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Course Criteria
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2.25 Credits
(Prerequisite MDC 694) Committee review and critique of a completed thesis: the digital cinema short, written thesis, and digital portfolio. The candidate is allowed a maximum of three reviews to meet the qualification standards for the MFA. This is a two-month course. Grading is H, S, or U only. The course must be repeated for an unqualified project.
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4.50 Credits
This course explores the stages of development of a video game from initial concept through design, core development, post production and quality assurance, to final Gold Master Candidate and finally to product release and marketing. The course covers critical terminology of game production and introduces students to the complexities of the collaborative process between creative and technical team members that goes to making a next-generation video game. Students will also be introduced to the Game Design Document and learn about the typical structure and purpose of a Design Document by reading several commercial samples before creating their own. (Documents produced in this course are included as part of the MFA-GP digital portfolio and form the basis of further work on a game design and related documentation which the student will produce as part of the final thesis).
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4.50 Credits
In this course, students analyze the many factors impacting effective game design. The course explores the nature of play and what elements can make the difference whether a game is fun and playable or not. Students examine different game genres, styles of play, the influence of psychology on game design elements and consider the positive and negative social impact of games. Other topics include: how different hardware platforms and devices influence game designs and how game design theory addresses different design purposes such as entertain, train, educate, or simulate. In this course students will solidify the core original game design they will produce their final project, and learn how to better integrate this design into the game design documentation. (Documents produced in this course are included as part of the MFA-GP digital portfolio and form the basis of further work on a game design and related documentation which the student will produce as part of the final thesis).
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4.50 Credits
During this course students compare the craft of writing for linear media such as film and television with writing for games and related interactive entertainment media. The course will cover traditional narrative strategies and the impact of interactive game theory on developing game scripts. The course also covers the relationship between copyright licensing and story development. Based on an original game design concept students develop and workshop a basic game storyline and draft selected scenes. Students will also use screenwriting software and programs used in the game industry. (Documents produced in this course are included as part of the MFA-GP digital portfolio and form the basis of further work on a game design and related documentation which the student will produce as part of the final thesis).
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4.50 Credits
This course explores the impact of sound and art on the overall production and design of a game and the theoretical issues surrounding potential new advances in both sound and graphic technologies. Art design issues such as characters, environments, and interfaces will be examined as will the use of storyboarding as an aid to narrative flow and game design. The course also covers the role of the Art and Sound Directors and various other art and sound crafts in a game production team sound design, as well as the role of music, sound effects and voice-overs and the use of out-sourcing in game design. This course will include hands on experience with audio editing software as well as an introduction to game art programs, middleware and tools.
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4.50 Credits
(Prerequisites: MGP 650 and MGP 651) This course provides in-depth coverage of the various elements that form a commercial quality game design document including a technical design section and art book. Topics covered include integrating budgets and schedules into the document as well as accounting for detailed source material for the core elements of the design logic. Students will continue to work on creating their own design document based on their original game design and will start writing the major sections of the design document. (Documents produced in this course are included as part of the MFA-GP digital portfolio and extend the work started in MGP 650 and MGP 651 on an original game design and related documentation which the student will produce as part of the final thesis).
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4.50 Credits
This course covers the practical application of game engines such as Unreal and how they play an integral part of game development. Students learn how to write scripts for the engine, to analyze the issues surrounding the correct play-balancing of a game, to layout game levels on paper and call out all scriptable areas for game content and logic. Students also explore how engines can be used for "modding,"altering an existing game using the editing features of the core engine, and how a game engine can be used to rapidly prototype a game concept or design. Finally, students will use the engine to produce a prototype of the original game design. (Documents produced in this course are included as part of the MFA-GP digital portfolio and form the basis of further work on a game design and related documentation which the student will produce as part of the final thesis).
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4.50 Credits
This onsite course will introduce students to 3D tools used by the games industry such as Maya 3D Max and Lightwave. Students will gain hands on experience of using at least one of these major 3D art and animation programs and will build basic models and characters, learn the use of a skeleton, rigging and turnarounds. The elements of animating a character will be covered and the issues relating to integrating resulting graphic content into a finished game will be explored. Students will also study motion capture and the importance it has to successful animation in today's video games. (Art and animation assets produced in this course are included as part of the MFA-GP digital portfolio and form the basis of further work on a game design and related documentation which the student will produce as part of the final thesis).
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4.50 Credits
(Prerequisite: MGP651) This workshop functions as a design sandbox that allows students to workshop original game design concepts that they will produce as part of their thesis. Students will be exposed to commercial case studies on issues successful game designers face in designing, developing and producing games for the industry. In this master-class setting industry veterans will also provide feedback on student projects.
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4.50 Credits
(Prerequisite: MGP 654) This course covers of all aspects of managing a game design and development team and the entire production pipeline and infrastructure. Students generate project budgets and schedules using software tools such as Microsoft Project for scheduling and project management and MS Excel for budgeting purposes. Asset Management Systems such as Alien Brain or Sourcesafe will be examined, as will the critical role played by backup systems. Additional topics include management challenges encountered in the game industry by its unique mix of creative and technical personnel.
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