Instructor: Jim Smith
Topic: Playing Narrative within Games
How do the affordances of a game interface affect the narrative we experience when playing a game?
Viewing:
Reading:
- Galloway, “Gamic Action, Four Moments,” Gaming: Essays on Algorithmic Culture. Electronic Mediations 18. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 2006.
- Bartle. “Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades: Players Who Suit MUDs.” Journal of MUD Research v1.1 1996.
- Dixon. “Player Types and Gamification.” CHI 2011.
In-class Assignment: Break into groups and design a computer game that has components addressing each of the four “moments” described by Galloway and the four player types described by Bartle.
Post-class Assignment (due 8:00 AM EST on 9/25/2012):
- Play a game of your choice, text or graphical, single player or multiplayer, and write a 250-500 word narrative from your character’s perspective.
- Grade yourself: send Jen Guiliano a message in ELMS with your responses to the questions about your story from the week 2 story rubric. Include a link to your blog entry and make sure the message indicates that it is in response to this assignment.
Some possible games (but you’re free to use any computer-powered game that let’s you control a character in the game):
- Text
- Graphical