Course syllabus

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DAT380 / DIT468 Current trends in gaming lp2 HT25 (7.5 hp)

Course is offered by the department of Computer Science and Engineering

Contact details

Discord server

You are invited to join the Game Design and Technology Discord server. There is a #current-trends-in-gaming channel https://discord.com/channels/1252673189780263073/1252673913864061110 

Course purpose

There are many technological and societal trends that impact on the design of games. Gaming is a discipline in which the state of the art changes regularly and with great speed. This course is focused on identifying currently important trends in the industry and exploring new and novel technologies with the aim of enabling students to develop familiarity with important concepts. This course is intended to be responsive and aligned with external trends in the industry, and so its content will vary on a year-by-year basis in line with that aim.

Schedule

See the course calendar for rooms and times (summary at the bottom of this page). Note that TimeEdit is a room booking system, not a course schedule. We usually have the rooms booked from 08:15, but on Tuesdays and Fridays we do not start the classes until 09:15.

The general pattern is:

  • Tuesday 09:15 - 12:00 - Lecture or Workshop
  • Wednesday 08:15 - 10:00 - Most are campus-based at Lindholmen, but a couple are drop-in classes via Zoom
    • If a class is being held by Zoom, we will include the Zoom link in the Calendar. 
  • Fridays 09:15 - 12:00 - Lecture or Workshop

The rooms change from session to session but are mostly either Jupiter 121 or Jupiter 122. These rooms are not ideal with regards to availability of power sockets, so remember to charge your laptops beforehand.

 

Course literature

Each module may have its own course literature, see each respective module. Please note that literature from module 1 is expected to be used as appropriate for assignments in later modules, and such appropriate use is part of the grading on the assignments in all modules.

Course design

The course is divided into three separate modules, although there is a slight overlap between these:

  • Module 1 - Human and Computational Creativity
  • Module 2 - AI in Game Design
  • Module 3 - Character Creation and Representation

The first module introduces theories and methods regarding both human and computational creativity and provides a foundation for the work in the later modules. Module 2 is a mix of investigation and experimentation with regards to current and potential uses of traditional and generative AI in designing and developing computer games. The materials focus on using the Unity engine for game development. Module 3 focuses on the importance of representation in games, and important factors to consider in creating compelling characters.

Student Representatives and Course Evaluation

Information regarding the course evaluation process at Chalmers.

Information about being a student representative.

These are the Chalmers student representatives for this course:

TBA

These are the GU student representatives for this course:

TBA - Please email me if you are a GU student and would like to be a course representative

Changes made since the last occasion

  • The AR module has been removed from the course.
    • This is in line with the intention of the course, which is to look at current trends and change focus every few years based on those trends. AR has declined rather than increased in popularity with regards to mobile gaming, and has seen more growth of usage in non-gaming applications. It also aligns with student feedback regarding the complexities of creating AR applications when everyone has different mobile phones and require different set-ups, even within groups.
  • A Character Creation and Representation module has been added to the course.
    • This is a topic on which some students have expressed an interest, and which is not currently explicitly included in any other courses on the N2GDT programme. As such, this course is the best fit for this module.
  • The AI module has been expanded
    • This previously only covered generative AI, but has been expanded to include some other types of AI. The group project has also been adjusted to incorporate use of AI rather than the development of an AR version of the game.
  • All assignments have been modified due to the new content, and the overall assessment load has been reduced.
    • The assignments have been adapted to fit the changes to the modules, whilst still assessing all the learning objectives (see section below). The number of mandatory exercises has also been reduced. The reduction in assessment load is partly in response to student feedback.
  • The groups for assignment 2 will be created by the teaching team rather than self-created.
    • We will utilise the "buddy system" so that you can specify one person whom you want to work with in your group (so long as they also specify you too). Students will also be asked to submit information to help us assign students to groups. This change is partly in response to student feedback.

Learning objectives and syllabus 

The course has the following learning objectives divided into three categories. More specific learning objectives for each module are listed in the respective pages.

  • Examine current technological and social trends in gaming.
  • Apply creativity techniques with the intention of exploring innovative new gameplay concepts
  • Analyse the potential opportunities and threats associated with contemporary gaming trends
  • Implement game designs to explore novel, emerging techniques
  • Assess the ethical and societal impact of contemporary trends in gaming

The syllabus for DAT380 can be found here  The course plan for DIT468 can be found here

Examination form

GU and Chalmers
The course has the following grades: U, 3, 4, & 5. These grades are also given for each assignment in the course. In order to receive a passing grade on the entire course, a student needs to receive at least a 3 on all assignments. The course grade given will be a weighted average of the grades for the graded assignments. It is also necessary to achieve a passing grade on the mandatory exercise (graded pass/ fail) in order to pass the course. All assignments are home exams. There is no hall exam for this course.

Course summary:

Course Summary
Date Details Due