Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Gamification and Video Games
Teaching staff
Introduction
In recent years, video games and gamification processes have become one of the main audiovisual media. Always at the centre of the debate, despised by the established culture, as cinema and television were in their time, this has not prevented them from becoming the most profitable sector of the entertainment industry of our time, surpassing Hollywood films in terms of absolute revenue.
But is that what video games are? A simple pastime? A new opium for the masses? Or are we facing a new way of communicating stories, experiences, ideas, information; a way that places the receiver in an active position never seen before?
Video games are the latest narrative form discovered by mankind, one that synthesises all the previous ones (painting, music, cinema, architecture, space) within itself. This would put it on a par with cinema and other arts, since most of them have functioned as a synthesis of artistic practices that preceded them. What is really new in this type of new narrative is the change in the ontological status of the receiver, who is no longer limited to being a simple listener, reader or spectator (being all of them at the same time), but also to acting actively in the narrative: reacting to it, directing it and even creating it.
We are facing the advent of INTERACTIVE storytelling, that already dreamt of by Borges in the pre-digital era in his famous story "The Garden of Forked Paths".
In short, video games are a perfect example of multiform or multi-narrative narrative, since they combine hypertextuality, which facilitates the development of multiple alternatives, with interactivity, which allows the player to direct the adventure. Although the user is often unaware of it, video games are based on the continuous use of hyperlinks and offer the user a tree of choices. Each choice allows the user to link, via a hyperlink, to another situation.
In this class, we will try to introduce the student to this type of new narrative and the infinite possibilities it offers:
To do so, we will investigate the history of video games to familiarise the student with this world and observe how the narrative possibilities have gradually developed: from the simple space-killer game that proposes a simple and linear type of story, to the "open world" experiences, which turn the player into an anthropological stranger with total freedom to explore digital environments that contain hundreds of stories within them. A large part of the lecture will focus on the practical aspect: "How are games created?
Who creates them?", "What skills are needed?".... We will follow step by step, the stages in the development of a video game, the relevant issues to take into account from the point of view of both the creator and the receiver. In short, we will enter the world of "Game Design", to communicate how a video game is designed, conceived and marketed.
Finally, we will approach a narratological perspective by presenting different narrative models. To do this, we will analyse some of the most relevant games of recent years, to see what narrative, aesthetic, ethical and philosophical conclusions we can draw from them.
Pre-course requirements
There are no pre-requisites.
Objectives
- To familiarise students with this new type of digital narrative, and to introduce them to the infinite possibilities that lie before them.
- To present in as much detail as possible a sector of the communication industry that is constantly growing and which offers multiple professional opportunities.
- To provide students with a basic knowledge of the history of this artistic medium, from its early prehistory to the infinite possibilities it offers today.
- To inform them of what skills are necessary to conceive a video game, and how, without knowing it, they have many of them thanks to what they have learnt in other subjects. Video games are a multi-disciplinary and transmedia activity.
- To introduce the student to the different steps to follow to create a video game. From the original idea, through its execution (work systems, team building, testing...), to its commercialisation and the different business models.
- To highlight the aesthetic interest of these narratives, the analytical interest they offer. To do so, we will study different cases and make it clear that their relevance as a cultural object is as legitimate as that of a film, a book; and their great capacity to touch on relevant issues, both the most topical and those that concern enduring questions of the human condition.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- 01 - The ability to adapt to varying circumstances
- 02 - The ability to understand, accept criticism and correct errors
- 03 - The ability to administer and manage human and technical resources
- 04 - The ability to work in a team and autonomously
- 05 - The ability to organise time and workspace
- 06 - The ability to develop academic rigour, responsibility, ethics and professionalism
- 07 - The ability to apply the deontology and respect for the audiovisual sector
- 08 - The ability of critical analysis, synthesis, concretion and abstraction
- 09 - The ability to objectify, quantify and interpret (data, statistics, empirical evidenceÂ…)
- 10 - The ability to confront difficulties and resolve problems
- 11 - The ability to generate debate and reflection
- 12 - The ability to meet deadlines, develop the ability to be punctual and respect for human, technical and material resources
- 13 - The ability to create spoken and written communication
- 15 - Knowledge and mastery of body language and techniques for public speaking
- 16 - The ability to manage, analysis and reflect on content
- 18 - The capacity and development of general culture and interest in social events
- 19 - The ability of informative documentation
- 20 - Knowledge and mastery of bibliographic media
- 21 - Knowledge and mastery of the digital culture
- 24 - The ability to plan and organize both short term and long term projects
- 25 - The ability to maximize creative development
- 26 - The ability to develop a sense of taste and perfection in the aesthetics and finalization of projects
- 27 - The ability to adapt to distinct audio visual publics and markets.
