Unit Guide

General Information

Unit convenor and teaching staff	Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor/Lecturer Malcolm Ryan malcolm.ryan@mq.edu.au Contact via Email By appointment Lectuer Mitchell McEwan mitchell.mcewan@mq.edu.au Contact via Email By appointment
Credit points	Credit points 10
Prerequisites	Prerequisites COMP3150 or COMP352
Corequisites	Corequisites
Co-badged status	Co-badged status
Unit description	Unit description Students will continue their group work to produce a video game using a commercial-level game engine. This will enable them to apply their previously acquired skills in video game design and development to a substantial project. Teams will be expected to progress a game from its prototype state through the production stage in order to prepare it for publication. This will require knowledge and skills relevant to game design, production, development, quality assurance, and marketing. Teams will be expected to produce a compelling project plan and meet regular agreed milestones as well as producing game documentation and promoting their game.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

ULO1: Apply agile development processes (prototyping and playtesting) to complete production and publication of a video game design and development project.
ULO2: Contribute to iterative improvement of team project management processes to improve production efficiency and deliver on agreed milestones.
ULO3: Communicate the final vision for the design of a game, including player experiences, learning and progression, through both oral presentation and written documentation.
ULO4: Design the progression mechanics of a game to scaffold player learning and retain engagement for the duration of the game.
ULO5: Independently reflect on and research game design and development roadblocks in order to overcome late production challenges with creative solutions.
ULO6: Conduct user research to evaluate the extent to which your game meets its design goals, and quality assurance to prepare it for release.
ULO7: Strategise options for the deployment and monetisation of a video game.

General Assessment Information

Late Assessment Submission Penalty

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7^th day (including weekends). After the 7^th day, a grade of '0' will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11:55 pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern.

For any late submission of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, students need to submit an application for Special Consideration.

Assessments where Late Submissions will be accepted

In this unit, late submissions will be accepted as follows:

Progress Reports – YES, Standard Late Penalty applies
Pitch - NO, unless Special Consideration is granted
Project Plan – YES, Standard Late Penalty applies
Marketing Strategy – YES, Standard Late Penalty applies
Final Report – YES, Standard Late Penalty applies
Final Game – YES, Standard Late Penalty applies
Postmortem – YES, Standard Late Penalty applies

Assessment Tasks

Name	Weighting	Hurdle	Due
Pitch	8%	No	Week 2
Project Plan	10%	No	Week 3
Progress Reports	12%	No	Weeks 7 & 10
Marketing strategy	15%	No	Week 8
Final game	15%	No	Week 13
Final report	25%	No	Week 14
Postmortem	15%	No	Week 15

Pitch

Assessment Type ¹: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task ²: 9 hours
Due: Week 2
Weighting: 8%

A group presentation pitching a game idea to an audience of industry professionals for feedback & criticism.