Syllabus

Class 1 (3/5/2007)

In class

• Introduction
  • format of the class
  • wiki, listserv, info-sharing
  • discussion about games
• Presentation of BUG case studies
  • context of the game (what occasion, what location)
  • gameplay (rules, who played, objective)
  • implementation (technology, infrastructure, additional components)
• Discussion of URBAN SITE ANALYSIS

Assignments

1. GAME 1: NROG (new rules, old games)

• divide class into 4 teams (4 randomly chosen students in each team)
• create a new rule set for an old game
• choose from Scrabble, Chees, Go, Risk

• Analyze the existing game (rules, gameplay, experience)
• Create a new game based on the existing game, documenting the rules, gameplay, experience.
• Prepare a short presentation including the analysis as well as your documentation (see examples) and be prepared to play the game in class (20 minutes for presentation and play).

2. URBAN SITE ANALYSIS

• discuss scale, data points
• urban analysis of a particular site in the city
• focus on a particular block, blocks, neighborhood, street, etc
• examine the site characteristics: what rules govern its organization? How do functional site elements (traffic light, bus stop, hour of day, building heights etc., influence behavior around the site? what are the rules and forces at work in a particular site? what dynamic systems influence or affect the site?
• diagram and record this information in a single document using any combination of photographs, diagrams, illustrations

Resources

• Rules of Play
  • Rules
  • Ironclad (p. 286-297) + other commissioned games"

• Rules of Play Reader
  • Cybernetic Feedback
  • Story/Narrative Space

• Gamasutra Interview with Frank Lantz

• New Rules for Classic Games

Class 2 (3/19/2007)

In class

• Play / critique SAGs
• Guest: Ariel Churi
• Discussion of Urban Site Analysis
• Discussion of GAME 2: SSUG (small somewhat urban game)

Assignments GAME 2: SSUG (small somewhat urban game)

• Create a game by distilling the Urban Site Analysis into an abstract, diagrammatic representation
  • aka as a gameboard
  • design a game around what you have learned in your site analysis, using scale, data points, dynamic systems
  • generate a rule set for your game, but is abstract -- played out on gameboard
  • prepare a basic outline of the incomplete game for presentation - overview, rules, gameplay, pieces, open questions

Resources

• Image of the City, "The City Image and its Elements," p 46

• "The Good Life, roundtable disccusions
  • Fun City, Connected City

• Archigram

• The Situationist International
  • Architecture and Play, p.213
  • Situationist Space, p. 241

Class 3 (3/26/2007)

In class

• Technology / media survey presentation
  • tools, the state of the art
  • techniques
  • GPS, ubiquitous computing, mobile tech, open mapping protocols (google/yahoo maps)

• Play/critique SSUGs (20-25 mins each)

Guest: Amit

• Discussion of GAME 2-3: SSUG --> BIG (big urban game)

Assignments

GAME 2-3: SSUG --> BIG (big urban game)

ONE BIG GAME

1. Choose one game in the class to develop further?
2. Begin to concept out a new big game as a class?

SEVERAL BIG GAMES

1. Continue to refine individual SSUGs into BUGs
2. Being to concept out new big games in individual groups

Play/develop game in the real space of the city"

Resources

Class 4 (4/2/2007)

In class

• Guest presentation: Frank Lantz

"Play/critique/evaluate BUGs

Assignments

• Continue to design / develop / playtest / refine BUG

Resources

Class 5 (4/9/2007)

In class

• Guest presentation: Carlos Gomez de Llarrenna
• Guest presentation: Come Out and Play kids

• Play/critique/evaluate BUGs

Assignments

• Continue to design / develop / playtest / refine BUG

Resources

Class 6 (4/16/2007)

In class

• Guest presentation: Midnight Madness crew

Assignments

• Continue to design / develop / playtest / refine BUG
  • final review will be played by members of Columbia GSAPP community, not by BUG class students

Resources