Course Introduction

Course Introduction CGDD 2002

Early board games… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_%28game%29

… and a little later http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chutes_and_Ladders

Early PCs… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64 http://www.ohgizmo.com/2009/02/18/the-games-we-played-radar-rat-race-c64/

PCs a little later… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfenstein_3D

And now… http://www.frictionlessinsight.com/archives/2008/04/dogmeat-joining.html

Early consoles… http://www.thegamerag.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pong

Later … http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_Bros.

And now… http://playstationlifestyle.net/2009/12/17/heavy-rain-will-receive-dlc-episodes/

Web-based games… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farmville

Mobile gaming… http://games.venturebeat.com/2009/02/02/iphone-owners-account-for-14-percent-of-mobile-game-downloaders/

A different approach… • Façade • Milo the Virtual Boy

Fundamental Questions • Why were/are these games so popular? • What makes a game good? • Better question: what makes a game bad? • Why is a game considered fun? • How are games designed?

What this course isn’t • A traditional, lecture-based class • Requires reading • Requires creativity • A programming class • A game engine class • A “let’s make fun of Farmville” class. Well…

What this class is • Fun • A vocabulary lesson • A look at the design of games in general • Board • Digital games • A look at the industry • A chance to see how creative you are…

Questions? • Course Website: • http://cse.spsu.edu/jchastin/cgdd2002 • Instructor: • Name:Jeff Chastine • Email: jchastin@spsu.edu • Office: J-383 (temporarily); soon to be J-226 • Phone: 678-915-6868

Course Introduction