Implementing Social Impact Games and Games for Change into the Class Curriculum

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1 Implementing Social Impact Games and Games for Change into the Class Curriculum Marla Schweppe Professor, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Steve Vasko Global Industry Manager, M&E Education, Autodesk ED3615 The game industry now generates more revenue than the Hollywood movie and television industry and reaches a wider audience. Find out how people are using this platform to educate, build awareness, and even change government policy. Hear about powerful examples like "Half the Sky" on Facebook, a game that deals with the oppression and poverty of women and their families, has now reached over 1 million players. Find out how games have been used to highlight issues like sustainability and climate change. Hear how you can take full advantage of the Games for Change challenge in the classroom and have your students take up causes for their community and country. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Learning Objectives At the end of this class, you will be able to: Encourage the development of games that educate, influence change, or build awareness of the world around us. Identify examples of games that embody these concepts. Design an assignment that requires students to address these concerns. Use primary and secondary research in the design process. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< About the Speaker Professor Marla Schweppe teaches in the School of Design at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Early in her career she designed for theatre, television and movies in NYC and around the world. After completing graduate work at the Ohio State University, she has been teaching computer graphics and animation at the Art Institute of Chicago, Northwestern and RIT. Her creative work includes the incorporation digital graphics in both live and virtual performances. She was the 1999 SIGGRAPH Art Gallery Chair. Her credits include work on Broadway, for Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus, for the Eagles and the Wings, the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, virtual stages, the Avignon Dance Festival, and a host of other venues. She uses IT for designing productions, in projections, for ipads used in performance, for large format printing of scenic elements, costumes with embedded systems, and motion capture for virtual elements in live performance. mkspph@rit.edu Steve Vasko is the Industry manager for Media and Entertainment education at Autodesk. He has been working on the support, training and educational side of the industry for more than 14 years. steve.vasko@autodesk.com

2 Games that educate, influence change, or build awareness of the world The games that many college students are familiar with are first person shooters, sports games, car races, or role playing games. Many other types of games have been developed and the potential exists for even more variety. The initial research that many games are based on was funded by the military in order to develop flight simulators and eventually simulations of other types of situations. Currently, it is more often that these simulations are built on technology developed for games. Serious Games Games are used in health care, fire fighting, city planning, elections, health care, and almost every other area of life. These games are generally placed in a category called Serious Games. Several resources are available for information on serious games: (Int l Simulation and Gaming Association) Other terms are in use to describe some of these games like edutainment, simulation games, training games, and games for health. The term gamification is the term used to this use of game technology to assist users in learning or problem solving in other arenas. The theory is that the use of games keeps these audiences more engaged in the learning process by making the learning process more fun. While many students enter a game program thinking about creating games for entertainment, when they are exposed to these other alternatives, they become quite engaged. For some the idea that they can work with games and live in a community that is more family friendly that the large cities where many of the entertainment game companies are located in another incentive. In any case, in the educational environment it is important to expose students to the variety of applications for the skills. In some cases, games are designed for entertainment and end up having a secondary educational component. 2

3 A Games for Change group first met as part of the Serioius Games conference. This group represents a sub- category of serious games and is particularly interested in games that focus on social issues and social change. Games that embody concepts of education, change, and awareness Educate/train Genomics Digital Lab, an interactive science game about the importance of plants Beer Game, a game about supply chain management Influence Change SIMcity to develop and understanding of how a town or city government works EVOKE, a crash course in changing the world Build awareness "Half the Sky" on Facebook, a game that deals with the oppression and poverty of women and their families (development supported by Games for Change) Darfur is Dying simulates life in a Darfur refugee camp Fate of the World about global warming inside the Haiti Earthquake allowing the user to explore the decisions they might make 3

4 Designing assignments Character Design assignment Design and Model a Character to add to the Community Technical Component Sketch a character that fits with the existing collection of characters Submit sketches, a backstory, and an interpretant matrix (optional) Model the character using polygons and a modeling method of your choice Limit polygon count to 15,000 at most Save in a new project called YourLastName-CharOne Only submit the final version of the model Character should have eyes which are separate object with a texture map The remainder of the object can just have solid colors (1x1 pixel color maps) Aesthetic Component Character must be designed to fit with the existing characters Clothing details and accessories should help to reveal the backstory Use appropriate colors for the character and a texture map for the eyes Model the character in the traditional T pose Hair must be modeled as geometry Topology should flow well over the surface of the character Use an appropriate background for the portrait Include your name in the lower right corner of the portrait image Design and Model a Character of your own design Technical Component Select a character from literature (novel, play, mythology, short story, etc.) Do both primary and secondary research for the character Sketch the character, many sketches, share with instructor for feedback Submit sketches, a back story, and an interpretant matrix Model the character using a modeling method of your choice Keep lower detail model of your character plus the high- detail Save in a new project called YourLastName- CharFinal Only submit the final version of the model Character should have eyes which are separate objects and sockets Two or three details levels should be bound to the skeleton and on layers Aesthetic Component Character must clearly communicate with design and pose, but without words or motion Clothing details and accessories should help to reveal the backstory Use appropriate materials for the character and a texture map for the eyes Create a model sheet for the character in different poses Rig the character with the five rig components covered in class at a minimum Topology should flow well over the surface of the character Include your name in the lower right corner of the model sheet(s) 4

5 A Team Project on Sustainability The Teams and Projects The teams will be assigned on Monday Each team will consist of students from multiple year levels Each team will select an aspect of sustainability for their project Each team will devise and develop a game, game assets, or a motion piece Logistics Students should attend courses outside the major Course meetings within the major are waived to provide time for the project During major course times you will be working on your project Projects are due on Friday at 3pm Project presentations will be in a random preselected order in the screening room The lab will be available 24 hours, but the doors must be closed after hours If you have a laptop, bring it Campus safety will be aware of student presence for 24 hours that week Deliverables The deliverables depend on the project selected by the group Faculty are available to consult and support the projects Care should be taken to select an appropriate scope for the project 5

6 Using primary and secondary research Primary Research For these purposes, primary research consists of information gathered about the topic directly. The usage is different from the typical usage in scientific research. Any data that can be found about the topic fits in this category. If researching a particular time period, for example, painting, photographs, books, and newspapers from that time period count as primary research. This can also include data that others have already collected. Secondary Research For secondary research in this situation, we refer to things that others have designed on a similar subject. By looking at past projects, it is easy to evaluate what worked well and what might have been better. These projects are a great source of inspiration for creating better projects. Original Design For all projects, we require that designs be original rather than copies of existing work. The primary and secondary research provide inspiration for the designs. 6

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Manga (Level 2) Course Title: Manga (Level 2) Age Group: 12-18 Tutor: Rachel Hamel Tutor s Phone No. 0567142185 Cost : 800 AED Day / Date: Start time: End time: No. Weeks: Hours: Material Fee: Monday 3.30pm