[game_edu] Readings, Libraries & Copyright

[Malcolm Ryan]

On the issue of licensing, I discovered that Steam offers a special  
"CyberCafe" license [1] that gives access to "100 games". This may be  
an option for universities if they want to run a games lab. I have  
contacted them about educational pricing, but haven't heard anything  
yet.

As for the games I use, I structure my course around MDA and the 8  
kinds of fun [2]. My list of examples changes from year to year, but  
this year I've used:

Bartok (card game)
    - A simple modifiable game to illustrate MDA

Trogdor
    - To analyse mechanics, dynamics and aesthetics

Braid
    - Discovery: For the elegantly crafted training levels
    - Sensation: the atypical choices of art and music

AudioSurf
    - Drama: pacing and a dramatic arc

The Path
    - Fantasy: Creating fantasy through atmosphere and indirect  
storytelling.
    - Discovery: An open world with many paths to 'victory'.

Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy
    - Storytelling: Changing avatars creates dissonance as the  
player's loyalties shift
    - Storytelling: The opening scene puts the player in media res.

Mafia (round-table game)
    - Fellowship: Mixture of cooperation and competition.

Zen bound
    - Sensation/Ritual: Slow meditative pacing with art and music to  
match.

Everyday shooter
    - Sensation: The game is as much about interactive colour + music  
as it
      is about challenge.

Galatea/Aisle/Facade
    - Fantasy: Storytelling with many endings. Dialogue systems.

Fallout 3
    - Self expression: Character creation and growth. (I could do with  
a shorter game to illustrate this but most RPGs tend to be long).

Crayon Physics
    - Self expression: Not just about finding a solution, but building  
the 'coolest' solution.

World of goo
    - Sensation: A consistent theme and an interface that makes the  
'goo' feel almost tactile.

Once Upon a Time (card game)
    - Fanstasy/Self Expression: A 'story-making' game that facilitates  
the players to tell their own story.

[1] https://cafe.steampowered.com/
[2] http://8kindsoffun.com/

On 23/09/2009, at 1:26 PM, pawlicki at cs.rochester.edu wrote:


>

>

> Even if the list were 100 long it should be annotated to the point of

> why it makes the list - what it exemplifies. In this way, someone

> with specific course goals could select from the list.

>

>> Haha... "standard"... good one. :-)

>>

>> There have been numerous "must-play" lists. Whenever I try to make  

>> one of

>> my own, I can never seem to narrow it down below 30 or so.

>>

>> I think a lot depends on your goals. If it is just a matter of "game

>> literacy" -- that is, playing at least one canonical game in each  

>> major

>> genre, playing all the games that are well-known, and so on, then  

>> you will

>> come up with a very different list than if you are looking for  

>> games that

>> offered technical innovation for its time, which in turn is  

>> different from

>> a list of games that were pioneering new forms of design or unique  

>> visual

>> art styles or even games that were failures in notable ways.

>>

>> Rather than trying to cram all of these into a single class, it  

>> might be

>> better to spread it across the entire curriculum. Provide exposure  

>> to a

>> few games at a time as they tie in to the content of any given  

>> course, and

>> make sure the sum total of classes gives students exposure to all the

>> games you'd consider "must-play". Sure, you can have a "Game  

>> Appreciation"

>> course that covers a lot of games, but I'm not sure you could fit

>> everything into 10 or 12 weeks... nor would you want to (else you  

>> run the

>> danger of students thinking that all the games in that class aren't

>> relevant to their other coursework, since it's all too self- 

>> contained).

>>

>> - Ian

>>

>>

>>

>>

>> ________________________________

>> From: "pawlicki at cs.rochester.edu" <pawlicki at cs.rochester.edu>

>> To: IGDA Game Education Listserv <game_edu at igda.org>

>> Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 1:17:48 PM

>> Subject: Re: [game_edu] Readings, Libraries & Copyright

>>

>>

>> Malcolm,

>>

>> I would be interested in your list.

>>

>> Assuming that a semester is about 12 weeks or so, do we have

>> a "standard repertoire" of the top 10 games that all

>> students should have played and critically examined?

>>

>> Ted

>>

>>

>> Thaddeus F. Pawlicki, Ph.D.

>> Undergraduate Program Director

>> Computer Science Dept.      (585) 275-4198

>> University of Rochester      FAX (585) 273-4556

>> Rochester, NY  14627-0226  pawlicki at cs.rochester.edu

>> http://www.cs.rochester.edu/u/pawlicki/

>>

>>

>> ''One of the most difficult tasks men can perform, however much  

>> others may

>> despise it, is the invention of good games and it cannot be done by  

>> men

>> out

>> of touch with their instinctive selves.'' - Carl Jung 1977

>>

>>> Malcolm Ryan wrote:

>>>> As a lecturer in game design, I want to set a 'reading list' of  

>>>> games

>>>> for my students to play. In other disciplines the University has

>>>> standard copyright arrangements which allow them to make sets of

>>>> readings available to students at little or no cost, but there  

>>>> doesn't

>>>> seem to be any appropriate arrangement for software.

>>>>

>>>> Have you encountered this problem? How have you addressed it?

>>>>

>>>> I know that a lot of good cutting-edge independent work is  

>>>> available

>>>> cheaply or for free online, but I don't want to be forced to  

>>>> exclude

>>>> AAA titles from examination. Ideally I would like to set up a  

>>>> library

>>>> of games but I am worried about the copyright and licensing issues.

>>>> Does anyone know more about this?

>>>>

>>>> Malcolm

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