Digital Game Design (English) Preview
Bachelor	TR-NQF-HE: Level 6	QF-EHEA: First Cycle	EQF-LLL: Level 6

Course Introduction and Application Information

Course Code:

DGD041

Course Name:

Digital Ludology and Game Art

Semester:

Fall

Course Credits:

ECTS

Language of instruction:

English

Course Condition:

Does the Course Require Work Experience?:

Type of course:

Departmental Elective

Course Level:

Bachelor

TR-NQF-HE:6. Master`s Degree

QF-EHEA:First Cycle

EQF-LLL:6. Master`s Degree

Mode of Delivery:

Face to face

Course Coordinator:

Öğr. Gör. MEMDUH CAN TANYELİ

Course Lecturer(s):

Lecturer M. Can Tanyeli

Course Assistants:

Course Objective and Content

Course Objectives:	This course will present the video game medium to students beyond the merely technical and practical approaches. The course will provide the necessary theoretical framework in order to establish why and how video games are envisioned, designed, produced and played. The course will also focus on how video games are received by the public and how they are situated in the spectrum of new media.
Course Content:	This course aims to establish video games as an interactive narrative tool and an art form. This course breaks down the core components of video games into several theoretical topics by using case studies, various examples and through the personal gameplay experiences of the students.

Learning Outcomes

The students who have succeeded in this course;
1) critically engage in the basics of video game theory
2) appreciate video games as an art form
3) speculate on the nature of video games as an audio-visual interactive medium
4) expand upon the design principles of video games as collective and collaborative productions.

Course Flow Plan

Week	Subject	Related Preparation
1)	Introduction to the course and topics, meeting the students.	Prepare for class.
2)	Introduction to ludology and narratology. Early examples of digital games. Class discussion.	PLAY: Another World (1991) Take notes, share your notes, discuss in class.
3)	Immersion in games. Cinematic games. Class discussion.	PLAY: Modern Warfare (or similar) Take notes, share your notes, discuss in class.
4)	Suspension of Disbelief in games. Game mechanics vs. representation. Class discussion.	PLAY: Heavy Rain (or similar) Take notes, share your notes, discuss in class.
5)	Lore and World-building in games. RPGs and text-based story expansion. Class discussion.	PLAY: Mass Effect or Witcher. Take notes, share your notes, discuss in class.
6)	Class discussion	Prepare for the mid-term exam
7)	MID-TERM EXAM
8)	Game and Play, Gamer and Player. Strategy, strategem, meta-game. Class discussion.	PLAY: Play any game as a "gamer". Take notes, share your notes, discuss in class.
9)	Uncanny Valley. Examples of uncanniness in video games. Anti-examples, expectation and subversion of expectation. class discussion.	PLAY: Half-Life, Portal or L4D. Take notes, share your notes, discuss in class.
10)	Utopia, Heterotopia, Enclave. Game space. Class discussion.	PLAY: Play GTA 5. Take notes, share your notes, discuss in class.
11)	Violence in Video Games. Depiction of violence vs. violating a game. "Breaking a game". Examples of video game violence. Examples of game-breaking, speedruns and cheating. class discussion.	PLAY: Break a game.
12)	Quantitative vs. Qualitative. Victory vs. Win-conditions, Loss vs. Failure. Examples of morality in video games.	PLAY: Spec Ops: The Line. Take notes, share your notes, discuss in class.
13)	A new epistemology: The future of game studies. Class discussion.
14)	Class discussion. Tbd: final exam.	Prepare for the final exam.

Sources

Course Notes / Textbooks:

The course has no book. The students will follow theoretical presentations in class. These presentations will be shared freely with students.

References:

Gamer Theory, Wark, M., Harvard University Press, 2007
Cybertext: Perspectives on Ergodic Literature, Aarseth, E. J., The John Hopins University Press, 1997
Cybertext Poetics: The Critical Landscape of New Media Literary Theory, Eskelinen, M., Continuum, 2012
Simulation versus Narrative: Introduction to Ludology, Frasca, G., in The Video Game Theory Reader, p.221-236, Eds. Wolf, M. J. P., Bernard, P., Routledge, 2003
Video Game Spaces – Image, Play, and Structure in 3D Game Worlds, Nitsche, M., The MIT Press, 2008
The Art of Videogames, Tavinor, G., Wiley-Blackwell, 2009

