CIS 300: Introduction to Computer Game Design

Communications Lab 1
Group and Idea Formation

Due: Saturday, January 26th at 11:59pm

Get together in groups according to the handout that is distributed in class. In your groups you should immediately do the following:

  1. Get contact info for everyone. (email at least - phone number or IM name if you like). Record this for submission
  2. Take stock of everyone's areas of expertise. Record this for submission.
  3. Determine a 1-hour outside of class meeting time for your group. Record the time and place you plan to have these meetings for submission. This does not need to be your final time (that you will set in your group charter), but this time needs to work for the first few weeks.

You will submit all of this information to CMS as the file groups.txt.

The goal of the next part of this lab is to, using the three approaches discussed in class, start thinking about the kind of game you want to make. You may not finish the this part of the lab in class. Indeed, you may find this to be a very productive usage of your first out-of-class meeting.

Together as a group, spend some time on each of the three approaches, and quickly produce a game idea from each that you describe in 1-2 paragraphs (per idea). These ideas must be all different. Do not take about the same game from multiple perspectives. You should also keep in mind the requirements for projects in this class. You will be graded on how well you embrace each approach, and your originality.

To help you with this lab, recall the three approaches to ideas described in class:

Approach 1
Start by figuring out the genre, setting, premise, and overall narrative.
Approach 2
Start by determining the gameplay challenges and the core mechanics.
Approach 3
Start by thinking about the experiences (sensory, emotional, cerebral) that you want the player to have.

Submit a 1-2 paragraph idea for each approach CMS as the file ideas.txt. Again, remember that your ideas must be three different games (not just three different ways of looking at the same game).

Both groups.txt and ideas.txt must be submitted by Saturday, January 26th at 11:59pm. You only need to submit these files once for the entire group.