Storytelling and Game Design

Course guarantor:

Lecturer:

Tutor:

Supervisor:

Department of Software Engineering

Synopsis:

Requirements:

Semester projects are a key and major part of the course and determine the final grade. In these projects, students create a game design and quickly develop a prototype to verify the validity of their idea.

The prototype will be presented and defended before a committee, which will include representatives from companies in the gaming industry.

Another part of the assessment is a written exam.

Syllabus of lectures:

1. Games as systems: mechanics, dynamics, aesthetics.

2. Herní akce, pravidla, výzvy. Herní smyčka (game loop). Balancování herních mechanik, dokonalá a nedokonalá herní rovnováha.

3. Game dynamics and player experience. Emergent game behavior. Player motivation (self-determination theory, player types). Flow and engagement.

4. Level design: Environment and spatial planning. Types of levels and their functions. Guiding the player through level design. Metroidvania, open worlds, and linear design.

5. Storytelling in games I: Fundamentals of narrative design. The role of story in games. Interactive storytelling vs. linear storytelling. The relationship between gameplay and narrativelinear vs. non-linear stories. Interactive storytelling and decision-making. Procedural and emergent narratives.

6. Economics and progression in games. Game economies (resources, rewards, skins, loot boxes). Progression systems: exp, skills, equipment. Balancing difficulty and economics.

7. Game UX and player psychology. Game interface and accessibility. Cognitive load and player decision-making. Feedback loops (positive and negative).

8. Multiplayer and social aspects of games. Design of competitive vs. cooperative games. Asymmetric multiplayer. Toxicity, community interaction, and game ethics.

9. Storytelling in games II: Interactive storytelling and procedural narration. Dialogue systems and branching stories. Player agency and player decision-making. Procedurally generated stories and emergent narration.

10. The future of game design and new technologies such as VR, AR, and cloud gaming. Games as a service (GaaS). The indie scene, experimental design, and alternative interfaces.

11. (2) Procedural content generation and AI in game design. Level, character, and story generation. AI design: enemies, NPCs, and adaptive systems. Evolutionary and machine learning approaches.

12. Monetization and business models in games. Free-to-play vs. premium models. Microtransactions in games and ethical issues. Gaming ecosystems and live-service design.

Syllabus of tutorials:

Study Objective:

Study materials:

1. Jesse Schell: The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses. A K Peters/CRC Press (T&F), 2019. ISBN 9781351803632.

2. Colleen Macklin / Sharp: Games, Design and Play: A Detailed Approach to Iterative Game Design. Pearson Education, 2016. ISBN 9780134392073.

3. Robert Nystrom: Game Programming Patterns. Genever Benning, 2014. ISBN 0990582906.

Note:

Further information:

bude doplněno

No time-table has been prepared for this course

The course is a part of the following study plans:

• Master specialization Visual computing and Game design (compulsory elective course)