FA20: INTRODUCTION TO GAMES: 7974

Professor Edward Castronova
castro@indiana.edu
In-person meetings by appointment

TA Xu Yang

yang275@iu.edu

Class time: Tuesday 6:45pm - 9:45pm.

Class is held in Discord. Download and install Discord and go to https://discord.gg/9VRebX (effective September 1 only) to join the server. If you are trying to get the server invite at some other time, contact the TA at the email above for the current Discord invite link.

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Hello and welcome. This course is an online survey of concepts and ideas about games. We will talk about the history of thinking about games, and the engineering of games today. The course uses different online games as examples of the concepts. There are assigned readings, joint play sessions, lectures, and midterms.

Grades

Grades are based on three midterms (total: 100 points) and attendance (75 points). The schedule is below. Midterms are not cumulative; each test covers only the material since the last test.

Attendance

Attendance is mandatory. Every Tuesday from 6:45pm to 9:45pm you must log on to the Discord server and play online games with other people in your breakout room. These games are complicated and you will need to work together to understand them. A large part of the midterms will be questions about the games. You will need to know the rules and the best strategies as well.

Materials

Students will need to acquire the following readings and games.

Johan Huizinga, Homo Ludens (buy online)

J.R.R. Tolkien, On Fairy Stories link

Edward Castronova, Virtual Worlds link

Michael Sellers, Advanced Game Design (buy online)

Catan link

World of Warcraft link

Pandemic  Root link

Evolution link

Twilight Struggle link

Technical Requirements

Games have been chosen so that they have minimal technical requirements. However, each game has its own minimum settings required to play. Students must check and verify that they have access to computers and networks that allow them to play these games, with other students, at the assigned times. You do not need to own the equipment, but you must be able to at least use it during class time (borrowing a friend's computer is allowed). No allowances or adjustments will be made for students who are unable to play for technical reasons. Exception: Blips, outages, lag, and other minor technical problems are normal and expected and will not affect the grade. However, students who cannot play at all for technical reasons will not receive credit for the games they miss. If a student has any doubts about their access to the required technology, they should not take the class.

Bonus Points

Up to 20 bonus points can be earned by taking an optional test on the game Labyrinth: The War on Terror.

Labyrinth link

This is an advanced and difficult game that is offered as a form of extra credit to help students increase their score. The test on this game is not required but will be offered in the same time slot as Midterm 3. Students who need extra points to increase their grade should work on learning this game prior to the end of the semester, then take the test after they finish Midterm 3.

Communication Channels

Class meets in Discord. To attend class, you must first be invited to the server. Contact the TA for the current invite link. At class time, connect to the server.

All class communications take place in the #C210 channel of the IU Game Program's Slack community. All students are required to go to iu-games.slack.com and sign up.

Contact the professor in Slack or by email at castro@indiana.edu.  Contact the TA by email at yang275@iu.edu. Do not use Canvas Inbox.

Policies

Students are expected to follow the IU Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct. Academic dishonesty can result in a failing grade for an assignment or the entire course.