Game Design Studies - University of Liverpool · 2019-06-18 · 04 aculty of umanities an ocial...

Game Design Studies

ContentsStudent support 01

Why choose Game Design Studies at Liverpool? 02

Degrees 04

Module details 06

@comingtolivuni /Universityof Liverpool @livuni UofLTube

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Student SupportAs a Game Design Studies student you will be part of the School of the Arts, situated in beautiful Abercromby Square. Within the School of the Arts you will find a dedicated student support team, offering guidance and advice all the way from enrolment through to your graduation.

Open 9:00am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday, the Student Support Centre provides the following support:

Learning and Teaching Support Starting university is a major step in any student’s life. Our Learning and Teaching Support Officers are on hand to help anyone experiencing difficulties – whether that’s meeting deadlines or settling in to their new surroundings – in a friendly and confidential environment. They can also provide guidance on applying for extenuating circumstances or extensions.

Careers & EmployabilityThe Careers and Employability service support students in finding volunteering and placement opportunities related to their studies. A School Employability Support Award is also available to those who may require financial aid to undertake any career-related activities.

Study AbroadFrom summer schools to a year abroad, our Study Abroad Officer can advise you on finding and applying for an exchange opportunity. We also deliver activities to help familiarise incoming exchange students with their new surroundings.

Disability Support Our Departmental Disability Contacts (DDC) work collaboratively with the University’s Disability Advice and Guidance team to develop support strategies and plans for students who require reasonable adjustments. They can also help make referrals to the appropriate student support services for advice and guidance on declaring a disability, arranging tests, and meeting with the Disability Advisers.

Live ChatAlongside appointments and drop-in sessions, the Student Support team can also be contacted via a live chat function, with dedicated weekly slots for Learning and Teaching Support, Placements and Employability, and Study Abroad.

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of the Arts > Game Design Studies02

Why choose Game Design Studies at Liverpool?Combining the five constituent subjects of the School of the Arts – Architecture, Communication & Media, English, Music, and Philosophy – Game Design Studies at the University of Liverpool offers a distinctive and interdisciplinary exploration of interactive audiovisual media. It recognises the crucial role of the video game industry in national and international economies, and seeks to develop the next generation of professionals in this immense and rapidly growing field.


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FacilitiesThe School of the Arts offers facilities to support both the theoretical and technical study of game design, some of which have recently benefited from a substantial refurbishment. They include:

iMac Suites. The workstations in these suites have a range of game-related software, including Unity (game engine), FMOD (middleware for game sound and music), and Blender (modelling and animation) Games Research Lab. A dedicated space for students to research video games, featuring several platforms (eg Playstation 4 with PSVR, Playstation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii), an Alienware Gaming PC, two Mac workstations, and a diverse library of titles Electronic Music Research Studio. A fully sound-proofed and treated studio for surround sound mixing, electronic music composition and sound design research.

Your future careerThis programme develops a wide range of skills that prepare students for employment at various entry points in the job market, including content creation, publishing, journalism, marketing, etc. Topics on the games industry are embedded within the content of various modules, with some modules designed to produce work that can be used to facilitate and strengthen employment opportunities.

Multiple study optionsAvailable through the Honours Select scheme, Game Design Studies can currently be studied as a Minor (25%) or Joint (50%) component alongside select programmes within the School of the Arts (see page 4).

The Minor pathway introduces students to the study of video games, focusing on topics such as the history and development of gaming cultures, the complex nature of interactive media, the critical issues that accompany engagement with virtual worlds, multicursal narratives, and dynamic musical content.

The Joint Honours option expands upon this, offering modules that focus on developing the creative and technical skills necessary to make compelling assets for games. Students will specialise in design/environment modelling, narrative and story, or music and sound; and will create a portfolio of work, both individual and team-based, that demonstrates their viability as a content creator in the video game industry.

On both pathways, you will study bespoke modules alongside others from within the School of the Arts – see page 6 for detailed module information.

Digital games (eg computer games, video games, smartphone apps) represent one of the fastest growing forms of entertainment media. Consequently, there is a growing need for many jobs that are not only in the games industry but in surrounding industries as well.Dr Paul TurowskiSubject Component Leader


Programmes at-a-glance

Minor (25%) Pathways: 75% of your modules will be taken in your major subject, and the remaining 25% in Game Design Studies. See page 5.

