Assignments and Projects

 

 

NOTE: I’m happy to work out a different set of assignments for any student. To use this option, you must email me with what you’d like to do and why before your third week in the course. After week 3, I may still be willing to work out a separate set of assignments, but it’s unlikely.

 

Acceptable reasons for different assignments are that different assignments would improve the educational and/or professional value of this course. For instance, if you want to become a game journalist and you’d like to write two more gaming articles to develop your professional portfolio instead of doing the normal third project.

 

Quizzes

Throughout the course, you will take quizzes on the reading material and games (15% of your total grade). These quizzes are to ensure that you read/played/viewed the required material. 

 

Discussion Board Posts

Throughout the course, you will to post three times to the class discussion board responding to the course reading or games. Each post is 3% of your grade (15% of your total grade). These posts should be at least 300 words on the readings for that lesson, on the games discussed for that lesson, or on another student’s posts for that lesson. As with all work for the course, the discussion boards should help foster a friendly and productive course environment. 

 

Project 1

For your first project (10% of your grade), write an essay of 1000-1500 words on your relationship to gaming. This essay will be posted to the class discussion board. The purpose of this assignment is to let other students (and me) learn about you and your relationship to gaming. It will also allow students with similar interests to discuss the course material and possible collaboration on projects.

 

• Components: The essay should answer the following questions:
• Why are you taking this class?
• Why do games and gaming matter to you?
• Why/how do you think games and gaming matter to society? To schools and education?
• What do you think is most interesting about games and gaming? 

 

Project 2:

For your second project (20% of your grade), pick one of the following.

 

Project 2, Option A: Write a high level journalistic gaming article reviewing a game or studying an aspect of gaming. The article should be at least 1,000 words in a word processing document emailed to me. See the articles and reviews on GamesFirst.com for examples.

 

• Components: The article should have a clear point of view and a clear purpose. In order to help you write your article:
• Email me with a list of four possible topics or game titles for your article. Explain in a few sentences why each topic would work as an article.
• I’ll approve one of your topics and provide suggestions for your writing.
• I’m happy to provide comments and direction during the writing process. I recommend writing an introduction and an outline to send to me for comments.

 

Project 2, Option B: Write a full set of lesson plans for studying an aspect of gaming or for using a game in a course. The plans should be for a college level course with complementary plans for using the lesson in a high school level course. The lesson plans should be detailed—explaining to the new teacher why you chose a particular game, how the game works, what the learning objectives are, and then detailing the lesson to teach to students. The plans should also address the technology needs for the lesson, and thoughts on how to work around technology issues (can students pair up, be in groups of two or three or four, if the game crashes is there a board game or activity alternative to keep the class moving?). The lesson plans should be in word processed document emailed to me. See the lesson plans on JosieTrue.com for examples.

 

• Components: The lesson plans should have a clear purpose. In order to help you write your lesson plans:
• Email me with a list of four possible subjects or topics for your lesson plans. Explain in a few sentences why each would work in a course, and which course, for teaching a particular topic.
• I’ll approve one of your topics and provide suggestions for your writing.
• I’m happy to provide comments and direction during the writing process. I recommend writing an introduction and an outline to send to me for comments.

 

Project 3

For the final project (40% of your grade), pick one of the following.

 

 

 

Project 3, Option A: Book Review: This project is an academic book review, of at least 2,000 words to be posted to Gameology.org. The review should review the book in relation to game studies as a field, for the book’s relevance and usefulness. See the book reviews on ImageTexT for example book reviews.

Components: 

• Email me with a list of three books you would like to review, ranked in order of preference with a few sentences (or more) on why. I’ll email you back with the book choice. This proposal process is meant to ensure that more books are reviewed, and that students don’t review the same book.
• Write the book review and email it to me. I’m happy to provide comments and direction on the book review during this process.

 

 

Project 3, Option B: Project: Design a simple game and create a working prototype.

Components: 

• Email me with your project idea. The project idea should be at least 500 words explaining what type of game you want to design (board, card, other), how you plan to create it (Photoshop, Google SketchUp, Flash, YouTube, Blog, another? See the resources here.) and how it will work (rules, game goal, number of players, purpose, general theme). I will provide commentary and helpful criticism and approve your project once it is viable.
• Complete the game along with 1000 words explaining why and how the game works. Email the project and explanation to me or email me a link to where these are on the web. I’m happy to provide comments and direction during the creation process. I recommend creating a simple prototype (Word document with general notes, or simple image) and then sending it to me for comments. Part of creating a game is playtesting it, so don’t spend too much time on design before you have a prototype you can test.
• I recommend creating a game with a purpose. Completely fun games are great, but thinking of them and then learning how to make them work can be very difficult. Creating a game with a purpose helps define your goals, and limits. In doing so, it can make the game easier to create and the purpose means that you could get it published (meaning that it could be a great example on a resume). Topics that could be used include: A game to familiarize new students to UF (could be used by new student Preview).
• A game to teach students how to use the library (maybe including where all of the libraries are on UF campus). The librarians would be able to help define their goals for such a project and thus help you define your project.
• A game to teach new workers at a particular job. The game could be for a specific industry or a general game for all work environments—like a game teaching about Worker’s Compensation rules, sexual harassment, dealing with customers, and so on.
• A game to teach a particular topic at the college level. Many games are already available for elementary, middle, and high schools; however, far fewer games are available for college-level courses. Perhaps a game teaching players how to apply for graduate school? How to navigate financial aid? A particular topic in your major?