Interactive Game Design

This course covers the fundamental concepts of linear algebra and analytical geometry, including matrices, vectors, linear transformations, and systems of linear equations. Students will also explore the analytical geometry of Euclidean spaces, including lines, planes, circles, spheres, and conic sections. In this course, students will develop their mathematical reasoning skills and learn how to apply these principles to solve real-world problems.

This course introduces students to the fundamental language of visual form and basic skills including the industry-standard software applications used to create, acquire, and manipulate digital images. Students will learn about two-dimensional composition and design, color theory and terminology, and will apply these principles to a variety of basic design projects. Color, form and content will be explored in terms of cultural, psychological, physiological, and historical aspects.

In this course, students will study key concepts such as player engagement, narrative development, and systems design and learn how to apply the principles of game design to narrative content in the development of engaging game experiences. By the end of this course, students should be able to demonstrate these design principles, showcasing their creativity, problem-solving skills, and the ability to adapt to evolving industry standards.

Computer game development is a broad industry involving the coordination of multiple digital technologies and creative design elements. In this course, students explore various computer game genres, the history, philosophy, and ethics of computer games, and methodologies for documenting and directing the game development process. Additionally, students examine the nature of play and engagement in the digital realm, as well as the application of diverse viewpoints in considering the intended game audience and the narrative construction of the games themselves.

Building computer game levels, objects, and even characters requires numerous tools and techniques for systems design. In this course, students will gain hands-on experience with content creation and manipulation software for 3D modeling, level creation, and asset management. Students will iteratively refine and improve game designs. By the end of the course, students should be able to apply interactive design principles to combine digital assets for presentation in their portfolio.

In this course, students will practice rapid prototyping to generate diverse game treatments and genres based on the narratives they create. Students will practice ideation and iteration based on small-group feedback. As a result of this process, students will produce computer game functional parameters. By the end of the course, students will have authored game design documentation.

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) is an essential study of how people use computers and digital devices. In this course, students study the concepts of user experience, interface design and usability, and device response and feedback. Students understand the fundamental principles of developing interactive computer systems for desktop, console, and handheld applications. Students will be guided in the application of HCI design principles to computer game development, considering technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, handheld devices, and haptic feedback.

In this class, students will make use of 3D modeling and design software to create objects for static illustration or motion by computer animators. Students will design, create, and manipulate objects in 3D, practicing texturing, lighting, and rendering techniques. By the end of the course, students will have gained experience creating the basic components of 3D models for a specific audience, taking into account culture, diversity and inclusion.

In this course, students will explore the world of interactive storytelling using a game design integrated development environment (IDE). Through hands-on projects, students will gain experience with techniques of implementing narrative elements into games. Students will learn how to engage players, create branching narratives, and design characters. Students will develop fundamental programming logic skills and by the end of this course, students will have created a game demo.

The American Marketing Association defines Marketing as the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. In this course, students will learn marketing terminology and principles including the marketing mix, marketing segmentation and how external forces impact marketing strategy as well as how marketing fits into the organization.The impact of ethical issues, diversity, globalization and social responsibility on marketing decisions will also be examined.

This course introduces students to the foundational concepts needed to communicate effectively in writing for academic study and professional development. Students will also learn to read critically to evaluate an author's message. Students will be introduced to rhetorical modes and their role in the development of written communication. Students will also learn how to use revision strategies to create written communication that meets its intended purpose for its intended audience

This course builds on students' proficiency in the writing process and rhetorical modes to introduce the use of sources in written communication. Students will practice information literacy as they learn to determine information needs from sources, develop effective search strategies, and incorporate sources in written communication, legally and ethically.

Starting with a frame of human communication as a dynamic system of interactions in which people make choices that impact their relationships, other people, and themselves, students will define theory-informed communication concepts and processes, and critically examine how they apply to everyday life across a variety of contexts. Students will reflect on how the theory, concepts and processes apply to their own lives in becoming competent communicators who are knowledgeable, skilled, and versatile.

Students will learn and apply critical inquiry skills to analyze persuasive communication created by others and to develop persuasive communication/arguments of their own to solve problems in professional, civic, social, and personal contexts. Specifically, students will learn to recognize fallacies in logic; apply inductive and deductive reasoning strategies to the interpretation and development of persuasive communication; evaluate the validity of sources; and develop logically sound persuasive communication. Students will explore the roles of self-awareness, empathy, and ethics in the context of critical inquiry and the development of arguments.

Mathematical reasoning, when applied to everyday and professional lives, has two dimensions: logic for deterministic situations and probabilities for non-deterministic situations. This course aims to help students develop these mathematical reasoning skills.

In this course, students will gain an introduction to classical mechanics and learn about motion, force, energy, and momentum. The course covers vectors, scalars, and coordinate systems, as well as kinematics in one and two dimensions, Newton's Laws of Motion, circular motion, and kinetic energy and work. Students also learn about potential energy and energy conservation, collision theory, rotational motion, moment of inertia, torque, rotational dynamics, and angular momentum.

In this course, students will explore broad, foundational knowledge in psychology, including its history, major theorists and a survey of psychology subfields such as developmental, cognitive and social psychology. Students will also describe and assess the role of ethics and social responsibility in the study and application of psychological theory and practices.