UCCI Course Description

Key Assignment 1: Students begin by analyzing the sequence of events and decisions in conflict in literature. After reading a selection of short stories (3-5 from district adopted textbook, e.g. E.A. Poe, Bradbury), students identify sequence and decisions, the role and function of conflict in the stories, and the contributions of each character to the conflict in 1-2 page analytical reflections per short story. The reflections require students to extend analysis by incorporating alternate endings for these stories and emphasize how the decisions characters make affect the conflict and influence the story’s end.

Key Assignment 2: Students further analyze the influences of conflict through the lens of current events by researching two political and two social conflicts in the news. They create a graphic organizer that delineates the sequence, repetitions (if applicable), and decisions that created each event. Building from Key Assignment 1’s conflict analysis, students now propose an alternative course of action that would change the outcome of each of their current real-world events. Students create a 2-3 minute multimedia presentation by creating a video or using modern presentation software (ex: Powerpoint or Prezi),  about the event of their choice that communicates the sequence of events, decisions, repetitions, and alternative endings shown in their graphic organizer.

Key Assignment 3: Students select a video game and analyze the conflict(s) within the game by creating a flowchart examining the characters, selected conflict, and the specific decision points (some free options include Minecraft, game screen/play videos on YouTube, Addictinggames). Synthesizing information and analysis from assignments 1 and 2, students write a two to three page essay in a formal academic format (e.g. MLA or APA), comparing and contrasting three conflicts from these three genres: a video game, a current event, and a work of literature. Specifically they will discuss decisions that lead to conflict and resolution. This assignment allows students to analyze the differences and similarities between conflict across genres, which will inform their writing and analysis of conflict in later assignments. Students include this assignment in the Game Design Portfolio that culminates in Unit 6.

Key Assignment 4: To gain hands-on experience with game making applications, students create an introductory level game using an electronic multimedia tool. Possible game making tools would be Scratch, Greenfoot, Google Sites (using links), Prezi, Powerpoint (nonlinear), GameStarMechanic, Lightbot or a similar application. The game includes conflicts and illustrates how characters/people affect and create conflict (from assignments 1-3). Their game will include a minimum of three characters (sprite, avatars, or objects), 2 conflicts, and 3 decisions with evidence of using “if-then” or “if-then-else” decision structures. Students experiment with the basic functions of the selected game design or programming tool and how decisions are programmed or defined with that software. Students write a 2-3 page reflection of their initial experiences in game creation, including likes, dislikes, epiphanies, and takeaways. This practical exercise in game creation will help inform student script writing and game strategy work in later assignments. Students include this assignment in the best practices portion of the Game Design Portfolio that culminates in Unit 6.

In this unit, students continue their focus on the essential theme of conflict and decision making involved in the creation of game/s and/or design. Students explore the history and evolution of gaming and the social impact it has on our world today by researching games across the globe, analyzing decision making, the cultural relevancy of games and their impact on global societies. Through a research paper about a specific game, students gain foundational knowledge of games, strategic thinking and the contributions of various cultures to gaming, as we know it. After acquiring foundational knowledge about the history and social impact of gaming, students extend their knowledge of gaming by learning the basics of game theory. Students read and analyze a variety of expository texts, such as “How Gerber Used a Decision Tree in Strategic Decision Making,” “Rethinking the Morality of the Prisoner's Dilemma,” and Harvard Business School Case Study “Competitive Dynamics in Home Video Games: The Nintendo Super NES” in order to analyze these companies’ strategies, decisions and outcomes. Through the creation of a decision tree, students discover the sequential thinking involved in bringing a video game to life. They explore the ethical and moral conflicts of gaming with a formal debate and argumentative paper responding to the question  “Should there be an age limit on the purchase of “M” rated video games?”

Key Assignment 1: Annotated Timeline of Human Play

In order for students to understand the role of games throughout the evolution of societies around the world, students (in groups) research 3-5 influential non-electronic games and create an annotated timeline that showcases original culture or country, variations, and how games have travelled and evolved over time (e.g. Chess, Checkers, Chinese Checkers, Lacrosse, Soccer (Futbol), Olympic events, Puzzles, etc).

