Instructor: Diane Pozefsky

Contact Information:
office: Brooks 146
email: pozefsky@cs.unc.edu
office phone: 962-1817
Instant Message
    AIM  dianepozefsky 
    Googletalk: pozefsky

Time and Location: Tuesday and Thursday 2:00-3:15,  FB 008
    Course Details
    Course Calendar

In the News
    Dembling, Crossing the (Gender) Divide
    Starcraft Course opened for College - earn credits   
    Alumna creates ‘innov8’tive game for business school
    First-Person Shooter Modified For Fire Drill Simulation
    UK Politico Wants Games to Spread News About Climate Change
    Gaming at the TED Conference
    Some say video games teach math, other skills
    Softkinetic's 'Gesture Recognition' Perfect Fit for Exergaming
    Using Video Games as Bait to Hook Readers
    Serious Games for Immersive Cultural Training: Creating a Living World
   

Useful (or Interesting) Resources
    The 400 So Far (400 Rules for Game Design)
    Chris Crawford, The Art of Computer Game Design
    International Journal of Role-Playing
    Sudnow, Pilgrim in the Microworld
    Gender Bending (from Womengamers.com) part I part II
    Computing Now (special issue on Serious Games)
    Game Studies journal
    The Librarian's Guide to Gaming

Course Assignments
    Game Critique
    Game Project
    Paper Critique

Final Exam

Serious Games Catalogue

Course Details

Course Overview:   Serious Games are training, learning, or propaganda games used in schools, the military, companies, and the public service sector.  The premise behind studying serious games is three-fold: 

• First, games are a legitimate artistic media and just as we teach and preach through other forms of art, we can do so through games as well.  Because people learn through doing, it is a way for players to absorb concepts in an efficient and memorable manner.  
• Second, games are a natural way for "digital natives" to interact with concepts.  If we want to engage this population, we should do so in a media that interests them. 
• Finally, if people are going to play games, perhaps we can give them some games with additional value beyond entertainment (think classics vs. romance novels).

This course is intended as a broad introduction to the field of serious games.  We will look at a number of examples of existing serious games in order to learn through case studies.  The focus will be on game design but we will also look at development issues.  We will explore serious game development and how the components of games may be applicable to other areas.  Graduate students may find this course a useful opportunity to explore potential research areas.

Course Logistics:
This is a 3-credit course.  It includes classes, homework readings and assignments, tests, and team projects – development of a game.  As we study the different aspects of games, teams will evaluate their own games for those aspects.  The course will have a number of outside speakers.  Readings for the class will be primarily web-based. All students will be responsible for a serious game critique to be presented to the class and a paper critique.  Homework assignments will include a series of design exercises for proposed problesm to bve addressed with games.

Course Grading: