Course Syllabus

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GAMES 3720 Alternative Game Development

Spring 2025

M/W 1:25PM - 2:45PM; BLDG 72, Rm 117

 

Instructor: Greg Bayles                                    

Email: greg.bayles@utah.edu

Phone Number: 702-588-2205                                  

Office Hours: By appointment

Office Location: Bldg 72 Rm 208

Also available by Zoom/Discord Links to an external site. by prior appointment.

Alt Game Spotlights Links to an external site.

 

Required Materials

Anthropy, Anna. Rise of the Video Game Zinesters. 2012. (~$12)

McGonigal, Jane. Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World. Penguin, 2011. (<$8)

Gamemaker (free version is fine)

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Games have educated, critiqued, healed, and inspired since their beginnings. This course examines the notion of games with a purpose, meaning games that have goals in addition to, or other than, entertainment. This course will cover educational, health, art, political, sexual, religious, advertising and other types of games. This is a theory-driven practice class in which students will learn while making 2D games that seek to have an impact.

 

COURSE OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

  • Explain how games can influence individuals and society
  • Identify and summarize key characteristics of various alt game sub-genres
  • Locate and explore non-commercially available games
  • Design a number of small games with a purpose
  • Collaborate in a small group to develop a complete 2D game

 

TEACHING AND LEARNING METHODS

As a theory-based design course, this class is designed to be as much about doing, learning to do, and learning through doing as much as it is learning about alternative games. There will be readings and playings of games and text (one can playfully engage with a book and do a close reading of a game) as well as the development of a videogame with a purpose. Students are encouraged to be playful with the materials, the topics, the course, and their identities (many of us are still figuring out who we are as game developers). To do so requires both participation and respect for one another. As we cover a wide variety of games and development practices, some of it will be new to everyone. Stick with it and with each other and we will learn about alternative games and alternative ways of making games together.

 

UNIVERSITY POLICIES

  1. The Americans with Disabilities Act. The University of Utah seeks to provide equal access to its programs, services, and activities for people with disabilities. If you will need accommodations in this class, reasonable prior notice needs to be given to the Center for Disability Services, 162 Olpin Union Building, (801) 581-5020. CDS will work with you and the instructor to make arrangements for accommodations. All written information in this course can be made available in an alternative format with prior notification to the Center for Disability Services. There may be classmates in need of extra assistance as well. Please be accommodating and respectful as we navigate this together!
  2. Addressing Sexual Misconduct. Title IX makes it clear that violence and harassment based on sex and gender (which Includes sexual orientation and gender identity/expression) is a civil rights offense subject to the same kinds of accountability and the same kinds of support applied to offenses against other protected categories such as race, national origin, color, religion, age, status as a person with a disability, veteran’s status or genetic information.  If you or someone you know has been harassed or assaulted, you are encouraged to report it to the Title IX Coordinator in the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, 135 Park Building, 801-581-8365, or the Office of the Dean of Students, 270 Union Building, 801-581-7066.  For support and confidential consultation, contact the Center for Student Wellness, 426 SSB, 801-581-7776.  To report to the police, contact the Department of Public Safety, 801-585-2677(COPS).
  3. Student Ethics and Conduct. The Student Code is spelled out in the Student Handbook. Students have specific rights in the classroom as detailed in Article III of the code. The code also specifies proscribed conduct (Article XI) that involves cheating on tests, plagiarism, and/or collusion, as well as fraud, theft, etc. Students should read the Code carefully to become aware of these issues. Students will receive sanctions for violating one or more of these proscriptions. The faculty will enforce the code. Students have the right to appeal such action to the Student Behavior Committee: http://regulations.utah.edu/academics/6-400.php Links to an external site.

Links to an external site.

