Games and Players

Semester(s) Offered: Spring

Credits: 4

Course Call Number: GAMES-UT 312, GAMES-GT 112

Prerequisite(s): None

Game and Players gives students an overview of player-focused approaches to understanding gameplay, via a variety of methodological and theoretical frameworks from design practice, anthropology, psychology, human-computer interface studies, and other fields. The class combines readings and analysis with exercises and longer projects that give students hands-on experience with the methods discussed.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1) Conduct a rigorous playtest and generate actionable recommendations for the improvement of a game.
2) Conduct an ethnographic study of a discrete community-based games or play, culminating in a coherent and grounded report of noteworthy findings and ramifications for theory or design practice.
3) Understand the use of metrics and analytics for games to gather and interpret digital data about the behavior of players.
4) Apply select theoretical frameworks and research findings and strategies from Social Psychology, Anthropology, Human Computer Interaction/Usability Research, and Data Metrics/Analyticsto the understanding of player engagement with games.
5) Articulate a stance about when and how to appropriately apply the methods and theories covered in the class to game design and development.
6) Understand the difference between quantitative data and qualitative data, various sources of bias in gathering data, and applications of data for design.