[game_edu] Student IP for coursework

[Garvey, Gregory P. Prof.]

?Since starting our game design program here at Quinnipiac we have attempted to address the very same issues.


Perhaps HEVGA (the Higher Education Video Game Alliance) could establish a set of guidelines for higher ed game design programs on addressing these IP issues.


At the Educators Summit at GDC last March Ira Fay (if I recall correctly) organized a panel where panelists discussed how their individual institutions address these IP issues. GDC is a good place to continue this discussion leading to establishing guidelines.


- Greg


Gregory P. Garvey, Professor
Director, Game Design & Development
Department of Visual and Performing Arts
CAS 1-322 Mail Drop:     CL-AC1
Quinnipiac University
275 Mount Carmel Avenue
Hamden, CT 06518

203-582-8389 Office
email: greg.garvey at quinnipiac.edu
________________________________
From: game_edu <game_edu-bounces at igda.org> on behalf of Ian Schreiber via game_edu <game_edu at igda.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 24, 2017 9:38 AM
To: IGDA Game Education Listserv
Cc: Ian Schreiber
Subject: [game_edu] Student IP for coursework

Question for those of you who teach courses that involve the creation of games that may go on to be commercialized, submitted to festivals, or similar (e.g. capstone courses):

What do you do, if anything, involving student ownership of IP? Do you have them sign a contract as part of the syllabus (and if so, what's in the contract and how did you put it together)? How do you handle cases where some of the student team might want to take the game forward and others would not? How do you deal with crediting and ownership in the case of students who are low performers, or who are late adds or late drops (or who contribute to the project peripherally even though they're not taking the course, e.g. a student whose roommate provides some art on their own time)? And... how much of this is covered by university or department policy, vs. how much is entirely up to you as the instructor?

Just at my own institution it seems like there's no standard, every professor handles this differently, so I'm interested to hear what others have done in this space.

- Ian