Students in the Games program are bound by the University of Utah’s Academic Misconduct Policy which is outlined in the Code of Student Rights & Responsibilities (available at the above link). As defined in this code, academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to, cheating, misrepresenting one's work, inappropriately collaborating, plagiarism, and fabrication or falsification of information. It also includes facilitating academic misconduct by intentionally helping or attempting to help another student to commit an act of academic misconduct. A primary example of academic misconduct would be submitting as one's own, work that is copied from an outside source, or using AI to create assets without acknowledging that. Any student who engages in academic dishonesty or who violates the professional and ethical standards for their profession/discipline may be subject to academic sanctions as per the University of Utah’s Student Code: https://regulations.utah.edu/academics/6-410.php

Students who are found to have participated in academic misconduct in a class will be sanctioned with a failing grade for the assignment, and in repeat offenses, in failure of the course (even if other instances of academic misconduct happen in previous courses). Students who are sanctioned a third time across all courses will not be allowed to take further Games courses at the University of Utah. Further, students who are in the degree program will removed from the program.

  1. Wellness Statement. Personal concerns such as stress, anxiety, relationship difficulties, depression, cross-cultural differences, etc., can interfere with a student’s ability to succeed and thrive at the University of Utah. For helpful resources, contact the Center for Student Wellness; wellness.utah.edu Links to an external site.; 801-581-7776.
  2. Content Accommodations. Acknowledging that participating in a classroom means participating with multiple cultures, I cannot and do not attempt to utilize content that will not conflict with the values of every student, and I do not offer content accommodations. If you find any of the content of this course offensive you may opt not to participate. If you choose not to participate in a section of the class that is worth points, you will not receive them. http://regulations.utah.edu/academics/6-100.php Links to an external site.

 

COURSE POLICIES

Attendance & Punctuality: You should come to class. There are regular in-class presentations, build reviews, and other participation activities that will influence your final grade. I also reserve the right to adjust the final grade of the course based on regular truancy. Active learning requires your presence.

"The University expects regular attendance at all class meetings. Instructors must communicate any particular attendance requirements of the course to students in writing on or before the first class meeting. Students are responsible for acquainting themselves with and satisfying the entire range of academic objectives and requirements as defined by the instructor." PPM, Policy 6-100III-O).

Participation: Participation is required. Education is about more than knowledge transference. Socialization (learning the cultural norms and mores of a community, in this case game developers), soft skills (teamwork, verbal and textual communication, and presentation skills), and production oriented hard skills are all major components of this course. In this class, participating means completing assigned readings, game play-throughs, discussion board entries, and group presentations.

Late Work: Generally, I don’t accept late work, because neither will your future employers. In extreme cases, I may offer accommodations with a point reduction, but unless previously negotiated, please plan on turning everything in on time. Students who participate in officially sanctioned University activities (e.g., marching band, debate, athletics) will be permitted to turn work in early and/or make up assignments without penalty. Official absences must be documented at least one week prior to the absence.

Food & Drink: Yes. You are adults. Feel free to consume food and drink in class in a manner you and your peers find respectful. That means stinky and noisy foods are a no-no, and an easy rule is that if it gets in the way of your or someone else’s learning, it can wait until after class. While it is difficult to know or manage the diets of all students, I also ask that you avoid eating or bringing to class the most dangerous of allergens. Please no peanuts, shellfish, or bees in the class. Also, what are you doing with un-refrigerated shellfish?

Electronic Devices in Class: Yes. You are adults. Feel free to use electronic devices in class in a manner you and your peers find respectful. Powering electronic devices is always difficult, so be considerate when plugging in. Basically, just don’t make your peers unsafe or uncomfortable with your cords.

In an effort to make the classroom a safe space for expression and exploration, and acknowledging growing concerns about privacy, I ask that you not make any sort of audio or visual recording (moving or still) without prior instructor consent.

Canvas: This course will utilize Canvas. All course related materials will be there unless the instructor informs you otherwise.

I may send additional urgent updates regarding class-cancellations, etc. While these announcements will be naturally forwarded to your email inbox I HIGHLY recommend you regularly check the canvas class page. At the same time, please don't assume everything you will need to know to do well in the class will be covered in an announcement.

Discussion Board: You will be asked to make contributions to weekly discussion boards on Canvas throughout much of the course. Discussion board posts are designed to take less than 10 minutes and will help you to engage more actively in the ongoing community conversation around alternative games. I'll be posting assignment descriptions there as well as on canvas, and I'll be writing responses right alongside you!