Key Assignment 2: History of Game Play Throughout the World

Using the product of Key Assignment 1 - their annotated timeline, students research the cultural, psychological, physical, and emotional effects that gaming has on the world. Using their timeline and research to track the correlations between a game’s evolution and impact throughout the world, students will create a 3-4 page research paper on an influential non-electronic game (such as baseball or Mancala), including: country of origin, its evolution over time, the history and the game’s cultural relevancy on society.

Key Assignment 3: Game Theory - Decision Tree and Essay

“Look ahead and Reason back”

Students analyze business strategies, decisions, and outcomes from expository texts that model how adults in business and other professional situations use decision trees  (e.g. “How Gerber Used a Decision Tree in Strategic Decision Making”, “Rethinking the morality of the  Prisoner's Dilemma” and Harvard Business School Case Study “Competitive Dynamics in Home Video Games: The Nintendo Super NES” ). This assignment allows students to focus on their critical thinking skills where they can predict, evaluate, and justify the consequences and gains of a decision. Using a flow chart (such as Inspiration Maps, MindMup, WiseMapping, or a word processing template), students apply their newly-acquired knowledge of decision tree decision making to create their own decision tree focusing on a conflict in their own life. Based on the expository text decision tree model they read and a conflict in their own life, students justify the logical reasoning behind their decisions in a 2-3 page analytical essay. Students will later use their knowledge of branching logic in the decision tree in Unit 5. Students include this assignment in the best practices portion of the Game Design Portfolio that culminates in Unit 6.

Key Assignment 4: Ethics and Gaming Debate

In preparation for assignment 5, students research the psychological, cognitive, and physical effects of video games on minors. Students debate the topic, “Should there be an age limit for the purchase of games rated “Mature?” Student debates will be assessed and guided by a teacher-generated rubric and a panel of moderators (panel members will be chosen by the course instructor).

Key Assignment 5: Argumentative Position Essay

Students use their research from Key Assignment 4 to write a 3-5 page argumentative essay stating their position in response to the following question, “Should there be an age limit on the purchase of “M” rated video games?” It is important that students be able to not only explain their position orally, but in written format as well. Students essays include evidence of logical reasoning, appeal to emotion and counterarguments. Students include this assignment in the Game Design Portfolio that culminates in Unit 6.

Through reading and analysis of a novel, students explore the relationship between the elements of storytelling (plot, setting, characterization, points of view, theme, symbolism, dialogue, etc.) and how they come together to produce a cohesive story. Students analyze the use of storytelling techniques, including plot and character development, setting and its role building plot and character, and thematic development, in video games and compare/contrast video game storytelling with written storytelling, providing them with an in-depth understanding of how the process of storytelling works. Students use a variety of methods, from class, online, and hybrid discussions to written literary analysis, to examine the features of literature and the similarities and differences between literature and video game storytelling. The unit culminates with the students developing a flowchart and storyboard identifying a concept conflict that could become a video game storyline, preparing them for the Game Design Portfolio that culminates in Unit 6.

Key Assignment 1: Plot, Setting and Tone

In order for students to understand how game designers and authors effectively use plot and setting in storytelling, students examine a novel and a video game. Students explore plot (sequencing; flashback, flash forward, etc.), setting, and tone/mood (imagery) in a novel and video game. After reading a novel rich in setting detail (such as Lord of the Flies, Fahrenheit 451, Animal Farm, Ender’s Game, The Hunger Games), students participate in a discussion (Socratic Seminar, fishbowl, or web-based real-time) of the elements of plot in the novel, and how the setting contributed to the plot and the tone/mood of the story. Students then choose a short clip/scene from a video game and write a 1-2 page paper that uses textual evidence to support claims analyzing how plot, setting, and tone/mood interact.

