If you could study Game Design

[Clight101]

So I'm in college and have the fortunate opportunity to build my program the way I want to. I'm only restricted by NY state SUNY guide lines and the colleges area of study guidelines. I'm a Creative Writing major but my focus and concentration is on Game Design and writing for the industry. Right now in my degree program I have listed several classes that don't exist anywhere that I know of. They are:

The History of Role Playing Games
Theory of Game Design
Creative Writing: Fantasy

Creative Writing: Fantasy is the form and structure of writing adventures, settings, and supplemental materials.

I'm wondering if any of you game designers out there who work as freelancers have any ideas about classes you wished they offered you when you were in school. Even any ideas for books, message boards or even possible teachers for me. I've already asked Mr. Louge and he said he was interested, I'm just not sure how much time he has. There's also this whole qualification process which I just found out about. I have to see how that works too. Anyways if anyone has any information or ideas I'd love to hear them.

I know it's always been a freelance industry for the most part to break into but I feel maybe it shouldn't always be that way. The industry is over 30 years old now and maybe there should be some people who have degrees in these things. I know people have degrees in Game Theory but now it probably time to start exploring this industry in a similar fashion.

Thanks for any ideas.
Chris

P.S. My school is Empire State College and it is an accredited SUNY school of NY State. Check it out if you live in NY and want to go back to school. It's geared for adult learners who have a life and can't always sit in classes. It'll change the way you think about the college learning experience.

 

[kallisti23]

My advice is simple... LOAD UP on Philosophy courses. I'm serious, brother.

Philosophy will not teach you how to write or how to design games. It will teach you how to THINK, linearly and non-linearly, and will aquaint you with constructive methodologies of creation and critical evaluation. In other words, Philosophy will not teach you how to do anything at all, it will simply empower you to do better at the things you already do, including, yes, game design/adventure writing/campaign creation.

Psychoanalysis (as distinguished from Psychiatry or Psychology) is also full of insights that are a Philosophic Medicine to the creator in all of us... I myself utilize the Jungian Archetypes of the Subconscious in my own stories to good effect (the Archetypes are in all stories and images anyway, but if you're familiar with them academically, then you can utilize them diliberately, instead of, well, subconsciously). The Neurotic and Psychotic Complexes also make a good base-line for demons and devils in a role-playing game, and many Psychoanalists, including Freud, Jung, and Von Franz, drew parallels between Neurosis/Psychosis and demonic possession.

Anthropology... I probably don't need to explain this one, but, briefly, if you are acquainted with how human societies develop, operate, and change over time, then any orc, goblin, dwarf, or elf societies that you create will be all the better for it. I recommend finding a copy of Wilhelm Wundt's "The Elements of Folk Psychology" as a standard reference here.

Any course on Religion, Mythology, or Theology is likely to offer much inspiration to any aspiring writer or artist, including the game designer.

Oh, and one last thing, brother... take up a serious academic study of the Qabalah. I can't say why, but it's among the best pieces of advice I can offer to anyone, anywhere, who wants to learn how to think, create, and dream. No bullsh*t.

 

[Andre]

I'm not a game designer, but I'll throw out a few ideas.

Statistics. Useful when you're trying to figure out the math behind a system.

English. Good writing takes practice and good English courses can be a big help.

Anthropology/Sociology/History. No specific areas, just get a feel for how societies function. Besides, history is full of great stories you can borrow (steal) for adventures and settings.

Drama. Learn roles, improvisation, pacing, tropes, and so on.

Lastly, something that will bring in a paycheck, since your chances of making a living as a game designer are about the same as playing in the NFL.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Also you should keep your eyes open for colleges that do have Game Design programs.

