Nic Bidwell
Current Teaching
Computer games are increasingly pervasive and, while it is estimated that more than half of all Australians now play games for entertainment, the “serious game” is a popular medium to support training and co-operative work in many different sectors. Games on mobile devices, as well as on consoles and PCs, games involving massive numbers of players and games as “third places” are just of a few of the contexts which provide rich opportunities to understand and design interactions between humans and computers.
Students taking my courses are not all gamers, nor do they all seek careers in the burgeoning games industry (although, $850 million in game industry revenues predicted for 2005 suggest glowing careers prospects). Thinking carefully about and designing around play nurtures many valuable human oriented and creative problem solving skills to compliment a technical degree. If you would like to discuss how my courses suit your talents and your interests send me an email.
CP2430 Multi-media Games Characteristics & Culture (Semester 1)
This course aims to foster a mature, and interactionally- sophisticated, approach to multi-media games. It encourages students to develop an appropriate critical framework for practice which balances both appreciation and academic critique of the industry perspective of the characteristics and cultural form of multi-media games. Students reflect upon the history and project into the future of multi-media games to develop:
critical understanding of how games reflect and construct individuals and groups, including the role of play in human culture, the world wide gaming culture, on online groups and communities, representation, ideology and rhetoric as they relate to computer games, psychological issues of games and their effects on individuals and groups;
a critical vocabulary for articulating the aesthetics of games, including the distinctive features unique to games compared to other media and cultures, analysis of game play in relation to literature, film, television and interactive arts, the history of computers and electronic games, critique of significant and influential games.
The
course refers to readings on games, rules, play and social contexts
in the textbook: Rules
of PlayGame Design Fundamentals
by Katie
Salen and Eric
Zimmerman
Students should consult the subject wiki for all course information.
CP2046 Directed Project – Game Principles (Semester 2)
This course aims to foster a robust foundation in designing and developing a balanced 3D game from concept generation to prototype evaluation. Students develop a critical understanding of the principles behind the rules and play of exemplar games in parallel to developing their own individual interactive PC game using the Torque games engine (Garage Games). The course emphasises the first stage of the design process and students develop:
precise critical reflection on the details of interactions with commerically available games and the prototypes they create
systematic and iterative design skills including early design documentation and evaluation
understandings of the relation between the script developed for a game and players' game experience including rule design, play mechanics, game balancing, social game interaction and the integration of visual, audio, tactile and textual elements into the total game experience
Intensive practical script workshops for this course, run by Daryl Poyner, use the course text:
3D
Game Programming All in One (Course
Technology PTR Game Dev. Series) by Kenneth Finney
Many of the games design and protoing excercises are drawn from or informed by the text: Game Design Workshop: Designing, Prototyping, and Playtesting Games by Tracy Fullerton, Christopher Swain, Steven Hoffman
Students will benefit from becoming active in the Online Torque community
Students should consult the subject wiki for all course information.
CP3410 Advance Game Design (Semester 1 2006)
Develops a working understanding of game aesthetic design, including designing, creating and analysing the visual components, the sound and the interactive story line in computer games. Students develop an advanced working understanding of
interactive storytelling in games, including narrative theory, character development, plot, dialogue, backstory and world creation
isual aesthetics in game design,including 2D and 3D graphics, and be able explain visual impact in games with reference to the visual arts and physiology
the role of the audio experience within games, including evaluation of music, electronic generation, studio recording and 3D sound processing
Previous Teaching
Previously, I have taught Interaction Design, Information Science, Introduction to Databases, Sensory Physiology and Neurophysiology.