A little history
Since the first very computers, there have always been computer games. Games are in many ways the ultimate icons of computer culture. The computer excels at the kind of interactive simulation that games require, giving the user immediate response to her actions.

Early computer games tended to be iconic in their representations. Restricted by limited CPUs and low quality graphics, their worlds were often comprised of the most basic shapes: Lines, squares and dots. As a result, the focus was purely on gameplay: How do the elements interact, and what makes for an interesting game?

Examples of classic games are Tetris, Snake, Space Invaders, Spacewar and Pong. These are all visually primitive, but remain among the most addictive games around. They are quick to engage with and learn the principles of, but typically feature scaleable difficulty that means that even experienced players will find a challenge.

Later, pixel sprite games became popular, giving more potential for representation. The platform game model became more common. The focus was still on basic gameplay, but the visual environment became richer and there was more of a sense of a landscape in the games. Examples from this era include Dig Dug, Forbidden Forest, Gauntlet, Donkey Kong and Lode Runner.

Increasing computing power produced new genres of games, from advanced platform games (Prince of Persia) to new models like god games (Sim City, Populous etc.) Today, games are practically unlimited in their graphic complexity, and often tend to have strong narratives and advanced spatial environments. Meanwhile, 2D games are having a renaissance on mobile terminals.

Why you’re going to make a computer game
Computer games are perfect examples of interaction design. Games are interactive applications that potentially demonstrate a range of interesting qualities: Visual sophistication, advanced interaction and psychological aspects of experience design. A good game is usually immediately recognizable as such,

Games also present a complete model of a functional application. They take user input, process it against an internal model and output a visual (or multisensory) result in response. You’ll be able to use everything you’ve learned so far and put it to good use in an interactive situation.

A good game consist of several elements:

• A game model: What does the game challenge consist in, and how can the user win?
• Gameplay: What does the user control, and how does that control influence the game?
• Visual elements: What is the environment the game takes place in? Is the “world” constant, or does it develop over time?
• Scaleable difficulty: How does the game get more challenging as the user plays it?
• Addictive aspect: What will make the user come back for more?

Process

1. Find a group you want to work with. You should be two or three people per group.
2. Do some research on games. Look up some of the games mentioned in this introduction and see how they worked. Try to understand what makes them into classics.
3. Come up with a concept sketch. Describe the game idea on paper, explaining what the components are and how they will interact.
4. Do initial code sketches, not focusing too much on details but showing the basics of interaction.
5. Present these ideas to Marius and Mosse in individual talks on the morning of Friday 28.09.
6. By Wednesday 03.10 you should have a basic prototype ready. Marius will be available all the days Wednesday to Friday, but you will be working individually and there will be no proper teaching.
7. Final presentation is Friday 05.10 at 13:00. You should have sent the assignments to Marius on email before then.