MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Course 1 of 5 in the Game Design: Art and Concepts Specialization.
Syllabus
WEEK 1
The Simplest Games
This week we start at the beginning: what are the principles of very simple games, like Hangman and tic-tac-toe? How do these games work? Why do people play them? What are the elements that define games and the gaming experience? And finally, what do games have in common with each other, and what sets them apart? In addition to covering the basics and ground rules for this course, we'll conclude this week with a very simple, low-tech assignment: create a game on a single sheet of paper.
WEEK 2
Rules and Discovery
How does a player learn the mechanics of your game? How do they learn anything about your game? This week we will talk about the rules that define gameplay, and how those rules are communicated to your players. We also discuss the way rules are bent and broken by players.
WEEK 3
Tell a Story
How does narrative drive a player to start playing your game? Or to finish it? This week we'll look at some of the ways you can make your game more compelling with story, and discuss some of the ways story can drive gameplay forward, or enable a player to make their own way through it.
WEEK 4
The Friend and the Enemy
What purpose does an enemy serve in a game? What effect does a second player have on two-player games? Can a game work without an adversary or a final goal? We'll address all of those questions in this last week of the class, and work towards finalizing your board game project with characters.
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.