Anatomy of a Game CTIN-463 USC School of Cinematic Arts Interactive Media Division
Instructors:
Laird Malamed Jeff Watson
[email protected] [email protected]
(310) 903-0886 (323) 384-7209
Student Assistant:
Sarah Scialli
(602) 908-1006
Meeting Information: Lecture/Lab: Mondays 6:30-9:20 pm Where: SCA 203
Office Hours: Laird: Generally Thursdays after 7 pm by appointment Available other times by appointment and by Skype (lairdo1) or call (cell: 310-903-0886)
Jeff: Available by appointment and by Skype (remotedevice) or call (cell: 323-384-7209)
Course Description: Ever wondered how a game goes from concept to GameStop, Steam, the web, or the App Store? Anatomy of a Game takes you behind the scenes of recent big blockbuster and independent console/PC titles while also covering the differing production cycles of web and mobile games. The class is a combination of lectures, game design workshops, and sessions with guest speakers.
Students will learn about the following: ● The game development and production cycle ● Detailed background on the various professional disciplines involved in game development ● Best practices for interacting with industry professionals ● The differences in game production among console/PC, online, mobile and social games ● How to apply the ideas and information to game concepts and team structures
Anatomy of a Game is structured around the production cycle of video games. To illustrate the stages of this cycle and the range of disciplines involved in game production, we will take a “deep dive” into three games. Guest speakers from thatgamecompany will discuss the development and production of their newest title, Journey. Guest speakers from Infinity Ward will walk us through Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3. Professor Malamed will discuss Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure as part of the overview for each module. Students will apply what they learn from these explorations to develop game prototypes of their own.
Pre-requisites: CTIN 488 is recommended but not required.
Required: ● Computer. You will need access to a computer to do papers and presentations. ● Access to a PlayStation 3 and gaming PC or other console to try Journey and Call of Duty.
Readings Students will be expected to keep up with short readings assigned in class. Some of these readings will be linked to guest speakers, and will be provided the week before the guest appears. Other readings, listed below, are drawn from a variety of web and print sources, and will be provided to students electronically. Several key readings will be drawn from The Game Production Handbook, 2nd Edition by Heather Maxwell Chandler. Students are not required to purchase this textbook.
Evaluation of student performance: a. Assignments and Quizzes: 1. Three (3) Assignments 2. Midterm Paper 3. Final Presentation
In class game prototype and plan The three assignments are structured around small teams and making a prototype for a game using any one of a number of off the shelf game packages. The first assignment will be a concept and design document. The second is a production plan and the the third is a playable prototype. Teams will be put together to ensure balance across disciplines and expertise levels.
The midterm paper will be due in early October and will be based on the material presented in class and research done outside of class about a specific game production phase or discipline. Students will pick their own topics, and will be encouraged to make direct connections with industry professionals to complete their research. Paper length is 5-10 pages double spaced, 12 point font. More information to be presented in class.
b. Criteria for grading:
Attendance, participation and in-class 20 % exercises
Midterm 20
Assignment 1 10
Assignment 2 10
Assignment 3 10
Final Presentation 30
Total: 100 %
Participation is very important in 463. Participation in class discussions, assignments, q&a with the speakers and more is your chance to engage with the class and be an active participant.
The final presentation is an in class presentation of each team’s game and what each team member did on the game. The final grade will take into account comment cards about each game from the other classmates.
Preliminary Class Schedule (subject to change based on speaker schedules): Current as of August 22
Date Topic Description Assignment
Aug. Introduction, How the course works and what Concept Pitch 27 Course to expect. Assignment 1 Summary, Production cycle. Reading: TBD Video Game Concept, Pitch and GL Cycle, The Concept In class pitch assignment - Jeopardy. Elevator pitch.
