G A M E S
Computer Science 349
Wellesley College
Spring 2010
Instructor: Kevin Gold

Overview

This course will teach the design, history, and programming of games. The course will be taught in Flash; some previous programming experience of some kind will be assumed, but no previous experience with Flash will be necessary. The course will have both required reading, in which game designers and others discuss the creation of games, as well as required playing -- excellent examples from the history of video games that exemplify particular genres. The required playing is all free, and in the case of software, available for both Mac and PC. The textbook will be ActionScript 3.0: Game Programming University, which will provide code for some games that you will have the chance to improve using your new design and Flash skills. The course will culminate in a final project.

Schedule

Use "View Source" for a list of picture credits.

Tue Jan 26
Fri Jan 30
Tue Feb 2
Fri Feb 5
Tue Feb 9
Fri Feb 12
Fri Feb 19
Tue Feb 23
Fri Feb 26
Tue Mar 2
Fri Mar 5
Tue Mar 9
Fri Mar 12
Tue Mar 16
Fri Mar 19
Tue Mar 30
Fri Apr 2
Tue Apr 6
Fri Apr 9
Tue Apr 13
Fri Apr 16
Tue Apr 20
Fri Apr 23
Tue Apr 26
Fri Apr 30
Tue May 4
Mon May 17
Intro: Why are games interesting and exciting? Required Reading: Tic tac toe review by Paul DeStefano; Huizinga, Homo Ludens, Ch. 1
Required Playing:Passage, Alter Ego
Assignment: Response questions (due next class)
Interactive Fiction (Text Adventures) Required Reading: Jeremy Douglass on Shade
Required Playing:Photopia
Assignment: Game in Inform (due in 1 wk)
Intro to Flash 1: Building "Adventure"-style games Required Reading: Robinett on Adventure, from the Video Game Theory Reader
Required Playing:Adventure
Intro to Flash 2: Shmups and the Grand Illusion of the Stage Required Playing:The Ur-Quan Masters (Star Control II)
Optional Tutorial:Kongregate Shootorial (Note: uses AS 2.0, but shmup principles are the same!)
Assignment: Your First Flash Game (due in 1 wk)
Intro to Flash 3: Making Point and Click Adventures Required Playing:Today I Die
A Brief History of Board Games Required Reading:James Ernest's Make Magazine article
Assignment: Design a Board Game (due in 1 wk)
Game Mechanics and Their Analysis Required Reading: TBA
Collectible Card Games and Self-Modifying Games Required Reading:Mark Rosewater on Timmy, Johnny, and Spike; Richard Garfield on Magic's design
Assignment: A Dvorak Deck/RPG Reports (due in 2 wks)
Tabletop Role-Playing Games Required Reading: Thorne, "On John Tyne's Puppetland"
Required Playing: Puppetland
Effective Game Storytelling Required Reading:Campaign Sourcebook and Catacomb Guide, Mechner's Sands of Time writeup from Second Person
Computer RPGs Required Reading:Ch. 3 of Barton's Dungeons and Desktops, Planescape: Torment design doc
Required Playing:NetHack
Puzzle and Casual Games Required Playing: Bejeweled (1 or 2), Bookworm
Assignment: Match Three Plus (due in 1 wk)
Platformers I: History and design Required Playing:Braid (here for Mac demo)
Platformers II: Programming the Platformer Required Playing:N
Assignment: Platformer Plus (due in 1 wk)
Animation Required Reading: The Illusion of Life, Ch. 2
Games and Society discussion Required Reading:Goldstein, "Violent Video Games"; Griffiths and Davies, "Does Video Game Addiction Exist?"
Midterm
Turn-based strategy, Tower Defense, and RTS Required Reading: H.G. Wells, Little Wars
Required Playing: Choose one: Desktop Tower Defense, Immortal Defense (PC only), Plants Vs. Zombies
Assignment: Tower Defense (due in 1.5 wks)
Games as Simulations and Systems Required Playing:1066, Freeciv
Required Reading: Uricchio, "Simulation, History, and Computer Games"
AI in Games Required Reading:Mateas and Stern, "Writing Facade"; Isla, Handling Compexity in the Halo 2 AI
Rhythm Games Required Playing:Frets on Fire
Assignment: Project Proposals (due in 1 wk)
First-person shooters and 3D Required Reading, playing:TBA
Massively Multiplayer Online Games/Intro to Networking Required Reading:Ch.1 of Castronova, Exodus to the Virtual World Required Reading: Lee, Wage Slaves
Guest Speaker: Jess Scott, graphics programmer for Rock Band: the Beatles (tentative date)
Indie Games and Game Culture Optional Reading: Play This Thing!, The Independent Games Source Required Playing: You Have to Burn the Rope
Demo Day
Final Projects Due
Passage Alter Ego Star Control II Ancient Egyptian playing Senet A Magic card with recursion ("View Image" to enlarge) Planescape: Torment Braid N Super Columbine Massacre RPG Plants vs. Zombies Civilization IV Amplitude World of Warcraft gold farmers You Have to Burn the Rope