Introduction to game design

I regularly teach the NYU Game Center’s Introduction to Game Design course for undergraduates. It is a 4-credit, 14-week, project-based non-digital course required for all students completing a game design degree or minor. Students complete a total of 7 projects throughout the semester in addition to in-class discussion of readings, design exercises, and group critiques.

Topics covered: the design process; formal systems & rules; playtesting; social play mechanics; designing goals; narrative design; games as culture; game theory; game economies and balance
Other skills acquired: working in groups; sharing and receiving design feedback; in-class presentations; contributing to group discussions; documenting creative work; iterative design

Project-based Learning

This goal of this class is to introduce students to the fundamentals of game design, with a focus on non-digital games. Students generally work in groups of 3-5 for each project, introducing them to creative work in a group setting. Each student works on 7 projects throughout the semester, starting with a game modification and progressing to abstract, social, narrative, and intervention games. Students are given constraints or each project but are expected to produce a fully-playable game including a written rule-set and all necessary game components (board or card design, pieces or tokens etc).

More coming soon! Get in touch via email if you want to hear more!