For example, the college I am going to George Brown College in Toronto (I am going for Social Worker) has a Post-Graduate Game Design program, while most of it is electronics. They do cover basic game-theory and "Traditional Games"

http://www.georgebrown.ca/Marketing/FTCal/design/G405.aspx

Traditional Game Prototypes

As part of their foundation studies, students will learn about the roots of game play, starting from the tabletop. Game design fundamentals include definitions of game play, the psychology of game players, and the principles of rewarding interactivity, among other key concepts. Through a series of intensive lectures and hands-on workshops, each student will apply sound game theory to the planning and development of a fully functional, tabletop game prototype.

 

[d20Dwarf]

I'm not really clear on what you're asking for.

 

[Clight101]

Thanks Kallisti, those are some excellent idea's. I do study philosophy outside of my schooling as well as anthropology but never Psychoanalysis or even thought to look at Qabalah. I'll have to pick up a book or two on it.

Andre I know you can't make it as a freelancer. My degree is going to be primarily a creative writing degree and I'm planing on getting my masters in Editing. It's just if I had my choice of job it would be as a writer/game designer for a company. Plus as they say if your work is very good and out there someone will hire you. Thanks for the concern though. I agree with you whole heartedly about the writing classes. I've already taken a lot of them and have several more lined up before I graduate. Practice makes perfect as they say.

Thanks Fallen Seraph, that is immensely helpful. I've know there are Game design theory classes out there I'm just trying to find a bunch of them to compare what they teach. I imagine it would be very similar but I'd still like to know. George Brown is on my list of college to research their programs.

Just to clarify I go to a school where many of the classes I take are guided independent study and we build our degree to fit what we want to do with it. The degree I'm building is to make me a well rounded creative writer but it has a focus on Game design specifically Role Playing games. I'm still writing and reading short stories, non fiction and the novel and writing longer works. With that are elements of the RPG game design industry. So when I graduate I won't only know how to write in the traditional formats but I'll have studied and worked in non traditional formats of adventure design, rules design and supplement design. What I'm asking for is what classes would you take for this purpose and why would you take them or if they exist where would you take them so i can reference them in my program rational. It's an essay that defines what my program is and why the classes I wish to take work of it. So yeah I'm out here asking the general public for their opinion as part of my research. I thank you all so far for your input. It has been quite helpful.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

1) There actually are academic programs in game-design out there being started up (one example is SMU's Guild Hall), albeit mostly emphasizing computer games. However, classes like "Level Design" and others are as applicable to pen & paper as to computer games.

2) If you can find a class on Game theory, take it. Occasionally, issues in it pop up in other disciplines (like the Prisoner's Dilemma), but only in limited form.

I agree on taking Philosophy and Stats. Philosophy lets you handle both logic and ethical issues that might arise in game (and the pressures they would place on players), and Stats will help you model the math of your game. Consider how many threads on this and other boards cover Paladins and Ethics?

(Try this short one on for size: http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=217020&page=1&pp=30 )

A class or two in Psychology might be in order simply to delve into the theraputic uses of Role Play.

Classes in Sociology might illustrate how behaviors & dynamics within small groups cause them to be perceived by outsiders, and vice versa.

Other classes I think would be important would be Creative Writing with emphasis on both the Short Story- analogous to adventure writing- and the Novel- analogous to campaign design. Some sort of history of Gaming (covering its wargaming roots, social backlash, and the variety of fictional and RW influences upon the hobby) would be in order as well.

3) Also, check out this thread:

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=208805&page=1

 

[Tewligan]

...I'm serious, brother.
...
Oh, and one last thing, brother...

Heh - totally OT, but I imagined your post being read by Hulk Hogan because of the "brothers", Kallisti. It was TOTALLY awesome in my head!

 

[Nlogue]

Hey Chris!

I forgot to mention on the Sinister Adventures forums: Check out Columbia...I think they offer courses in game design! No joke! Maybe you could take one through Empire or audit one at the very least!

 

[grodog]

Check out the SMU Guildhall program @ http://guildhall.smu.edu/ Paul Jaquays teaches there sometimes.

Dave Arneson teaches at the Full Sail University @ http://www.fullsail.edu/game-development/overview.html which is where Dave Arneson teaches.

I'm sure there are other accredited programs out there too.