Playtesting World Building |
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9 | Story and Characters | |
10 | Aesthetics and Game Feel | |
11 |
Puzzles/Challenges/Rewards Immersion/presence/player experience/motivations (intrinsic vs extrinsic) |
Assignment 2 due |
12 |
Self Expression Serious Games |
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13 | Guest Lecture | |
14 | ||
15 | Assignment 3 due |
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
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For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
This is the first offering of this unit. It inherits some material from COMP260
Date | Description |
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20/02/2020 | Amendment for SGTA participation hurdle |