Communication & Media with Game Design Studies I611

English with Game Design Studies I612

English Language with Game Design Studies I613

English Literature with Game Design Studies I614

Music with Game Design Studies I615

Music Technology with Game Design Studies I616

Philosophy with Game Design Studies I617

Popular Music with Game Design Studies I618

Joint (50%) Pathways: Half of your modules will be taken in Game Design Studies, and the other half in your other Joint subject. See page 5.

Communication & Media and Game Design Studies I619

English and Game Design Studies I620

English Language and Game Design Studies I621

English Literature and Game Design Studies I622

Music and Game Design Studies I623

Music Technology and Game Design Studies I624

Philosophy and Game Design Studies I625

Popular Music and Game Design Studies I626

See liverpool.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses for current entry requirements.

Degrees


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Game Design Studies Minor Pathways

Year OneYou will take two compulsory modules in Game Design Studies, which will set the context for the rest of your studies and introduce you to techniques of close reading and interpreting meaning.

Core modules Games and meaning (SOTA102) Intro to game design studies (SOTA101).

Year TwoYou will take one compulsory module in Game Design Studies, in which you will be introduced to academic work that challenges the conventions of mainstream gaming, and choose one optional module.

Core module Different play (SOTA202).

Optional modules Games playing roles (ENGL297) Immersive media and virtual worlds (COMM211) Music in gaming (MUSI273).

Year ThreeYou will take two compulsory modules in Game Design Studies, exploring the major philosophical issues associated with play, games and virtual worlds, and offering a critical approach to the emergence of modern academic game studies.

Core modules Academic game studies (SOTA302) Philosophy of play and the virtual (PHIL343).

Game Design Studies Joint Pathways

Year OneYour first year will consist of four compulsory Game Design Studies modules, which will set the context for the rest of your studies and introduce you to techniques of close reading and interpreting meaning. You will also be exposed to the principles and materials of game creation, and explore practical topics related to the design of virtual spaces in games.

Core modules Creative principles in game design (SOTA103) Games and meaning (SOTA102) Intro to game design studies (SOTA101) Spatial design in games (SOTA104).

Year TwoYour compulsory modules will introduce you to academic work that challenges the conventions of mainstream gaming, and give you a chance to work on the development of an individual project. You will take a further two optional modules.

Core modules Different play (SOTA202) Game design independent project (SOTA204).

Optional modules 3D modelling and animation for games (SOTA203) Composition for digital games (MUSI305) Games playing roles (ENGL297) Immersive media and virtual worlds (COMM211) Music in gaming (MUSI273) Talking pictures (ENGL362).

Year ThreeYour final year modules will explore the major philosophical issues associated with play, games and virtual worlds, and will offer a critical approach to the emergence of modern academic game studies. You will also undertake a year-long collaborative project, contributing to a large-scale design project with your fellow students and developing your own portfolio of work.

Core modules Academic game studies (SOTA302) Game design collaborative project (SOTA303) Philosophy of play and the virtual (PHIL343).


Core and selected optional modules overview Year One

Module title Semester Credit Module description

Creative principles 1 15 This module will provide an introduction to the principles in game design and materials of game creation. Students will learn basic SOTA103 terminology and concepts, and critically engage with various topics within the field of game design.

Games and meaning 2 15 This module will introduce students to the semantics of video SOTA102 game design and the techniques of close reading. You will examine how mechanics, environment and audio design, genre conventions and iconography can be used to create meaning, both in support and subversion of explicit narrative. Students will learn to make connections between the disparate art forms involved in game design and develop the ability to form their own readings of games.

Intro to game 1 15 You will explore the phenomenon of video game studies from design studies a variety of Arts and Humanities perspectives. Therefore, SOTA101 the module will focus on three key interrelated contexts for the analysis and theorisation of video games as digital media culture: the text of the game itself as an aesthetic and formal virtual object, genre and system of representation; the video game player as a type of audience or user who is immersed, interactive, and embodied; the video game industry as a global media business, one with a strong Japanese presence presence and with a profound effect on the wider media context.

Spatial design 2 15 Covers practical topics related to the design of virtual spaces in games in games. Students will critically examine the architectural SOTA104 principles embedded within existing games and will apply these principles to the design of original 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional game spaces.

Please note: modules are illustrative only and subject to change.