- 28 - Knowledge and mastery of principle economic concepts.
- 35 - The ability to contextualize and critically analyze the products of the audiovisual industry
- 37 - The ability to contextualize and critically analyze the organizational structure of global communication
- 38 - The ability to understand and apply the structure of the audiovisual system
- 39 - The ability to understand and apply the legal dimension of an audiovisual product
- 41 - The ability to know how the distinct elemental agencies of the audio visual sector function
- 42 - The ability to distinguish, analyze and dominate the distinct genres and formats of television, film and radio
- 44 - The ability to adapt to new audiovisual formats
- 50 - The ability to adapt, understand and apply the expressive possibilities of new technologies and future changes
- 53 - Lingustic ability in Catalan, Spanish and English
- 54 - The ability to skillfully manage the literature, terminology and linguistic structures of the English language related to the field of communication.
Learning outcomes of the subject
The aim is to familiarise students with everything related to this emerging audiovisual sector.
From the history of video games, their narrative possibilities, their multidisciplinary nature and the industry in which they are developed.
As well as the journalistic possibilities it contains, the possibility of dealing with current affairs (political, social...) through the game.
The video game is a valid means of communication to deal with any subject, much more than what is usually thought a priori.
The student will not only understand that it is an art in its own right, but that it can also be a key tool for transmitting information in an interactive way, generating new possibilities hitherto unseen in the receiver.
Can video games be the birth of interactive journalism?
Syllabus
1. WHAT IS A GAME?
A shouting match of definitions
Roger Callois : "Games and Man: The Mask and Vertigo".
And what is a video game ?
2. THE GAME DESIGNER
The skills needed to design a video game:
Anthropology
Communication
Creative writing
Cinematography
Animation
Architecture
Economics and business model
Technology
Music
Psychology
3. THE DESIGNER CREATES AN EXPERIENCE
The game is not the experience
Is it only games that do it?
Introspection: its power and its dangers
Dissect your sensations
Beating Heisenberg
4. EXPERIENCE HAPPENS IN ONE PLACE
The shifting sands of platforms
Private places
Public places
Private and public at the same time
5. THE EXPERIENCE EMERGES FROM THE GAME
6. PLAY IS MADE UP OF ELEMENTS
What are games made up of?
The four basic elements
Skin and skeleton
7. THE ELEMENTS SUPPORT A THEME
A simple game?
Unifying themes
Resonances
Back to reality
8. THE GAME STARTS WITH AN IDEA
Inspiration
Face the problem
Your silent ally
Brainstorming
9. THE GAME GROWS THROUGH INTERACTION
Choosing an idea
The eight filters
The rule of the curve
A brief history of software design
Choosing the curve
Your secret fuel
10. THE GAME IS CREATED FOR A PLAYER
Project yourself
Demographics: Is the medium misogynistic?
Psychology: taxonomy of the pleasures of the game, the type of players?
11. THE EXPERIENCE IS IN THE MIND OF THE PLAYER
Modelling
Focusing
Empathy
Imagination
12. PLAYER'S MIND IS DRIVEN BY PLAYER MOTIVATION
Needs
Internal Vs external motivation
Want vs. must
Novelty
Judgement
13. GAME MECHANICS
Space
Time
Objects, attributes and status
Actions
Rules
. Skills
. Odds .
14. THE MECHANICS HAVE TO BE BALANCED
The twelve most common equlibrium .
15. PLAYERS PLAY THE GAMES THROUGH AN INTERFACE
Information channels
16. THE EXPERIENCE OF HISTORY
Game/story : the story of a duality
The myth of passive entertainment
The dream
The reality
Problems
The dream is reborn
Tips for stories
17. STORIES AND GAMES TAKE PLACE IN A WORLD
Transmedia worlds.
The power of Pokemon.
18. WORLDS CONTAIN CHARACTERS
The nature of characters in a game
Avatars
Creating characters
19. WORLDS CONTAIN SPACES
The purpose of architecture
Organising the game space
. Level design
20. THE LOOK AND FEEL OF A WORLD IS DEFINED BY AESTHETICS.
The value of aesthetics
Learning to look
How much is enough?
Use of sound
21. SOME GAMES ARE PLAYED WITH OTHER PLAYERS
We are not alone
Why we play with others
22. PLAYERS SOMETIMES FORM COMMUNITIES
More than other players
Strong communities: how they form
The future of gamer communities
23. GAMES ARE CREATED IN TEAMS
Playing as a team
Designing together
24. THE TEAM COMMUNICATES THROUGH DOCUMENTS
The myth of the game design document
Purpose of documents.