Sep. LABOR DAY No Class Play Journey and 3 Call of Duty
Sep. Pre-production Concept pitches by students. Concept Pitch due 10 Phase Discuss pre-production phases Reading: TBD of development. SPEAKER #1
Sep. Planning pre- In class exercise around pre- Reading: TBD 17 production production and designing goals for first playable
Sep. The role of the Discussion about the design Assignment 24 designer & phase of game making. 2: Team game
team dynamics; Working in teams. design and The GDD SPEAKER #2 production plan
Approved midterm paper topic
Oct. 1 Class Reading: TBD presentations of Assignment 2
Oct. 8 Programming, Detailed look at the technical Work on midterm the TDD and aspects of game making, paper scripting vs. how they are managed and programming documented. vs. tools SPEAKER #3
Oct The production Role of the Artist, Modeler, and Midterm due 15 phase. Animator Art direction, creation and SPEAKER #4 implementation. Animators, mo cap and more
Oct. All about audio Discussion of the role of the Reading: TBD 22 audio designer, composer and the process to get sound in Optional reading: game. browse the “Audio” category at In class audio exercise. Gamasutra (http:// www.gamasutra.co SPEAKER #5 m/category/audio/)
Oct. User Testing Feedback on a game and how Optional reading: 29 to get it. Why, when and why Chapter 9, “Putting not? it all Together”
SPEAKER #6 Assignment 3: Prototype due
Nov. Post Production Discussion around the process 5 Phase, QA, of closing and finalizing a
Alpha, Beta, game. Code Release and Submission SPEAKER #7
Nov. Social games SPEAKER #8 Reading: “Cow 12 Clicker: The Making of Obsession” by Ian Bogost.
Nov. Post release Legal issues and contract Reading: TBD 19 content, DLC terminology Methods for successful negotiation
Nov. Handheld SPEAKER #9 26 games
Dec. Final Last Class 3 Presentations
Instructor Bios:
Laird M. Malamed
Laird M. Malamed holds the position of adjunct faculty in the Interactive Media Division in USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. He is also president and co-founder of Creative Learning Technologies Corp, an education and medical consulting company working with foundations on K-12 education. Prior to focusing on teaching and consulting, Malamed was Sr. Vice President and Head of Development at Activision Blizzard overseeing software, hardware and manufacturing for products like Guitar Hero, Call of Duty and Skylanders. Malamed held a variety of roles at Activision during his 16+ year tenure including key positions in Activision’s internal studios, marketing, and European Studios. Before joining Activision, Malamed worked as a sound editor at Sony Pictures and at LucasFilm. Malamed earned a joint BS degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering and Film & Media Studies. He attended the Graduate School of Cinematic Arts at USC.
Jeff Watson
Jeff Watson is an artist, designer, and postdoctoral Research Associate at the Game Innovation Lab at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. His work focuses on investigating how game mechanics, pervasive computing, and social media can enable new forms of storytelling, participation, and civic engagement. Jeff has consulted and produced commissioned work for a variety of institutions and companies, including the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Intel, BMW/ Mini, Tiltfactor, Take Action Games, Los Angeles World Airports, and the Institute for Multimedia Literacy. He is a designer at the Game Innovation Lab, and is the co-founder of Pervasive and Environmental Gaming LA (PEG-LA), a Los Angeles-based design exchange and mobile games play testing group. Jeff’s work has been presented at festivals and conferences such as IndieCade, the Game Developers Conference, Games for Change, DIY Days, the Digital Media and Learning Conference, and ARG Fest. His work has received coverage from Wired, ARGNet, Engine29, Culture Hacker, and Henry Jenkins, among others.
Missing an Assignment Deadline, Incompletes: The only acceptable excuses for missing an assignment deadline or taking an incomplete in the course are personal illness or a family emergency. Students must inform the professor before the assignment due date and present verifiable evidence in order for a make-up to be scheduled. Students who wish to take incompletes must also present documentation of the problem to the instructor or teaching assistant before final grades are due.
Note for students with disabilities: Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to us as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301, and is open 8:30am-5:00pm Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.
Academic Integrity: The School of Cinema-Television expects the highest standards of academic excellence and ethical performance from USC students. It is particularly important that you are aware of and avoid plagiarism, cheating on exams, submitting a paper to more than one instructor, or submitting a paper authored by anyone other than yourself. Violations of this policy will result in a failing grade band be reported to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs. If you have any doubts or questions about these policies, consult “SCAMPUS” and/or confer with the instructor.