Game mechanics and project planning (5cr)

Objective

You deepen your understanding of game mechanics.
You learn to utilise game design patterns in your games.
You understand game progression, emergence and unit balancing.
You are able to iterate, prototype and visualise game mechanics of your game with your team.
You improve your management skills by creating a development plan for your game.
You improve your user experience design skills.

Content

How to utilise design patterns to enhance your design?
How to balance game units for an enjoyable game experience?
How to take the target audience into account in your design?
How to schedule your work and manage your own time in the development process?
How to better design game progression?
How to iteratively enhance your design?
How to limit your project scope so that you are able to deliver a working prototype?

Evaluation

A student who has reached level 3 is able to:
– use professional vocabulary systematically.
– use the key models, methods, game development tools and techniques of the professional field.

Course material

Study materials are provided by the teacher in class or via the Learn platform.

Study forms and methods

• The course is carried out by way of contact teaching on Kouvola campus according to a weekly schedule. Remote participation is not possible and scheduled contact lessons are not recorded.
• Students make progress by attending scheduled lessons and completing tasks and assignments individually or in groups.
• The assessed assignments are completed independently and in groups.

RDI and work-related cooperation

A project assignment is completed in groups.
Assignments can be completed with reference to tasks given by one’s employer or in connection to developing a product.

Timing of exams and assignments

An assignment must be completed at the end of each section of the course. There is no exam in this course.

The course entails weekly assignments. A project assignment must be completed in a small group by the end of the course.

The end date of the course is presented in the course details. By this date, the student must submit all assignments and meet all other conditions set for an approved course completion.

Student workload

• 1 ECTS credits equals 27 hours of work by the student.
• In a 5-credit course, the student's total maximum workload is approximately 135 hours including lessons, group work and independent study.

Further information

This course is closely connected to a course "Game Project Production".

Evaluation scale

1-5

Assessment methods and criteria

The student’s performance is assessed with reference to the learning objectives and assessment criteria of the course. The course completion requires that all assignments are assessed with a passing grade.