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Core and selected optional modules overview Year Two


3D modelling and 1 15 Continues from the principles of spatial design covered in animation for games SOTA104 and introduces students to materials and SOTA203 techniques related to creating objects and complex structures within game spaces. Students will also learn about proper character rigging and state-based animation to create a range of game assets that can be used in standard game engines like Unity and Unreal Engine.

Composition for 1 15 This module provides an introduction to the design and digital games implementation of sound and music in video games. MUSI305 Students engage with game music scholarship and case studies, then apply their knowledge to create original sounds and music for premade game projects.

Different play 2 15 Students will be introduced to academic work that SOTA202 challenges the conventions of mainstream gaming, or what has been called ‘queer game studies’. It examines the relationship between queerness and play, and how the formalising of play into games, especially digital and technological games, has sustained and promoted societal norms. Themes covered include the representation of marginalised identities, queer reclamation of ‘failure’ and the ways that technology can reproduce or subvert social structures.

Game design 2 15 This module provides students with a chance to work on the independent project development of an individual project within their chosen SOTA204 specialisation with the appropriate member of staff.

Games playing roles 1 15 You will examine the role of games in contemporary society, ENGL297 and the ways in which this has been reflected within contemporary literature. Throughout this module, we will consider the relationship between games and literature in relation to three key areas, “Ludic Literature”, “Gaming Cultures”, and “Games of the Future”, to consider what they reveal about contemporary society and its interests in games and gaming.

Immersive media 1 15 Students will explore the histories, theories, and industries and virtual worlds related to the production of immersive experiences, digital COMM211 technologies and virtual realities and worlds. In particular, the module will focus on video games and cinema.

Music in gaming 1 15 This module will examine the function and design of music MUSI273 in video-games (including games-consoles, PCs, and smartphone ‘apps’). You will consider the historical development of music in gaming, the relationship between game-music and technological advance, and the role and function of music in different types of game.

Talking pictures 1 15 This module will develop your understanding of a range ENGL362 of texts within the tradition of comics, pictorial narrative and graphic literature. You will gain an understanding of the cultural, intellectual and historical contexts of comics and graphic literature.



Core and selected optional modules overview Year Three


Academic game 2 15 This module will provide a critical introduction to the studies SOTA302 emergence of modern academic game studies, the first dominant paradigm for academic engagement with video games. The first half of the module examines three key 20th century works which are frequently cited as foundational to game studies: Johan Huizinga’s Homo Ludens, Roger Caillois’ Man, Play and Games and Bernard Suits’ The Grasshopper. These texts will then, in the second half of the module, be challenged and compared with the work of self-identified ‘Game Studies’ academics such as Espen Aarseth, Jesper Juul and Gonzalo Frasca. Students will be encouraged to question whether and in what ways these two groups of theorists connect, and will learn to look into the blind spots of contemporary academic game studies and their relationships to wider games culture.

Game design 1 and 2 30 This module provides students with the opportunity collaborative project to contribute to a large-scale design project with other SOTA303 members of their cohort. Students will be assessed individually, but will develop team-based skills and produce a portfolio of work within their chosen pathway of a level appropriate for professional applications.

Philosophy of play 1 15 This module introduces students to the major philosophical and the virtual issues associated with play, games (especially digital games) PHIL343 and virtual worlds. It examines both the philosophical literature around play and contemporary concerns expressed in relationship to the growth of the video games industry, including addiction, violence, ‘gamification’ and the use of play and software for education and therapy. Students will learn to challenge common assumptions, including their own, about the triviality of play in relation to modern constructions of labour and value, and develop an understanding of how these assumptions underpin both popular and academic discussion of games.


xx@comingtolivuni /Universityof Liverpool @livuni UofLTube

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Find out moreliverpool.ac.uk/study

Accommodation: liverpool.ac.uk/accommodationFees and student finance: liverpool.ac.uk/moneyLife in Liverpool: liverpool.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/welcome-to-liverpoolStudent Welfare Advice and Guidance: liverpool.ac.uk/studentsupportUndergraduate enquiries and applications: T: +44 (0)151 794 5927

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Game Design StudiesThe University of Liverpool School of the ArtsAbercromby Square Liverpool L69 7WZ

T: +44 (0)151 795 0500 E: [email protected] liverpool.ac.uk/game-design-studies

Information provided is correct at time of going to press and is subject to change.

Game Design Studies - University of Liverpool · 2019-06-18 · 04 aculty of umanities an ocial...

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