slides from the Microsoft Academics in Game Cruise

3. What is the IGDA?
International Game Developers Association

4. Special Interest Group
Mission: To create a community resource that will strengthen
the academic membership of the IGDA while enhancing the
education of future and current game developers.

5. How we do it
listserv
wiki
conferences & professional development
community
curriculum framework
http://www.igda.org/education

6. Curriculum Knowledge Base

7. Education Summit

8. History
2000 - 1st academic summit at GDC
2002 - 2nd academic summit at GDC
2003 - 1st version of the framework released (v2.8 beta)
2006 - Creating the SIG
2007 - collecting an archive of course outlines and syllabi to guide the next
revision / international outreach
2008 - 2nd version of the framework released (v3.2 beta) at GDC

9. Goals of the Framework
Provide a conceptual guide to game-related educational
programs
Describe the knowledge areas & practical skills required
Define a set of Core Topics

10. The Framework
Does not expect you to do EVERYthing
No single curriculum can apply to the vast number and types
of institutions that have/plan game programs
We do not suggest specific courses or degree requirements

11. Guiding Principles
Shared Identity
Fields of Study
Collaboration & Shared Vocabulary
Theory & Practice
Living/Evolving Document

12. Practical Skills
Speaking & Communication
Writing
Collaboration
Working in large teams (4 or more)
Working with people outside of their area of expertise
Respecting those disciplines

13. What are Games?
A game is an activity with rules. It is a form of play
often but not always involving conflict, either with other
players, with game itself, or with randomness/fate/luck.
Most games have goals, but not all. Most games have
defined start and end points, but not all. Most
games involve decision making on the part of the
player, but not all.

14. and so....
A videogame is a game that uses a digital
video screen of some kind, in some way.

15. Game Design
Game design is the process of crafting a system of play in
which players’ actions have meaning in the context of the
game environment. [Salen and Zimmerman, Rules of Play,
2004]

16. Game Development
Game development is a process that involves the cooperation
of technical disciplines like software engineering and
creative disciplines like art and music to implement a game
design in a playable real-world format [Rabin, Introduction
to Game Development, 2005]

17. Game Studies
Game studies deals with conceptual basis and vocabulary
used to study and analyze games. Related to game
audiences, game history, videogame history, technology/
platform history, game criticism, games for educational and
instructional purposes.

18. Core Topics

19. Core Topics
Critical Game Studies
Games & Society
Game Design
Game Programming
Visual Design
Audio Design
Interactive Storytelling
Game Production
Business of Gaming

20. Critical Game Studies
Criticism, Analysis & History of Electronic & NON-Electronic
Games
Approaches from history, literature, media studies and
design. Goal: develop and refine a critical vocabulary for
articulating the aesthetics of games.

21. Games & Society
Understanding how games reflect and construct individuals
and groups as well as how games reflect and are constructed
by individuals and groups.

22. Game Design
Principles and methodologies behind the rules and play of
games. Fundamental ideas behind gameplay, storytelling,
challenges, basic interactive design, interface design,
information design and world interaction.

23. Game Programming
Aspects of traditional computer science and software
engineering that also address the technical aspects of
gaming. This includes physics, mathematics, programming
techniques, algorithm design, game specific programming
and the technical aspects of game testing.

25. Math & Science Techniques
Style & Design Principles
Information Design
Game Engine Design
Prototyping
Programming Teams
Design/Technology Synthesis

27. System Architecture for Real Time Game Environments and
Simulations
Computer Architecture
Tools Construction
Graphics Programming
Rendering
Animation

29. Sound & Audio Programming
Artificial Intelligence
Networks
Game Logic
Play Analysis

30. Visual Design
Designing, creating and analyzing the visual components of
games. Fundamentals of traditional (painting, drawing and
sculpture), communication (illustration, typography and
graphic design) and time-based media (animation,
filmmaking) design that study the history, analysis and
production.

31. Audio Design
Designing & Creating Sound. Range of theoretical and
practical audio related areas such as: music theory, history,
composition, recording, 3D sound processing and generative
audio structures.

32. Interactive Storytelling
Traditional storytelling and the challenges of interactive
narrative. Such as: narrative theory, character development,
plot, dialog, back-story as well as experimental approaches
to storytelling in literature, theater and film (with relevance
to games).

33. Game Production
Practical challenges of managing the development of games.
Games are complex and focus on collaborative efforts.
Learning how to manage the technical challenges, design
documentation, content creation, team roles & dynamics, risk
analysis as well as people and process management are not
necessarily intuitive and have to be experienced.

34. Business of Gaming

35. What type of student does industry want?

36. What type of student does industry want?

37. Breadth
Versed in all aspects of the industry,
be it their subject of expertise
or that of members of their team

38. Breadth
Having a sense of history of the medium

39. Breadth
Studies the classics as well as modern
literature to understand the culture

40. Breadth
Has a passion for videogames
and has the ability to collaborate

41. Depth
at least one
Top in area of expertise, well read, honed their skills.

42. Create Portfolios

43. Create Portfolios

44. Special Thank You
Yusuf Pisan
Magy Seif El-Nasr
Tracy Fullerton

45. Thank You
Susan Gold
goldfile@gmail.com
http://www.igda.org/education