View
434
Download
2
Category
Preview:
DESCRIPTION
Citation preview
Tony Cuevas, Ph.D.
Director – The Gameplay Learning Initiative
Deputy Director, Research – SMU Guildhall
April 2011
1
About Me: Tony Cuevas
• Ph.D. in Instructional Systems from Florida State University• 15 years developing Academic Programs and Instructional Systems
Videogame Education
Lessons Learned from The SMU Guildhall Experience
Opportunities in Videogame Research
Gearbox Collaboration Ideas
2
©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
By the end of the next decade, a billion people will have grown up with video games
More than 30,000 people make their living building games in the U.S., including:
• Programmers
• Artists
• Designers
Games are interdisciplinary – at the intersection of established disciplines in computer science, art, design, psychology, education, etc.
There are more than 500 academic programs (courses, certificates, minors, majors, degrees) related to game design and development in North America
3
©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
• Producers
• Testers/QA
• Audio
4
©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
Degrees
Undergraduate
1. University of Southern California (USC)
2. University of Utah
3. DigiPen Institute of Technology
4. The Art Institute of Vancouver
5. Michigan State University
6. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
7. Drexel University
8. Champlain College
9. Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)
10. Becker College
Graduate
1. USC
2. University of Central Florida
3. SMU Guildhall
4. RIT
5. Drexel University
6. University of Utah
7. UC, Santa Cruz
8. Savannah College of Art and Design
9. Parsons, The New School for Design
10. University of Texas at DallasSource: Princeton Review March 2011
Videogame Education
Lessons Learned from The SMU Guildhall Experience
Opportunities in Videogame Research
Gearbox Collaboration Ideas
5
©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
In August 2002, SMU was approached by game industry leaders in Dallas to address a need for formal education to prepare game developers and future leaders
Started with a blank slate based on this game industry partnership
Developed an intense, cohort-based program modeled after the industry (project driven)
Initially offered a graduate certificate with specializations in Art, Design and Programming
In 2005, we developed a new “Master of Interactive Technology” degree in Digital Game Development, offered along with Certificate
In 2011, we added a Production specialization Graduated over 350 students to date with alumni
working in game studios across North America
6
©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
7
©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
Academic Qualifications (Undergraduate Preparation), Aptitude, and Commitment
Coursework
Game Study
Major Minor Special Topics
Just-in-Time Theory and Application
Team Game Production (Three Projects of Increasing Complexity and Team Size)
Work across Disciplines at Pace and in
Style of Industry
Directed Focus Study Projects (Contributing to thesis or project
“in-lieu-of-a-thesis”, and graduate exhibition)
Demonstrate acquired strengths
Art
Creation
Software
Development
Professional Certificate in Digital Game Development
Master of Interactive Technology in Digital Game Development
Level
Design
58%
21%
21%
+ Production
Partner with game development studios and publishers to define the curriculum and align the program for success
• Focus on core skills important in the industry• Build on your strengths and areas of interest• Address research and development with meaning to the industry
Incorporate project based assignments (including individual and team projects)
• Interdisciplinary teams• Focus on creativity and collaboration• Engage participants in meaningful projects using practical
technologies with realistic timelines
Portfolio development
• Develop and review individual and group portfolio pieces throughout the program
8
©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
Videogame Education
Lessons Learned from The SMU Guildhall Experience
Opportunities in Videogame Research
Gearbox Collaboration Ideas
9
©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
Research on the design, development and application of videogames is in the early stages relative to traditional fields of study, but the attention to research on games is growing
Research centers are being established as faculty develop research agendas in this area, including:
• North Carolina State Digital Games Research Center
• UC Irvine Center for Computer Games & Virtual Worlds
Students are completing Thesis research as part of their academic programs to contribute to the growing field of study
10
©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
Videogame research addresses a variety of areas, including:
• Core technology (processors, memory, graphics, etc.)
• User audiences and experience
• Development and Production approaches
• Platforms (consoles, mobile, PC, etc.)
• Interfaces/controllers
• Multi-player games
• Beyond Entertainment (Serious Games) Gamification (use of gameplay mechanics for non-game
applications – for example, Twitter/foursquare) Games for teaching and learning Games in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Promoting careers in Computer Science
11
©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
12
America’s Army Map Pack• Created AA Special Forces
(Overmatch) map pack
Microsoft Games XNA Project• We worked with the Microsoft Innovation Laboratory to find
ways that Microsoft XNA tools and technology can help to drive improvements in game development academic programs
Master’s Student Thesis Projects• Emotion in animation • Designing meaningful choices• Effects of realistic animal behavior on player immersion• How environments affect mood and perception• Planning AI
©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
13
SMU Psychology Department –Virtual Reality Education 3D immersive and interactive
scenarios (Half-Life2 mods)
Preparing young women to handle potential dating violence situations
SMU School of Education –Virtual Coaching and Simulations Virtual Coaching environments for
teacher professional development (K-3 Reading Teachers and Coaches)
Simulations to help Teachers identify and address student reading issues more efficiently
©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
Federal grants• DoD (Office of Naval Research, Army Research Labs, etc.)• NSF, NIH, Department of Justice• Department of Education: National Center for Research in
Advanced Information and Digital Technologies
Military R&D projects
Industry research groups and collaborations• Microsoft Research• The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is working with
the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA), Microsoft Corporation, and the MacArthur Foundation to harness the excitement surrounding computer and video games through a series of STEM-related video game design competitions
Private foundations
14
©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
There are a growing number of academic journals dedicated to videogame research, including:
• Games and Culture, A Journal of Interactive Media (print, quarterly)
• International Journal of Computer Games Technology (print)
• International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations (IJGCMS, print)
• Simulation & Gaming, An International Journal of Theory, Practice and Research (print)
• Game Studies (online)
• International Journal of Intelligent Games & Simulation (online)
• Computer Game Education Review, teaching game design and development (online)
• Journal of Game Design and Development Education (RIT, online)
• ELUDAMOS, Journal for Computer Game Culture (online)
15
©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
There are also a number of international conferences for presenting videogame research, including:
• Game Developer Conference (GDC)
• International Games Innovation Conference
• DiGRA Conference – Think, Design, Play
• SIGGRAPH
• IEEE Conference on Computational Intelligence and Games (CIG)
• Interactive Technology and Games Conference
• IADIS International Conference on Game and Entertainment Technologies (GET)
• GameON – Simulations and AI in Games Conference (EUROSIS)
• Games, Learning, Society
• Games for Health
• Game based learning
16
©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
Videogame Education
Lessons Learned from The SMU Guildhall Experience
Opportunities in Videogame Research
Gearbox Collaboration Ideas
17
©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
What If: a game education program targeted to Gearbox? Pipeline and Workflow Technology and Tools Commercially relevant development pathways Teams researching and solving design challenges
Gearbox works with many partners; consider cross-department/University/organization collaborations
Think about building capabilities and expertise in emerging and risky development areas that present big opportunities
Design competition (ESA STEM or a targeted competition with Microsoft and/or Sony)
What are faculty and students in Puerto Rico interested in? -- We should let that help drive the discussion!
18
©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
Recommended