Key Assignment 2: Characterization and Point of View

In order for students to understand how game designers and authors effectively use dialogue and point of view to reveal characters, students examine the same novel used in Assignment 1 and a video game. Students explore characterization and point of view in both the novel and video game by designing annotated storyboards that depict how dialogue and point of view reveal character in a scene from the novel and a video game clip/scene. The annotated storyboard explicitly states (in its annotations) how the action/vocabulary depicted in the storyboard reveals character traits and motivations. This assignment reinforces that storytelling takes place in multiple genres.

Key Assignment 3: Theme

Continuing the novel analysis from assignments 1 and 2, students explore how theme is developed and revealed. Students engage in an in-depth discussion in which they analyze the theme of the novel. Students then choose a video game and write a 2-4 page paper analyzing its theme(s), using textual evidence ,from both the video game of their choice and the novel with examples specifically related to the plot and characterization in the game. Students use their understanding of how theme is revealed to build the foundation of Key Assignment 4.

Key Assignment 4: Concept Creation, Flowchart and Storyboard

Cooperative groups identify a conflict concept for a videogame that their group will plan, and create a flowchart to outline the story. Using the flowchart as a guide, students create a storyboard that will continue to be developed as the course progresses. Students will use their understanding of thematic development through plot (premise), setting (world/level description), motivation, genre, and characterization through dialogue to create the storyboard, outlining the game idea. Students are assessed based on a teacher-generated rubric involving  those elements. Students include this assignment in the game design document portion of the Game Design Portfolio that culminates in Unit 6.

Optional Key Assignment 5: Game Narrative

Students write a 3-4 page game narrative (a piece of writing that gives vivid details of the setting, characters, conflict, and other elements of plot) based on one scene from their storyboard from Key Assignment 4. A game narrative is a crucial piece of the game design document as it brings to life the idea/concept of the game. (Alternatively, this assignment can be done in unit 6.) The game narrative will be included in the game design document portion of the Game Design Portfolio that culminates in Unit 6.

This unit serves as a bridge between the foundational knowledge built in Units 1-3 and the application of that knowledge in Units 5-6. Students use key understandings of the role of conflict in decision making, the history and social impact of games, and the elements of storytelling, from Units 1, 2, and 3 to produce a written and multimedia critical review of a video game. Beginning with an introduction to the genre of critical reviews using both professional and amatuer reviews as models, students evaluate the conventions of the genre and, using the rubric upon which the students’ work will be assessed, the qualities of a well-written review. Using specific details from game and game play as textual evidence to support claims, students write a critical review of a video game which includes analysis of storytelling technique, game play features, where the game fits into the current body of video games, and an overall assessment of the quality of the game. Students then produce a multimedia presentation which summarizes the highlights of the written review in a 3-5 minute presentation.

Key Assignment 1: Video Game Review Study

Using articles provided by the teacher, students read at least two examples of credible video game reviews from current game review media (e.g. Game Informer) and annotate the reviews for evidence of credibility. Students then read an example of a review by a non-professional writer (i.e. blog post, personal website) and compare and contrast the quality and conventions of the different approaches to writing game reviews. Students write a reflective piece which compares and contrasts the qualities or features of the different reviews and analyzes the overall effectiveness of each review (2-3 pages).

Key Assignment 2: Video Game Critical Review

Students produce a written and multimedia critical review of a video game which addresses storytelling techniques (conflict, plot, characterization, etc.), gameplay features (strategy, scoring, interactivity), an analysis of where the game fits into the current body of video games (genre; is it a new approach, does it repeat existing games, does it bring something new to an existing game genre, does it fail to accomplish anything good?), and an overall assessment of the quality of the game. Students make claims supported by evidence from the game and their own experiences with gameplay, addressing the key elements of the critical review. The written portion will be 3-5 pages long; the multimedia presentation will summarize the written review in 3-5 minutes, using audio and visual communication techniques. This might be a narrated video, slide show, non-linear presentation, or an animation. Audio components might include narration, music, and/or sound effects. Visual component could be still, video, animation, or a combination.  Students include this assignment in the best practices portion of the Game Design Portfolio that culminates in Unit 6.

