Introduction to Game Development Tools (5 cr)

Evaluation scale

H-5

Content scheduling

Week 36: Introduction to games industry and the history of video games
Week 37: Game Design and instructions for your first game project
Week 38: Game Engines
Week 39: Consept presentations
Week 40: Game Graphics
Week 41: Game Programming
*Work on your own*
Week 43: Game Programming - AI
Week 44: Prototype presentations
Week 45: Game Audio and tools
Week 46: Game Optimization and polishing
Week 47: Publishing the project. Publishing platforms, channels and process
Week 48: Reserved for visiting lecturer from Industry
Week 49: Final Game presentation

Objective

After completing the course, the student will be able to:
- Identify the roles in game development and integrate into a game production team
- Identify and use the most common game development tools and industry standards
- Identify different platforms in game development and perform basic operations within one platform
- Understand and apply game design thinking
- Use basic tools related to audio listener and audio source interaction
- Understand copyright law and the purpose of immaterial property

Content

Introduction to
- The history of video games
- Phases and disciplines of the game development process
- 2D and 3D game content creation
- Game audio (basic sound editing and sound implementation within games)
- Game programming
- Game development tools and game platforms
- The game industry

Materials

Due to the practical nature of this course, there is no prescribed learning material. All necessary documentation and other material toward the successful completion of Intro to Game Dev Tools will be shared with students throughout the course.

Teaching methods

The course will be delivered through online lecture sessions only.
Peer-assisted learning is required throughout the course of the group project.

This course is a collaboration with the University of Turku and we will use the Moodle learning platform. The shortcut for the moodle page is:
http://bit.ly/igdt2020

Students are able to access Moodle using their Haka accounts (TUAS account credentials).

Exam schedules

No exam dates;
This course does not have any retake possibilities. Failing the course means that students will have to repeat it the following year.

Pedagogic approaches and sustainable development

This course leans on CDIO principles and takes a project-based learning approach.

Student workload

This course requires students to work 135 hours and is divided as follows:
- Lectures and presentations: 40 hours
- Group work and preparation: 95 hours
The group work requires students to work together in teams to make a small game project.

Students will be required to present their group game project in 3 milestones:
Week 39 - Concept presentation
Week 44 - Prototype presentation
Week 49 - Final game presentation

The concept and prototype presentations are for monitoring student progress and used as the basis of formative feedback. For every formative milestone missed, one grade point will be deducted from the final grade of each group member.

The final game presentation is mandatory - failure to present this will cause the entire group to fail the course.

Evaluation methods and criteria

The game project is evaluated as follows:
GROUP grade...
- Industry expert evaluation of the game (H-5);
- Lecturer overall impression of the game (H-5).
The average of these two gives a group grade for each student per project.

INDIVIDUAL student per group grade
Each student will also be measured on their contribution to the group's activities for each project by:
- Self assessment of the contribution made;
- Group member evaluation of the contribution made;
The average of these gives an individual grade for each student per project.

Each project's grade will be calculated:
(GROUP grade x 0,5) + (INDIVIDUAL grade x 0,5)

Failed (0)

Failure to produce and present the group game project will cause the entire group to fail the course.
Individual non-participation as determined by the peer-evaluation will also lead to failing the course.

Qualifications

Game Development Essentials (5051259)

Further information

This course is a collaboration with the University of Turku and we will use the Moodle learning platform. The shortcut for the moodle page is:
http://bit.ly/igdt2020

Students are able to access Moodle using their Haka accounts (TUAS account credentials).