Theater and Games (R1A Section 001)
Department
of Theater, Dance & Performance Studies
University of California at
Berkeley
Fall 2003
Instructor: Jane McGonigal
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Members of this class will improve
their writing skills as we explore the connection between plays (theater) and
play (games).
Questions we’ll
explore include:
What is a game, and how do we
know when we are playing?
What kinds of live performance
are particularly game-like?
Why do games appear so frequently
in modern drama as a central metaphor?
Is "playing" a part on
stage really playful?
Do audiences and spectators get
to play, too?
How do contemporary game
designers draw on theatrical models?
How do we play (roles and games)
in everyday life?
Our collective investigations will
consist of:
reading
(dramatic
literature, theater history, theories of play, and game criticism);
playing
(acting
exercises,
playground games, party games, computer games, life);
brainstorming
(informal
weekly discussion on our course blog); and
writing
(3 formal writing
assignments with peer review, a midterm writing workshop, and a final exam
paper.
Performance
and Play: Research (R1B Section 001)
Department
of Theater, Dance & Performance Studies
University of California at
Berkeley
Spring 2004
Instructor: Jane McGonigal
CLASS DESCRIPTION
Members of this class
will improve their research and analytic writing skills as we investigate the
connections between
contemporary performance and play. Early in the semester, you will select a
research question of
personal interest and spend the rest of the course exploring, revising, and
refining this question.
This individual research will culminate in a final 10-page paper and a
"creative
intervention"
(performance, game or some combination) of your own design.
Questions we’ll explore
together include:
How do actors,
directors and audiences play in theatrical performances?
How do we perform as
players and spectators in games, sports and everyday life?
What kinds of
performances and play blur the line between theater and games?
What are the best
research tools and methods for investigating, documenting and analyzing live events like
play and performance?
How can we use game
development and theatrical design to make a persuasive argument?
Who else is trying
to answer these questions, and how can we start conversations with them?
Our collective investigations will consist of research-oriented:
class readings,
assigned by me
(theories of play and drama, fundamentals of game
design, recent
writing in game and performance studies);
individual readings,
chosen by you (theater history and criticism, actor and director
training guides,
game reviews, interviews, play scripts, design documentation, fan essays,
and whatever else you
dig up in the course of your research!);
playing (in the
classroom, in theaters, at home, on the field, onstage, online, in the
streets);
brainstorming
(informal weekly discussions on our blog);
writing (weekly
formal and informal assignments in preparation for a final 10-page research paper on the play
and performance topic of your choice); and
design (a 3-page
creative document with detailed instructions for an original game or
performance related
to your research topic).
Game Design as Art Practice
San Francisco Art
Institute
Department of
Digital Studies
Instructor: Jane
McGonigal
Fall 2004
CLASS DESCRIPTION
Game design allows artists to create meaningful play and
interactive experience in any medium. This introductory course, which
explores both digital and non-digital games, aims to provide students with a
critical vocabulary and historical context for analyzing games as art, as well
as the skills and techniques necessary to incorporate game design into their
ongoing art practice.
Through a combination of theoretical readings, case
studies, critical analysis and design exercises, students will explore the
expressive potential of games. They will learn how to identify, create and
manipulate core game elements such as player objectives, rule systems, feedback
structures, win-loss scenarios, competitive and cooperative dynamics, and social
interaction.
As a final project, students will work toward the design,
development and deployment of a game in any medium of their choice.
Note: While digitally-based projects are welcome, students
may also choose to work entirely with non-digital media. No programming or
computer design experience is necessary to enroll in this course.
