Theoretical and research-based studies (60%).

These will include a) significant time playing and experimenting with both educationally and commercially focused computer-based and console-based games, and a corresponding ‘meta-textual’ and ‘meta-visual’ commentary by course participants; b) an article or book review (no more than 5 pages, double-spaced and c) group presentation on one of the available course topics.

a) Meta-textual and meta-visual commentary (30%). During the course, you will be asked, in class to play games and to think about them in relation to what you read and what you are reading. Your task is to construct a website which reflects your intellectual production work in the course generally - what you’ve thought about, what you are thinking about, and how this might be changing. Think of this as an online ‘bricolage’ of sorts, which gives me a window into what and how you are thinking.

b) Article/Book review (20%). 5 pages, maximum. Any article from appended bibliography or by approval from me. This is not a summary, if you are confused as to the difference between an article/book review and a summary, please take a look at ANY scholarly book/article review as an example.

c) Group presentation (10%). A group seminar presentation which engages with the readings and topic at hand. Presentation should be no longer than an hour and should enhance and extend the topic for discussion as well as the readings.

Practical design and development project (40%).

Students will be expected to design and develop their own educationally-focused, computer-based game, based in part on their theoretical and research-based studies. Introductory-level technical instruction and support will be provided.

Because this will be a group project, and because it is necessary to recognize that different people produce different work and that inevitably some work harder than others, you will be asked to keep a log of your working hours on the project. You will also create a "credits" document, which explains the various "public" roles that people in your group had, which the whole group will approve.

I understand that group word can be arduous and difficult, but it is currently the case that no one person can be expected to have all the expertise necessary to complete a project of this kind. And it is certainly not the case, very often, that individuals create and design their own video games, they usually rely on a team of people, and if not that, they rely on their ‘friends’, whether virtual or embodied.

The project will be marked using the categories which will be used for the final project presentation, namely: "playability", narrative, character development, interactivity, user interface, theoretical "framework", general intentions, and some understanding of what you’d have it do if you had access to any/all technical support. It is expected that all work on this project will be completed by no later than one week after the final class (December 7).

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