Game Mechanics

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Undertake and evaluate human (player) testing of game products, prototypes and projects concepts for your current level of study.
• Employ practical intelligence and experimentation to exploit medium of games for your current level of study.
• Design and develop games outcomes and methodologies appropriate to the contemporary games industry for your current level of study.

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• specialist roles, skills, processes and audiences relevant to your discipline

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• creatively problem solve ideas through observation and investigation

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• communicate and present ideas effectively to audiences across a range of formats

What You'll Do:

• Field Trips: Participate in immersive experiences that inspire creativity and provide a foundation for your ideas.
• Workshops and Activities: Participate in workshops that involve playing, creating, and reflecting on different components that define game mechanics.
• Exploration of Mechanics: Learn about a wide variety of mechanics found in both physical and digital games, understanding their applications and implications.
• Material Creation: Produce a series of responses, including sketchbook entries, visualisations, notes, reflective practices, prototypes, mock-ups, presentations, audio and video materials, and both physical and digital assets.

Learning:

• Affordances and Intentions: Understand the concept of affordances and how to communicate intentions to players effectively.
• Testing and Evaluation: Undertake testing and evaluation of gameplay, iterating and refining ideas based on feedback.
• Team Collaboration: Work in teams to develop increasingly complex games, enhancing your collaborative skills and understanding of game mechanics.

Teaching methods include:

• Project Briefings
• Group tutorials and discussions
• One-to-one tutorials
• Critical Reviews
• Seminars
• Creative and technical workshops
• Technical demonstrations
• Visual presentations

Learning activities include:

• Creative portfolio development
• Research and concept development workshops
• Creative design and technical workshops
• School resource based learning
• Seminars
• Study visits
• Peer group learning
• Group critiques
• Self-assessment

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Portfolio

• Assessment Type: Formative
• Feedback: Feedback on project briefs. You will experience formative feedback during the module in different learning situations, for example: tutorials, crits and written feedback.
• Final Assessment: No
• Group Work: No

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.