Types of documents.
25. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GAME AND A GOOD GAME: PLAYTESTING
Playtesting
The fundamental questions
26. A GAME IS CREATED WITH TECHNOLOGY
A bit of technology.
Fundamental Vs accessory
27. THE CUSTOMER
What he wants and what you want.
28. THE PITCH TO SELL YOUR GAME TO A CLIENT
Negotiation
Hierarchy of ideas
Tips to make a good pitch
29. BOTH THE CLIENT AND THE DESIGNER ARE LOOKING FOR PROFITS
Business model
Know your competitors
Know your audience
Language.
EPILOGUE
30. THE GAME TRANSFORMS ITS PLAYERS
How do games change us?
Are games good for you (emotion, connection, education...)?
Can games be bad for you (violence, addiction...)?
31. THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF DESIGNERS
Dangers
Your secret agenda
A journey through the narrative style of video games.
1. The (graphic) adventure begins : MONKEY ISLAND
2. Can a game make you cry? : PLANETFALL
Game and morals : ULTIMA IV : QUEST OF AVATAR
4. Total immersion : SYSTEM SHOCK and BIOSHOCK
5. "The greatest story ever told" : FINAL FANTASY VII
6. Apotheosis of cinematics : METAL GEAR SOLID
7. "An eye for an I" : HALF LIFE
8. A living world : SHENMUE
9. Playful anthropology : GRAND THEFT AUTO III
10. "In search of lost time" : THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: MAJORA' S MASK
11. A critical mass of choices: DEUS EX
12. Playing with the Player: METAL GEAR SOLID 2: SONS OF LIBERTY
13. Interactive drama: FACADE
14. Minimalism : FROM ICO TO DEAR ESTHER
15. Interactive cinema: DAVID CAGE'S QUANTUM WORLDS (farenheit, heavy rain, beyond two souls)
Teaching and learning activities
In person
| TRAINING ACTIVITY | ECTS CREDITS |
| Coaching. Monitoring how students learn the content of the subject, either individually or in groups. In the coaching sessions, mistakes will be corrected, queries answered, and exercises and activities to achieve the established objectives will be suggested. | 0.6 |
| Seminar. This activity will consist of taking an in-depth look at specific up-to-date topics in a monographic manner-in some cases these topics will have been debated socially-, via active work in small groups. | 0.4 |
| Meeting Point. Meetings will be organised with notable people from the professional and scientific fields or the international field, and students. These sessions will take the form of conferences, work sessions, discussions, or interviews, etc. | 0.5 |
| Lectures. In lectures, lecturers/professors not only transmit content or knowledge, but also, and above all else, attitudes, motivation, skills and values, etc. They also ensure that participants can express their opinions and arguments to the other students. | 1.5 |
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
Video games are an interactive art, based on continuous choice and decision making. It is not superfluous, therefore, that our evaluation system follows this model and puts in the hands of the student what kind of work he/she wants to do. This is justified on a theoretical as well as a practical level, as we do not have the possibility to create a game step by step due to technical impossibilities. It is quite possible that the best exercise would be a collective one, of the whole class, in which each student would take a different role in the creative team, and value his or her contribution and involvement in the work. Unfortunately this is not possible, due to technical impossibilities such as the programming knowledge necessary to be able to create, not just a game, but at least a beta.
Given this scenario, we think that the best thing to do is to give the student the possibility of choosing between different evaluation options, each of them focused on the different aspects covered in the subject, both theoretical and practical.
Therefore, we propose two main forms of assessment:
1. MULTIPLAYER MODE: DEVELOPMENT OF A VIDEO GAME.
In group: each student will occupy a position in the creative process: story, character development, mechanics, art, marketing.
A BIBLIA must be submitted with a presentation of all these aspects and the reasons behind each choice (synopsis, characters, art, mechanics, marketing).
Possibility of presenting the project in a short pitch to the class.
2. CAMPAIGN MODE. SUBMISSION OF A THEORETICAL PAPER.
Solo: submission of a paper dealing with aspects studied during the course. The choice of topic is free: historical, aesthetic, narrative or semiotic.
The work can be an essay that delves into a specific game, or a group of games or genre; it can also deal with a historical period of video games, study the development of different mechanics, or the study of a specific creator and his aesthetic constants. It can also adopt a historical or purely narratological perspective. The possibilities are endless as long as they relate to what has been taught in class.
The work must be of considerable length, an essay of at least ten pages.
The proposal of a specific thesis and the reasons for it will be positively valued.
The student must attend 80% of the classes.
In the second round, the same as in the first round will be required: a video game development bible that can be done in a group; or a solo essay that explores in depth the topics covered in the course.