Welcome to CISC 3667 - Game Design and Development!

This web-site will provide a basic course outline, syllabus, and anything else that is important for the class. Feel free to email any questions, suggestions, thoughts, etc.

• Eric Zimmerman, Play as Research: The Iterative Design Process


• What is a Game?
• Kevin Maroney, What is a Game?
• Jane McGonigal, Reality is Broken
• Jesse Schell, The Art of Game Design, Chapter 4
• Chris Crawford, My Definition of 'Game'


• Game Mechanics and Rules
• Rules of Play, by Salen & Zimmerman, Chapter 11-12
• Jesse Schell, The Art of Game Design, Chapter 5


• Players' Relationship to Rules
• Rules of Play, by Salen & Zimmerman, Chapter 21


• Objects/Attributes/States/Actions, Feedback Loops
• Jesse Schell, The Art of Game Design, Chapter 12
• Rules of Play, by Salen & Zimmerman, Chapter 18


• Randomness and Probability
• Jesse Schell, The Art of Game Design, Chapter 12: Chance


• Serious Games
• James Paul Gee, Learning by Design: Good Video Games as Learning Machines

In addition, you are more than welcome to read any other game design or development books you find interesting. Here are a few suggestions:

• The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses by Jesse Schell
• Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals by Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman
• Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games by Tracy Fullerton

If you have any suggestions for additional readings, please let me know!

The Final Project is an individual, semester-long game development project. You will design, develop, test, and present an original playable digital game. Your completed game will be submitted to the CISC 3667 Class Game Jam and presented to the class at the end of the semester.

Remember: You will work on this project throughout the semester. Start thinking about your game early, but keep your scope realistic. You are not expected to create a commercial-quality game. Focus on creating a finished game that demonstrates your understanding of the concepts and skills covered in this course.

Project Requirements

Your game should demonstrate the game design and development concepts covered throughout the course, including:

• A clear goal and core mechanic
• A gameplay loop
• Rules and meaningful challenge
• Meaningful game state
• Player feedback
• Progression or difficulty
• User interface and navigation
• Persistence or meaningful data management

You will also create a Game Design Document (GDD) that explains your game concept, design decisions, development process, playtesting, iteration, and sources or assistance used.

Project Timeline

The project will develop alongside the topics covered in class. Use the milestones below to stay on track.

• Sept. 1 — Get Started: Begin thinking about possible game ideas, genres, themes, and player experiences. Start considering what you might realistically create during the semester.
• Sept. 10 — Develop Your Game Concept: Begin defining your game's goal, core mechanics, rules, objects, attributes, states, and interactions.
• Sept. 22–24 — Gameplay Loop and Prototype: Develop your core gameplay loop and begin thinking about how player actions, game states, and feedback work together. Experiment with a rough prototype of your game's core mechanic.
• Oct. 6–8 — Explore Web-Based Development: Experiment with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript by building a small playable browser game. Apply concepts such as player input, game state, interaction, scoring, and progression.
• Oct. 20 — Explore Game Engines, and Development Tools: Learn about different approaches to game development, including game engines and code-based development. Begin considering which approach may be appropriate for your game.
• Oct. 22–Nov. 5 — Development Workshops: Experiment with Unity and Godot and apply game development concepts such as player input, movement, interaction, collision, game logic, game state, and progression.
• Nov. 5 — Choose Your Development Tool: After exploring different development approaches, choose the tool or engine you will use for your final game. Consider your game's scope, mechanics, technical requirements, and your own skills.
• Nov. 5–17 — Build, Expand, and Develop Your Game Experience: Continue developing your game by implementing the core gameplay and adding the systems, content, challenge, progression, and features needed to create a complete experience. Refine your game's concept, genre, theme, and narrative as appropriate, and consider how the story and player experience work together with your gameplay mechanics.
• Nov. 17 — UX/UI and Accessibility: Review your controls, interface, instructions, navigation, onboarding, feedback, and accessibility. Make sure players can understand and interact with your game effectively.
• Nov. 19–24 — Playtest, Revise, and Polish: Test your game, identify problems with gameplay, usability, balance, difficulty, or technical functionality, and make meaningful improvements based on your findings.
• Dec. 1 — FINAL PROJECT DUE: Submit your completed game, Game Design Document, Class Game Jam submission, and required project files or documentation. Final presentations begin.
• Dec. 1–10 — Final Presentations: Present and demonstrate your completed game. Discuss your game's design and development process, challenges you encountered, changes made through playtesting or development, and your final playable game.

Important: These milestones are intended to keep you on track. Your game may change as you prototype, develop, test, and revise it. Iteration is an important part of the game development process.

Final Project: Instructions

Final Project Due: December 1, 2026 before the start of class

• 09/03 - In-Class Activity 1: Is it a Game?


• 09/10 - In-Class Activity 2: Build a Game


• 09/15 - In-Class Activity 3: Case Study - Players, Rules, and Wobbling in Super Smash Bros. Melee


• 09/22 - In-Class Activity 4: Feedback Loops in Games

Homework will be listed both here and on Brightspace and MUST be submitted via Brightspace unless instructed otherwise.

Homework:

• Homework 0: If I do not have it already, please email me your preferred email address to ensure that you receive any class messages that will be sent out.

• Homework 1: DUE 09/08 by 11:00 AM - The purpose of this assignment is to critically examine what counts as a "game" through the lens of different game design theorists. Submit your 2 page response on Brightspace.


• Homework 2: DUE 10/01 by 11:00 AM - The purpose of this assignment is to explore how randomness, probability, and expected value can be applied to game design. Submit your completed homework on Brightspace.

Group projects will be listed both here and on Brightspace. Unless instructed otherwise, all assignments must be submitted through Brightspace.

Group Project 1: Race-to-the-End!

In this project, you will work in groups to design, prototype, playtest, and revise a race-to-the-end board game. You will focus on game rules, player actions and choices, interactions, chance, strategy, and the overall player experience.

Important Dates

• September 17: Project assigned and group work begins.
• September 24: Playtesting with another group.
• September 25–28: Revise your game and complete your submissions.
• September 29: Final submission due before class.

Project Materials

• Group Project 1: Race-to-the-End! — Instructions

Group Assignments

Review the image below to find your assigned group members. You will work with your group throughout the project.

Reminder: Review the complete project instructions before beginning your work. Your group will submit one Game Design Report, and each student must submit an individual reflection through Brightspace.