Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Convenor/lecturer
Michael Hitchens
Contact via email
by appointment
lecturer
Malcolm Ryan
Contact via email
by appointment
Practical demonstrator
Oliver Smith
Contact via emal
by appointment
Practical demonstrator
Vedant Sansare
Contact via email
by appointment
Practical demonstrator
isabelle white
Contact via emal
by appointment
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Credit points |
Credit points
10
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
(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. |
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:
Weekly quizzes, weekly participation and game analsyis tasks must be undertaken at the time indicated in the unit guide and via ilearn. Should these activities be missed due to illness or misadventure, students may apply for Special Consideration.
Level Design, Table top game design and Game Playtesting tasks must be submitted by 5:00 pm on their due date.
Should these assessments be missed due to illness or misadventure, students should apply for Special Consideration.
Late submissions for the Level Design, Table top game design and playtesting tasks are permissible.
A 12-hour grace period will be given after which the following deductions will be applied to the awarded assessment mark: 12 to 24 hours late = 10% deduction; for each day thereafter, an additional 10% per day or part thereof will be applied until five days beyond the due date. After this time, a mark of zero (0) will be given. For example, an assessment worth 20% is due 5 pm on 1 January. Student A submits the assessment at 1 pm, 3 January. The assessment received a mark of 15/20. A 20% deduction is then applied to the mark of 15, resulting in the loss of three (3) marks. Student A is then awarded a final mark of 12/20.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
---|---|---|---|
Game Analysis | 20% | No | In class |
Game playtesting | 25% | No | Friday June 17th 2022 |
Weekly participation | 0% | Yes | Weekly |
Level Design | 25% | No | Friday 8th April 2022 |
Weekly quizzes | 5% | Yes | Weekly |
Tabletop game design | 25% | No | Friday 17th June 2022 |
Assessment Type 1: Media presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 19 hours
Due: In class
Weighting: 20%
Students will analyse a game based on the design principles taught in lectures and present their analysis to their tutorial class in a 10 min pre-recorded video presentation. Students are expected to be able to analyse a game according to the experience it conveys, and how that experience is rooted in the mechanics and dynamics of the game. Students will be assigned specific weeks in which to present. The presentation will focus on the topic of previous week's lecture
Assessment Type 1: Lab report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Friday June 17th 2022
Weighting: 25%
Playtest the tabletop game designed above to evaluate whether it meets the desire goals. Students are expected to demonstrate an understanding of the processes of gathering both qualitative and quantitative data on players' behaviour and experience while playing the game, to provide information to improve its design.
Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 0%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)
Participation in weekly design tasks
Assessment Type 1: Design Task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Friday 8th April 2022
Weighting: 25%
Design, implement and document a game level using a commercial game engine. Students are expected to demonstrate an understanding of the principles of challenge, reward, progress and spatial and temporal arrangement amongst other design considerations. As well as producing the level students will also be required to submit accompanying design documentation justifying their design decisions.
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 6 hours
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 5%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)
Weekly online quizzes covering the theory presented in lectures.UL
Assessment Type 1: Design Task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Friday 17th June 2022
Weighting: 25%
Design and implement a multiplayer card/board game with a resource economy and inter-player dynamics. Students are expected to demonstrate an understanding of the principles of balancing a resource economy and creating strategic play. Students will be required to submit full design documentation, justifying their design decisions.
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
Each week COMP2150 has two hours of lectures and a two-hour workshop. 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 unit websote can be found through the University’s Online Learning at MQ website (iLearn): http://ilearn.mq.edu.au
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.
1 |
Unit Introduction Principles of Game design |
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2 |
Iterative Design. Prototyping and playtesting Design Documents |
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3 | Toys, Games and Discovery | |
4 | Challenge and Drama | |
5 | Level Design | |
6 |
Level design examples |
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7 | Prototyping | Assignment 1 due |
8 |
Systems, excononmies, choices |
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9 | Multiplayer design | |
10 | Playtesting Worldbuilding | |
11 |
UI & Aesthetics |
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12 |
Game Feel Self Expression |
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13 | Revision | |
14 | ||
15 | Game design and playtesting report due |
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/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
At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:
Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.
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.
There has bee revision to the lecture content and ordering to better support the unit outcomes and assessment design. Practical topics have been simliarly revised.
Date | Description |
---|---|
17/02/2022 | There was an error in a due date. It said 8th March but should have said 8th April |
Unit information based on version 2022.05 of the Handbook