Gameplay learningpr
- 1. 1 Tony Cuevas, Ph.D. Director – The Gameplay Learning Initiative Deputy Director, Research – SMU Guildhall April 2011
- 2. 2 About Me: Tony Cuevas • Ph.D. in Instructional Systems from Florida State University • 15 years developing Academic Programs and Instructional Systems Videogame Education Lessons Learned from The SMU Guildhall Experience Opportunities in Videogame Research Gearbox Collaboration Ideas ©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
- 3. 3 By the end of the next decade, a billion people will have grown up with video games More than 30,000 people make their living building games in the U.S., including: • Programmers • Producers • Artists • Testers/QA • Designers • Audio Games are interdisciplinary – at the intersection of established disciplines in computer science, art, design, psychology, education, etc. There are more than 500 academic programs (courses, certificates, minors, majors, degrees) related to game design and development in North America ©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
- 4. 4 Degrees Undergraduate Graduate 1. University of Southern 1. USC California (USC) 2. University of Central Florida 2. University of Utah 3. SMU Guildhall 3. DigiPen Institute of Technology 4. RIT 4. The Art Institute of Vancouver 5. Drexel University 5. Michigan State University 6. University of Utah 6. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 7. UC, Santa Cruz 7. Drexel University 8. Savannah College of Art and 8. Champlain College Design 9. Rochester Institute of 9. Parsons, The New School for Technology (RIT) Design 10. Becker College 10. University of Texas at Dallas Source: Princeton Review March 2011 ©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
- 5. 5 Videogame Education Lessons Learned from The SMU Guildhall Experience Opportunities in Videogame Research Gearbox Collaboration Ideas ©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
- 6. 6 In August 2002, SMU was approached by game industry leaders in Dallas to address a need for formal education to prepare game developers and future leaders Started with a blank slate based on this game industry partnership Developed an intense, cohort-based program modeled after the industry (project driven) Initially offered a graduate certificate with specializations in Art, Design and Programming In 2005, we developed a new “Master of Interactive Technology” degree in Digital Game Development, offered along with Certificate In 2011, we added a Production specialization Graduated over 350 students to date with alumni working in game studios across North America ©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
- 7. 7 Academic Qualifications (Undergraduate Preparation), Aptitude, and Commitment Art Level Software + Production Creation Design Development Coursework 58% Just-in-Time Game Major Minor Special Theory and Study Topics Application Work across Team Game Production 21% Disciplines at (Three Projects of Increasing Pace and in Complexity and Team Size) Style of Industry Directed Focus Study Projects 21% Demonstrate (Contributing to thesis or project acquired “in-lieu-of-a-thesis”, and graduate exhibition) strengths Professional Master of Interactive Certificate in Digital Technology in Digital Game Development Game Development ©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
- 8. 8 Partner with game development studios and publishers to define the curriculum and align the program for success • Focus on core skills important in the industry • Build on your strengths and areas of interest • Address research and development with meaning to the industry Incorporate project based assignments (including individual and team projects) • Interdisciplinary teams • Focus on creativity and collaboration • Engage participants in meaningful projects using practical technologies with realistic timelines Portfolio development • Develop and review individual and group portfolio pieces throughout the program ©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
- 9. 9 Videogame Education Lessons Learned from The SMU Guildhall Experience Opportunities in Videogame Research Gearbox Collaboration Ideas ©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
- 10. 10 Research on the design, development and application of videogames is in the early stages relative to traditional fields of study, but the attention to research on games is growing Research centers are being established as faculty develop research agendas in this area, including: • North Carolina State Digital Games Research Center • UC Irvine Center for Computer Games & Virtual Worlds Students are completing Thesis research as part of their academic programs to contribute to the growing field of study ©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
- 11. 11 Videogame research addresses a variety of areas, including: • Core technology (processors, memory, graphics, etc.) • User audiences and experience • Development and Production approaches • Platforms (consoles, mobile, PC, etc.) • Interfaces/controllers • Multi-player games • Beyond Entertainment (Serious Games) Gamification (use of gameplay mechanics for non-game applications – for example, Twitter/foursquare) Games for teaching and learning Games in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Promoting careers in Computer Science ©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
- 12. America’s Army Map Pack • Created AA Special Forces (Overmatch) map pack Microsoft Games XNA Project • We worked with the Microsoft Innovation Laboratory to find ways that Microsoft XNA tools and technology can help to drive improvements in game development academic programs Master’s Student Thesis Projects • Emotion in animation • Designing meaningful choices • Effects of realistic animal behavior on player immersion • How environments affect mood and perception • Planning AI 12 ©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
- 13. SMU Psychology Department – Virtual Reality Education 3D immersive and interactive scenarios (Half-Life2 mods) Preparing young women to handle potential dating violence situations SMU School of Education – Virtual Coaching and Simulations Virtual Coaching environments for teacher professional development (K-3 Reading Teachers and Coaches) Simulations to help Teachers identify and address student reading issues more efficiently 13 ©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
- 14. 14 Federal grants • DoD (Office of Naval Research, Army Research Labs, etc.) • NSF, NIH, Department of Justice • Department of Education: National Center for Research in Advanced Information and Digital Technologies Military R&D projects Industry research groups and collaborations • Microsoft Research • The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is working with the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA), Microsoft Corporation, and the MacArthur Foundation to harness the excitement surrounding computer and video games through a series of STEM-related video game design competitions Private foundations ©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
- 15. 15 There are a growing number of academic journals dedicated to videogame research, including: • Games and Culture, A Journal of Interactive Media (print, quarterly) • International Journal of Computer Games Technology (print) • International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations (IJGCMS, print) • Simulation & Gaming, An International Journal of Theory, Practice and Research (print) • Game Studies (online) • International Journal of Intelligent Games & Simulation (online) • Computer Game Education Review, teaching game design and development (online) • Journal of Game Design and Development Education (RIT, online) • ELUDAMOS, Journal for Computer Game Culture (online) ©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
- 16. 16 There are also a number of international conferences for presenting videogame research, including: • Game Developer Conference (GDC) • International Games Innovation Conference • DiGRA Conference – Think, Design, Play • SIGGRAPH • IEEE Conference on Computational Intelligence and Games (CIG) • Interactive Technology and Games Conference • IADIS International Conference on Game and Entertainment Technologies (GET) • GameON – Simulations and AI in Games Conference (EUROSIS) • Games, Learning, Society • Games for Health • Game based learning ©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
- 17. 17 Videogame Education Lessons Learned from The SMU Guildhall Experience Opportunities in Videogame Research Gearbox Collaboration Ideas ©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative
- 18. 18 What If: a game education program targeted to Gearbox? Pipeline and Workflow Technology and Tools Commercially relevant development pathways Teams researching and solving design challenges Gearbox works with many partners; consider cross- department/University/organization collaborations Think about building capabilities and expertise in emerging and risky development areas that present big opportunities Design competition (ESA STEM or a targeted competition with Microsoft and/or Sony) What are faculty and students in Puerto Rico interested in? -- We should let that help drive the discussion! ©2011, The Gameplay Learning Initiative