GAD3026 Tabletop Game DesignBahçeşehir UniversityDegree Programs PSYCHOLOGYGeneral Information For StudentsDiploma SupplementErasmus Policy StatementNational QualificationsBologna Commission
PSYCHOLOGY
Bachelor TR-NQF-HE: Level 6 QF-EHEA: First Cycle EQF-LLL: Level 6

Course Introduction and Application Information

Course Code Course Name Semester Theoretical Practical Credit ECTS
GAD3026 Tabletop Game Design Fall 2 2 3 5
This catalog is for information purposes. Course status is determined by the relevant department at the beginning of semester.

Basic information

Language of instruction: English
Type of course: Non-Departmental Elective
Course Level: Bachelor’s Degree (First Cycle)
Mode of Delivery: Hybrid
Course Coordinator : Dr. Öğr. Üyesi GÜVEN ÇATAK
Course Lecturer(s): Instructor ERTUĞRUL SÜNGÜ
Course Objectives: This course focuses on games played around a table. It essentially aims the students to understand analog game design processes, but also to acquire information on how to integrate game design and create links with all the other aspects of analog game production. It involves the students in various and numerous workshops and group activities.

The course relies on pragmatic reasoning and professional experiences rather than academic informations and ultimately aims to widen prespectives and open a creative mind on the analog game design subject.

Learning Outcomes

The students who have succeeded in this course;
After successful completion of the course, the learned is expected to be able to:
1) Comprehend the scale of use for game mechanics
2) Understanding tabletop game mechanics
3) Using pragmatic reasoning and professional perspective for analog game design
4) Being able to analyze tabletop game making techniques
5) Integrating game design and creativity on all analog projects

Course Content

This course will cover the creation of a game from the very first game idea to the production documents needed by factories, including creating and respecting a policy, brain storming a game, pitching, writing game design documents, writing rules documents, prototyping, playtesting and finalizing documents for production.

Weekly Detailed Course Contents

Week Subject Related Preparation
1) Historical approaches to desktop games and design processes
2) Defining the types of games and examining game concepts
3) Game pacing, management of dynamics and mechanics.
4) The formal and dramatic elements of the tabletop games
5) Measuring the tabletop gaming experience and iterative development
6) Concepts of competition, talent and luck in tabletop games
7) Desktop game components: mechanics, narration and dynamics
8) From idea to prototype: playable prototyping
9) Gameplay testing and playability, game analysis
10) Applicable game production and game production stages I
11) Applicable game production and game production stages II
12) Presentation and decision making for projections
13) Final project preperation & revision
14) Final project presentation

Sources

Course Notes / Textbooks: Oxford History of Board Games, David Parlett, 2009.
The Civilized Guide to Tabletop Gaming: Rules Every Gamer Must Live By, Teri Litorco, 2016
Game Design Workshop – Tracy Fullerton
Fundamentals of Game Design – Ernest Adams & Adam Rolling
Challenges for Game Designers – Brenda Brathwaite & Ian Schreiber
References: "XU, Yan, et al. Chores Are Fun: Understanding Social Play in Board Games for Digital Tabletop Game Design. In: DiGRA Conference. 2011.
WHALEN, Tara. Playing well with others: Applying board game design to tabletop display interfaces. In: ACM symposium on user interface software and technology. New York: ACM Press, 2003.
WIGDOR, Daniel, et al. Under the table interaction. In: Proceedings of the 19th annual ACM symposium on User interface software and technology. ACM, 2006. p. 259-268."

Evaluation System

Semester Requirements Number of Activities Level of Contribution
Attendance 1 % 10
Presentation 1 % 5
Project 9 % 25
Midterms 1 % 20
Final 1 % 40
Total % 100
PERCENTAGE OF SEMESTER WORK % 35
PERCENTAGE OF FINAL WORK % 65
Total % 100

ECTS / Workload Table

Activities Number of Activities Duration (Hours) Workload
Course Hours 14 1 14
Application 14 3 42
Study Hours Out of Class 8 8 64
Midterms 1 3 3
Final 1 3 3
Total Workload 126

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

No Effect 1 Lowest 2 Low 3 Average 4 High 5 Highest
           
Program Outcomes Level of Contribution
1) To develop an interest in the human mind and behavior, to be able to evaluate theories using empirical findings, to understand that psychology is an evidence-based science by acquiring critical thinking skills.
2) To gain a biopsychosocial perspective on human behavior. To understand the biological, psychological, and social variables of behavior.
3) To learn the basic concepts in psychology and the theoretical and practical approaches used to study them (e.g. basic observation and interview techniques).
4) To acquire the methods and skills to access and write information using English as the dominant language in the psychological literature, to recognize and apply scientific research and data evaluation techniques (e.g. correlational, experimental, cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, case studies).
5) To be against discrimination and prejudice; to have ethical concerns while working in research and practice areas.
6) To recognize the main subfields of psychology (experimental, developmental, clinical, cognitive, social and industrial/organizational psychology) and their related fields of study and specialization.
7) To acquire the skills necessary for analyzing, interpreting and presenting the findings as well as problem posing, hypothesizing and data collection, which are the basic elements of scientific studies.
8) To gain the basic knowledge and skills necessary for psychological assessment and evaluation.
9) To acquire basic knowledge of other disciplines (medicine, genetics, biology, economics, sociology, political science, communication, philosophy, anthropology, literature, law, art, etc.) that will contribute to psychology and to use this knowledge in the understanding and interpretation of psychological processes.
10) To develop sensitivity towards social problems; to take responsibility in activities that benefit the field of psychology and society.
11) To have problem solving skills and to be able to develop the necessary analytical approaches for this.
12) To be able to criticize any subject in business and academic life and to be able to express their thoughts.