Week8 LIVE class 2010

© Carrie Heeter, 2010

Foundations of Serious Games

Professor Carrie Heeter


Emily Brozovic Sean Huberty


Daniel: The McDonalds Game Sandrine: Happy Night Club Steve: Cutthroat Capitalism Derek: Spectre

Alan: Harpooned Kristine: Peacemaker June: Cow Clicker John: The Cat and the Coup


8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Finals

10/27 11/3 11/10 11/17 11/24 12/1 12/5 12/15

playtest final game

Meaningful Play report due

Playtest report due

Final project web site, game due

Graded on quality of RESEARCH.A successful playtest informs important

design CHANGES. (Confirming that your game was perfect would be a failed

Playtest.)

(no LIVE class)


Understand your player Online research Talk to stakeholders If there’s a context, spend time in that context

DO NOT DESIGN FOR YOURSELF. Background knowledge? Interest, involvement? Motivation related to game goals? Distractions?


Be specific. Be tangible. Come up with a real situation Consider talking with a stakeholder.


Definitely going to be needed. Expect to learn a lot. Share with the team. Keep references for your web site.


Other games on your topic? Check out and analyze

Other games similar to your game mechanics? Check out and analyze.


W8/Tonight: 30 ideas in 30 minutes, across 2 serious domains Narrow to one domain and audience

This week: Explore the problem space Player research Possible stakeholder? Content research

W9/Next week: Brainstorm again with a renewed, deeper understanding of your audience, the need, the content. Decide on a core game mechanic and direction


Continue research on all fronts Develop rough paper prototype of some

aspect of your game, with a clear idea of the questions you want to answer.


Conduct playtest and write up report (a powerpoint document)


Take a break and spend time with friends or family


Revise your prototype concept, polish your game idea

Finalize copy for web site


Present final game and web site during class Turn in to TC office to Fedex to Carrie Celebrate


2 possible serious domains/goals (health, learning, social change, news game,

training, gamification, other) Have one list for each domain, one scribe for

each game We’ll use my brand new game brainstorm

tool. RULE: draw one card from one deck and one

card from another deck. You can replace one but not both cards, at

most 2 times.

Week8 LIVE class 2010

Entertainment & Humor

Transcript of Week8 LIVE class 2010