• Class introduction and course overview
• Game of Colonization

• Get textbook

• Introduction to game studies and game types

• Read Rules of Play 1-29 (Chapters 1-2, and Reiner Knizia's essay)

• Drop/add is over
• Picking your additional book and your game, discussion game divisions, game genres, types of games, types of gamers

• Properly set up and explore Blog or Google Groups
• Read Rules of Play 30-55 (Chapters 3-5)

• Grad school: submit to conference, due 1/31
• Discussion of Project 1, Etiquettte in Gaming in General
• Taking elements of games and playing an exquisite corpse game with them and page 16 of RoP
• To play: what elements are in games? Modifying elements of existing games
• Then, defining the game world, game type, game characters, game enemies, game art style, and more all through the EC
• Rules of Play notes

• Read Rules of Play 56-91 (Chapters 6-8)
• Etiquette Reading: E-Mail Etcetera

• My game presentation
• Grad school in general: service, teaching, publication (conferences, and paper publications)
• Grad school: submit to conference, due 1/31; game studies conference, sample abstracts; recess
• Book reviews--updated page
• Discussion of Project 1, Etiquettte in Gaming in General

• Discussion of Rules of Play up to this point
• Taking elements of games and playing an exquisite corpse game with them and page 16 of RoP
• To play: what elements are in games? Modifying elements of existing games
• Then, defining the game world, game type, game characters, game enemies, game art style, and more all through the EC

• Read Rules of Play 92-115 (Chapters 9-10 and game info by Richard Garfield)
• Readings on dice
• On dice games
• Gambling dice games

Other References

• Dice in general
• Roman Dice games
• Auto-roller

• Correction on furries: in general, correct me when I'm wrong or vague
• Discussion of basic description of card games, examples (regular cards, special [Uno, Chez Geek], games as stories, game of authors).
• Discussion of card games in relation to video games: card games embedded in video games, based on video games, video games based on card games (Magic, Poker, in FF, in Star Wars Galaxies, about Fatal Frame, narrative card games), Nintendo's background with cards, Cards seen as negative just as pinball and that translation over to video games
• Making a basic card game, or working on one from existing card deck (modifying rules)
• Card game notes

• Read Rules of Play 116-149 (Chapters 11-13)

• Class canceled because I'm out of town. Please email me or the group with any questions.

• Personal Note
• Discussion of basic description of board games, examples; video games based on board games or that operate as board games. Looking at more familiar board games (chess, Monopoly) and more elaborate board games like Samurai Swords, Risk, girl-social board games and their relation to parlor games, paper dolls--what are they?
• Discussion of dice and board games.
  Images of board games (and outdoor games) and snakes & ladders; and a store with tons of board games; and game of the year awards

• Read Rules of Play 150-189 (Chapters 14-15)

• Making a basic board game, or working on one from existing board game (modifying rules)

• Read Rules of Play 190-211 (Chapters 16-17)

• Writing abstracts?
• Collaborative storytellling
• Discussion of ARGs (Ebay//Amazon creative gaming)
• BrainCake: Click!
• ARGs
• Mammoth Book of Secret Codes and Cryptograms
• Basic ARG Info
• Sarah B. Game Presentation and powerpoint

• Studying ARGs; interacting with an ARG or perhaps planning one

• Read Rules of Play 248-285 (Chapters 20-21)

• Agon and Haptic and apperception
• Note: I was wrong on telling Zach the class start time last week.
• Huizinga
• Discussion of Parlor games--history, where they came from, purpose.
• (Meg Norcia's article on games; Victorian parlor games, more Victorian parlor games, and more modern party games, game of authors), paper dolls?
• Mafia
• Snapdragon game and chant

• Sherrelle, presenting on Spades (maybe or another day)
• Loan Homo Ludens to Jonathan
• Creating or modifying an existing parlor game.
• Parlor Game Notes

• Summoner Geeks
• Dark Dungeons
• Chris' presentation on Werewolf
• Discussion of table-top and live action RPGs, including "How to Host a Murder" type games
• These are pivotal background for almost all video games because of the development of a cohesive world, seriality/expandability; use of hex squares for movement, use of numerical character, weapon, and inventory control; creation of a gaming culture; standardization and formalization of all rules for play

• Read pages 1-10 of Werewolf's Introductory Scenario
• Print 2 copies of this (total 8 pages) and bring it to class for Wednesday
• Read signature characters page
• Optional: Read Rules of Play 362-375 (Chapter 25)

• Werewolf Character Creation
• Making characters in an RPG to get the feel of it.
• D&D Character sheet and gender
• Werewolf character sheets

• Sherrelle presenting on Spades
• Finishing character creation

• Finishing character creation
• Patchwork girl


• Discussion of other RPG worlds in table top and video games--Second Life, Fantasy, Sci-Fi based games, games based on particular narratives like Tolkien,Star Wars, Star Trek.

• Playing a table-top game

• GSC Forum and GS Conference
• Mage game with Chris


• Do the homework, for real.

Read about paper prototyping and about fast prototyping

• Discussion of and working on prototyping in class; work flow can be like game play; paper protos and games
• Discussion of Digital text-based games
• Eliza; Twisty Little Passages; Inform manual; easy inform game; XYZZY
• New IF
• Naming issues with Text-based/IF

• Read Rules of Play 502-535 (Chapters 29-30)

• Basics of Inform; virtual machines; beginner's guide
  Homestar 1
  Homestar 2

• Select Start in class!

• Class cancelled. Remember that we meet in the Reitz Union tomorrow.

• Attending the graduate student forum. Meeting in the Reitz Grand Ballroom and then going to the second floor for presentations.

• Tom presenting
• Discussion of early video games (Atari, Commodore) and their gaming cultures
• Discussion of NES and rise of gaming as we know; paradigms with console and computer gaming cultures and with the different console generations

• Katie's presentation on wrestling games
• John's presentation on drinking games
• Discussion of Video gaming Cultures and Computer Gaming Cultures: which ones? attributes? media (Computer Gaming World instead of or in addition to Playstation Magazine)?

• Hollie and Katie Presenting
• Discussion of new gaming cultures: academic, serious, mobile, what else? elements of each?

• Bunny ARG
• Ask someone to pick up and bring evals for Friday, will need section number

• Jill Presenting

Taylor's Presentation
Chandler's presentation
Dmitri's presentation today or wednesday

Cheryl's presentation

Corwyn