Students build upon their knowledge of rhetoric through the study of video game marketing. Students analyze the history of marketing of a particular game and the role of rhetorical strategies in its marketing. Students then examine a case study or article(s) to explore the ethical issues involved in marketing particular games. Students then produce an annotated decision tree analyzing the history of ethical issues, and the process of decision making involved, in making marketing decisions. Students then build on the position they took in the culminating assignment in Unit 3, and include the issue of whether it is ethical to market adult-themed games to minors in both a debate and an argumentative essay. This unit culminates with a game concept pitch in which students apply their knowledge of marketing strategies to produce a presentation “pitching” their proposed game from Unit 3, Key Assignment 4 to potential investors in the game.

Key Assignment: 1 The Rhetoric of Game Marketing

Students select a video game, such as Borderlands 2 or Halo 4, and research its marketing history, including any of the following:

• print advertisements

• large posters/billboards

• trailers

• television advertisements

• websites

• use of social networking

• merchandise

• press releases

• previews/reviews

• public appearances/premiers

• celebrity endorsement

Using their research, students create a 2-4 page analysis of the game’s strategies in advertising, promotion, public relations, and sales. This analysis should consider the use of rhetorical devices (logos, ethos, and pathos) in advertising. Students must describe how the game company focused on a particular market (audience) and the strategies the company employed to persuade their target audience to purchase their product. This analysis will help students in assignment 4 of this unit and in creating their own marketing strategies later in their culminating activity - their game design document.

Key Assignment 2: Study of Ethical Issues in Marketing

Through their own research, students read a case study or article(s) that examine history of the ethical and social issues surrounding the marketing of adult-themed games. The case study or article(s) may focus on a single game franchise over multiple iterations or a notable single game. Using their understanding of branching logic in decision trees from Unit 2, students create an annotated decision tree in which they follow the series of decisions the creating company made, the alternatives to those choices, and the students’ annotations speculating (or providing evidence from the reading) on why the decisions were made. This prepares students for Key Assignment 3, in which they take a position on an issue.

Key Assignment 3: Marketing to Minors Ethics Debate and Argumentative Essay

Students examine samples of marketing materials for adult-themed games, including video game reviews. Following class discussions about visual rhetoric, rhetorical strategies, and the influence of  imagery, students build on their position from Unit 2, Key Assignment 5, to engage in a debate that considers the ethics of marketing adult-themed games to minors. Using this material, and readings from the previous two assignments, students will then write a 2-4 page argumentative essay in which they provide evidence and examples from their readings and class debate to support a position on whether it is ethical to market games to minors.

Key Assignment 4: Game Concept Pitch

Using the flowchart and storyboard for the game concept developed at the end of Unit 3, students create a multi-media pitch presentation to be presented to a group of potential investors. This multimedia product might take the form of a slide show, website, video or Prezi. Students will use the technical skills they have acquired during Recurring Assignment A (Tech Tool Practice), in Unit 1 Asst. 2, and Unit 4 Asst. 4. The goal of the pitch presentation is to persuade potential funding sources, publishers, or other decision makers to invest in the project. The pitch should include genre, target audience and customer motivation for purchasing the product, target rating (is it rated E, T, M, etc.), unique selling proposition (i.e., what is unique about the game and marketing?), and identification of major competitors. This assignment will serve as a foundation for the ‘game proposal’ in Unit 6. Students include this assignment in the game design document portion of the Game Design Portfolio.

Students examine game design process steps. During the final culminating project, students demonstrate their understanding of the previously addressed concepts of conflict analysis, storytelling (through plot structure), and the role of event sequence (Foreshadowing, flashbacks, flash forwards, etc.) and decisions. Students read and analyze an actual Game Design Document as a model for constructing their own. Using these concepts, students assemble previous work and create their own expository short samples from select portions of a Game Design Document including: game concept, flowchart, storyboard, game pitch, cutscene script, game proposal, world/level descriptions, and game scripting. Students peer review each others’ game design documents and write  a formal constructive criticism (to be provided the teacher and student). Students analyze feedback and incorporate it into their final revision to be presented to an outside audience such as: industry expert/community partner panel, a game expo, gaming students or teachers from the school.