Course - Program Learning Outcome Relationship

Course Learning Outcomes	1	2	3	4
Program Outcomes
1) Being able to write creatively, imagine, and produce original and inspired fictional scenarios, places, and universes. Being able to produce 2D and 3D visual designs and impressive auditory compositions. Being able to plan all these artistic practices around certain goals and with a focus on design. Being able to design the videogame design process itself.
2) Being able to think and produce creative content based on mathematical data. Being able to parametrically design. Being able to quantify art and design practices, such as creative writing, graphical, illustrative, spatial, and character design. Being able to ideate qualitatively and subjectively through quantitative and objective approaches.
3) Being able to work on projects by incorporating various fields of expertise and the content that originates from these fields. Being able to work as part of a team while embracing different ideas and skills. Being able to produce comprehensive and total videogame concepts. Being able to edit, exhibit, present, and defend works in portfolio and presentation formats.
4) Achieving critical thinking literacy on videogame history and theory. Being able to think through and produce academic texts about the philosophical, anthropological, political, and social manifestations of games. Being vigilant about the contemporary problematics of videogame epistemology. Displaying professionalism in accepting criticism.
5) Being informed about the historical accumulation and contemporary productions of the videogame culture and other cultural playgrounds from which videogame culture draws. Being able to tackle, process, and position both aesthetic and technical production and thinking methods as cultural activities.
6) Being knowledgeable about the past, aware of the present, and foresighted about the future potentials of the social and economic realities of videogames. Being able to handle professional relations, create correspondence, and manage production plans. Being a generalist, while also specializing in one or more areas of expertise.
7) Being able to research, filter data, and synthesize both within and outside videogame epistemology at every stage of production. Being able to conduct interdisciplinary research. Being able to create original ideas by remixing content from various sources. Learning to learn.
8) Understanding, learning, and using professional content authoring tools and technologies. Being able to design workflows in service of various production requirements. Being able to use technologies within the workflow besides the usual and intended purposes, and researching, discovering, and putting to use technologies for new purposes.

Course - Learning Outcome Relationship

No Effect	1 Lowest	2 Average	3 Highest

	Program Outcomes	Level of Contribution
1)	Being able to write creatively, imagine, and produce original and inspired fictional scenarios, places, and universes. Being able to produce 2D and 3D visual designs and impressive auditory compositions. Being able to plan all these artistic practices around certain goals and with a focus on design. Being able to design the videogame design process itself.
2)	Being able to think and produce creative content based on mathematical data. Being able to parametrically design. Being able to quantify art and design practices, such as creative writing, graphical, illustrative, spatial, and character design. Being able to ideate qualitatively and subjectively through quantitative and objective approaches.
3)	Being able to work on projects by incorporating various fields of expertise and the content that originates from these fields. Being able to work as part of a team while embracing different ideas and skills. Being able to produce comprehensive and total videogame concepts. Being able to edit, exhibit, present, and defend works in portfolio and presentation formats.
4)	Achieving critical thinking literacy on videogame history and theory. Being able to think through and produce academic texts about the philosophical, anthropological, political, and social manifestations of games. Being vigilant about the contemporary problematics of videogame epistemology. Displaying professionalism in accepting criticism.
5)	Being informed about the historical accumulation and contemporary productions of the videogame culture and other cultural playgrounds from which videogame culture draws. Being able to tackle, process, and position both aesthetic and technical production and thinking methods as cultural activities.
6)	Being knowledgeable about the past, aware of the present, and foresighted about the future potentials of the social and economic realities of videogames. Being able to handle professional relations, create correspondence, and manage production plans. Being a generalist, while also specializing in one or more areas of expertise.
7)	Being able to research, filter data, and synthesize both within and outside videogame epistemology at every stage of production. Being able to conduct interdisciplinary research. Being able to create original ideas by remixing content from various sources. Learning to learn.
8)	Understanding, learning, and using professional content authoring tools and technologies. Being able to design workflows in service of various production requirements. Being able to use technologies within the workflow besides the usual and intended purposes, and researching, discovering, and putting to use technologies for new purposes.

Assessment & Grading

Semester Requirements	Number of Activities	Level of Contribution
Attendance	1	% 10
Midterms	1	% 35
Final	1	% 55
total		% 100
PERCENTAGE OF SEMESTER WORK		% 45
PERCENTAGE OF FINAL WORK		% 55
total		% 100

Workload and ECTS Credit Calculation

Activities	Number of Activities	Preparation for the Activity	Spent for the Activity Itself	Completing the Activity Requirements	Workload
Course Hours	4	0			0
Application	2	0			0
Midterms	1	0			0
Final	1	0			0
Total Workload					0