The more we see life in terms of systems, the more we need a system-modeling medium to represent it -- and the less we can dismiss such organized rule systems as mere games.
-- Dr. Janet Murray
You hold a gun like someone who plays Riven.
-- Dr. Thaddeus Venture
Class Home
This is the Web site for Stuart Moulthrop's Fall 2009 section of COSC 320, Game Concept and Design. Watch this page for announcements, updates, and other important information.
Not Yet Heard From on Final Project
The following people have not yet filed a proposal for the Final Project, either as individuals or a group. Please get something in right away.
- Curtis Cannon
- Marvin Dobson
- Damion Jackson
- Nick Natoli
- Marcus Whitfield
CODMW III Announced!
See the video.
News October 29
I have posted the assignment for the final Unity project and proposal.
Also, the folks who bring you Unity now give it away FREE. See their site for more details.
Schedule Reminder
Please pay close attention to the syllabus for the next four weeks. I am meeting no classes the week of October 19.
ALL CLASSES WILL MEET THE FOLLOWING WEEK, beginning October 26. These meetings are VERY IMPORTANT. In COSC 160, I will assign and prepare you for the midterm. In COSC 150 and IDIA 619, I will be available to help with the midterm project. COSC 320 will wrap up work on the Unity tutorial and prepare for the final project.
We do not meet again in the week beginning November 2, but we DO MEET the week beginning November 9.
I will read e-mail during the non-meeting weeks, but since I will be traveling, there may be delays in response.
GOOD NEWS, EVERYBODY!
Because we'll have no fewer than FIVE D.I.G. presentations at our next meeting (October 27), I am canceling the readings and quiz that night.
For our next meeting following the 27th (November 9), please read chapters 21, 24, and 25 of Salen and Zimmerman, as well as the Postmortem on Black and White. This material is all quizzable on November 9.
Meanwhile, concentrate on your midterm papers.
AC 219 is open for walk-in use the following hours this Fall:
- Monday
- 2:00 - 5:30 PM
- Tuesday
- 4:30 - 5:30 PM
- Wednesday
- 4:30 - 5:30 PM
- Thursday
- 4:30 - 5:30 PM
- Friday
- 12:00 - 5:00 PM
- Saturday
- 10:30 AM - 4:00 PM
If AC 219 is not open when you arrive, please look for a Lab Assistant in AC 216, AC 224, or AC 223. He or she will open the lab for you.
The UB Office of Diversity Education is sponsoring an Asian Film Festival this November 4-5. The festival features three great films, all in the UB Student Center Theatre:
- HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE
- November 4 at 4:30 PM
- THE HOST
- November 4 at 7:00 PM
- LUST, CAUTION
- November 5 at 7:00 PM
Mark your calendars!
The following suggested reading from your classmate Gabriel Kabik:
An interview was with Nicholas Francis of Unity:
Analysis: Portal and the Deconstruction of the Institution by Daniel Johnson
www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=23960
- A great analytical/semiotics-based approach to understanding how Portal communicates feelings of repression, submission and powerlessness, along with encouraging deviancy, through subtle design/art choices.
Ken Levine on Studio Culture: From Looking Glass to 2K Boston
www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4082/ken_levine_on_studio_culture_from_.php
- From the Producer of Bioshock and a design lead from System Shock 2 and Freedom Force, a great interview about his transition from Looking Glass Studios in Austin to heading up 2k Boston, and what he's learned with all of his experience, and what his studio looks for in a prospective employee.
From Brian White, President of TBN:
The SDE interest group To Be Named (TBN) is getting started for the fall semester. We're in process of moving all our information to a Facebook group, and we are holding our first meeting of the Fall Semester September 1st 4:30-5:30 PM on the fifth floor of the Student Center.
We are currently planning on meeting every week at that same time. The topics for the first week include:
- Review of TBN objectives
- Where are we going to meet this semester?
- What makes an efficient content generation group?
In addition to the physical meetings, there will also be a weekly update to the Facebook group including at least one tutorial relevant to the current classes at UB.
|