Instructor: Ashlyn Sparrow (asparrow@uchicago.edu)
CA: Bruno Pasquinelli (brunop@uchicago.edu)
CA: Eren Slifker (slifker@uchicago.edu)

Course Meeting Times:

• Section 1: Tuesdays 11:00pm – 1:50pm
• Section 2: Tuesdays 2:00pm – 4:50pm

Course Location: JCL 134

Ashlyn Sparrow Office Hours: By Appointment
Bruno Pasquinelli Office Hours: By Appointment
Erin Slifker Office Hours: By Appointment

This course explores the fundamentals of game design, emphasizing the principles, practices, and techniques essential for crafting formal systems of rules, fostering playful experiences, and providing contexts for meaningful interpretation and cultural understanding. Throughout the course, students will engage in critical analysis of both analog and digital games. Key topics include game structures, storytelling elements, difficulty, and social dynamics inherent in games. This is not a course in game development; It will not cover the use of game engines or the creation of digital interactive experiences. Instead, the focus is on the architecture and comprehension of various game types, exploring how and why they function, and the creative processes behind their development. In addition to class discussions, short exercises, weekly prototyping and playtesting, students will participate in a final collaborative group project in the form of a murder mystery dinner party.

Format
Most of the class will include lectures followed by in-class discussions and/or short design exercises. Occasionally, class sessions will be used to playtest and critique prototyped games. 

Grading

• Attendance and Participation: 25%
• Blog Posts and Newsletters: 15%
• Game Design Project 1: 10%
• Game Design Project 2: 10%
• Game Design Project 3: 10%
• Final Group Project 20%
  Individual performance in group projects: 10%

Materials to Purchase 
All games will be available via the Weston Game Lab (WGL). You will be able to access most analog games via the game library in the WGL Studios in JCL 133. 

Prototyping material can be found in the supply cabinet at the front desk of the Media Art, Data, and Design (MADD) Center. Specialized components can be fabricated in the Hack Arts Lab using either the 3D printers or the laser cutter. There may be a small fee depending on the material used. 

All readings that are not already linked via this syllabus will be made available via Google Drive. Game Design a Deck of Lenses is free to download for Android and Apple devices. A copy of the deck can also be found in the Weston Game Studio. 

Communication Platforms
Discord: We will use Discord for ongoing conversations with both shared channels for informal conversations about games and private channels for communication with the instructor and CAs. For all course related questions, you should contact me or the CAs via Discord INSTEAD of email.

Course Website: We will use the course WordPress website to access the syllabus (with links) and to post blog entries. The blog will be publicly available.

Class Expectations

• We only meet for a few weeks, so arrive on time for each workshop session.
• Much of this course depends on group work and playtesting. As a result missing a class derails the team and our race against the weeks of winter quarter is a sprint. Missing a class without a prearranged absence will immediately entail a grade reduction.
• If you really have to use GPT-3 or equivalent tools, please have a good reason, and be sure to cite them!
• Assignments and papers are due when they appear on the syllabus.
• Always feel free to ask questions either in class or during office hours (seriously).
• We are committed to meeting the needs of all students. To arrange class-related accommodations, please see Student Disability Services prior to scheduling a meeting with us: http://disabilities.uchicago.edu/accommodations

MADD Center Orientation Quiz
To utilize materials and equipment in The MADD Center, please take the MADD Center Orientation quiz to confirm a basic understanding of their policies and procedures.  For 3D printing  read over this and this and take this quiz. For Laser cutting read through this module and take this quiz.