Key Assignment 1: The Game Development Process

In order to understand the place of the Game Design Document in the sequence of game production, students research and summarize the essential components of the game development process in an annotated chart. The annotated chart includes pre-production, high concept, pitch, and game design document, through to post production. Using essential industry vocabulary and processes, students identify and describe which part of the process interests them the most in a well structured one page reflective paper. This annotated chart  and reflection represents foundational knowledge as students progress towards their culminating project and should be included in their portfolio.

Key Assignment 2: Introduction to Game Scripting

Individually students collect an example of a “cut-scene video’’ from a video game. A cut scene is a piece of narrative plot development added to a video game (see resources for more information), inserted between game play levels or episodes and provides essential information a player needs to complete the game. Students then identify and present to the class the ‘essential information’ provided in that scene that a player needs to know. In cooperative groups, students write their own dialogue script, 2-3 pages, from a teacher-provided cutscene video from an existing game with the audio removed, incorporating all the elements of a teacher-given set of ‘essential information’ a player needs to know for success. The video game cutscene script will be added to the student’s game design portfolio.

Key Assignment 3: Introduction to Game Design Documents (GDD)

In cooperative groups, students read and analyze an existing Game Design Document in preparation for writing select samples of the GDD for their game concept in assignment 3. The cooperative groups jigsaw the text and classify the different components (list them) they discover. The groups present their findings to the class.

Key Assignment 4: Major Project: Game Design Document

A Game Design Document combines narrative, expository and persuasive writing skills with the technical and creative components of inventing a video game. Working in teams, students create select portions of their own Game Design Document GDD, with a variety of samples incorporating their design, analytical, and written work from previous units. The GDD should include: game concept, flowchart, and storyboard (Unit 3 assignment 4), game pitch (Unit 4), cutscene game scripts (Assignment 1), game proposal, world/level descriptions, and game scripting.

1. Game Proposal: Students will compose a 2-3 page game proposal that is based on their previously created concept document and expands five major aspects of their original game design: Gameplay, Story Synopsis, Character Descriptions, Audience and Hook, with their decisions defended.

2. World/Level Descriptions: Students compose a 2-3 page description of the game’s worlds or levels based on the settings from their previously created storyboards. Students clearly justify how their world/levels connect to and affect the gameplay, using elements of their storyboards as evidence. World/Level descriptions are assessed according to a teacher generated rubric.

3. Game Scripting: Using their storyboards from Unit 3 assignment 4, students write 6-8 pages of game script samples from different game contexts such as: game play dialogue, chatter scenes, cut scenes (from assignment 1), and game narrative (may have been completed in option assignment 5 in Unit 3). Students will assess how their scripts contribute to the game story using a teacher provided rubric assessing connections to plot, setting, tone, characterization, point of view, and theme concepts covered in Unit 3.

Key Assignment 5: Peer Review and Revision

In cooperative groups, students review each others’ GDDs and provide written feedback using a teacher generated rubric assessing the completion of all necessary components of the GDD. Groups compose 1-2 pages of commentary with questions, suggestions, and constructive criticism. After the peer reviews, cooperative groups revise their GDDs showing evidence of having incorporated feedback.

Key Assignment 6: GDD Showcase

Students will present their GDDs for review outside of the class in a setting such as: industry expert/community partner panel, game expo, or reviews from gaming students or teachers from the school. A Game Expo or similar school / community event would be motivating and exciting for students, and might help recruit students for this and other CTE-linked courses. Although the format of the game expo will be determined by the course instructor, students’ work should reflect mastery of writing (narrative, expository, and argumentative), elements of plot, conflict, characterization, and reasoning; as well as technical computer and design skills, introductory programming skills, and presentation skills.