Reasonable Work Load: I understand that you are students with lots of classes and personal lives, so I try to keep the busy work to a minimum. As a way to try to make sure my expectations of you are reasonable, I'll be doing all of your readings and assignments right alongside you. If, though, for some reason, you think the load is too heavy for a 4-credit class, or if the class as a whole seems to be struggling, let me know, because I want to find something that both pushes you and allows you to be successful.

 

ASSIGNMENTS

Individual Homework Assignments

The assignments in this group are to be worked on individually. They focus on establishing an understanding of alternative games, as well as help me assess your individual contributions to the team project. Please note, any sharing of written work or other content between team members, or un-cited use of published content will be considered plagiarism.

Game Production Milestones

The assignments in this group are to be worked on as a group. Each milestone has two components, a plan created at the start of the production "sprint", and the build of the game at the end of the sprint. These milestones are designed to encourage accurate planning and reward significant progress on the project.

Alt Game Spotlights

These one-time presentations are to be worked on as a group. Students will work together to prepare and present a 10-minute presentation on their assigned alt-game topic, providing insights into their background, notable games in the genre, key features, important figures/people, etc.. This may feature videos, slides, gameplay demos, or other materials, but it should be primarily focused on educating and exposing peers to games and genres they probably aren't familiar with. If I feel like you're just filling time to fill time, I'll ask you to end your presentation early and you'll lose partial credit. Team members should each contribute to the presentation in a meaningful way. If I find out that a team member didn't contribute, I reserve the right to dock scores individually rather than as a group.

If for some reason you miss your assigned presentation date, I will ask you to submit a brief synopsis of the presentation materials you were supposed to present, and in addition, you'll need to join a later group and present with them. 

Final Game & Media/Wrap Kit

The game will be graded based on completeness and polish of the final project. A portion of the grade will be for the media/wrap kit materials accompanying the game. These will be discussed in detail during the last module of the semester. 

 

Submitting Assignments: The bulk of the assignments will be submitted using the file upload feature on the specific assignment page or the discussion board. For large submission files (game builds, etc.) you may use Box, Dropbox or Google Drive. However, you must submit a link to the shared folder through Canvas; it's not my responsibility to go hunting for assignments!

 

SOFTWARE AND RESOURCES

We will be using Gamemaker Studio for the development of our games. You may choose whether to use GM:S 1.4 or GM:S 2, but all practical demonstrations will be based in GM:S 2, which is available at https://account.yoyogames.com/downloads Links to an external site..

I will be leading in-class tutorials which cover the basic functionality of the engine. However, you will need to research and find solutions to the obstacles you face on your own. The Gamemaker community forums and documentation are fantastic resources, as are creator platforms like YouTube. If you need specific suggestions on tutorials to watch, check out Shaun Spaulding and Heartbeast, who both have hundreds of really accessible tutorials and demo projects. I will regularly suggest additional tutorials on the specific coding walkthroughs we address in class, so you can further your knowledge or get more information.

 

EVALUATION
30% - Individual Homework and In-Class Assignments
10% - Discussion Board Entries
30% - Game Production Milestones
30% - Final Game,  Wrap Kit Materials, and Postmortem
??% - Participation and attendance - instructor may adjust final grades as they see fit based upon your participation and attendance.

 

GRADING POLICY

94-100%          A

90-93%             A-

84-90%             B

80-83%             B-

74-80%             C

70-73%             C-

64-70%             D

60-63%             D-

<60%                 E

 

Thanks, and I’m looking forward to a great semester of alternative game development with you!

 

COURSE SCHEDULE

Week 1

Readings: Play Dumb Ways to Die 2 **on mobile** (Android Links to an external site. / iPhone Links to an external site.); read Reality is Broken, Chs. 1-4          

Assignments: Buy textbooks and download Gamemaker 2 before next class; “Lost Game” Project (1-2 minute presentations due first thing next week; instructions on Canvas). You will use your Discussion Board post to show off the artifact, so you don't need to create a separate slide deck, but you SHOULD be ready to talk about your game, its alt value, and how it relates to the “artifact.”

Discussion Board: Post a picture/video of your lost game “artifact,” as well as a paragraph about your game, its alt value, etc.

 -

Week 2    

  • “Lost Game” Presentations
  • Alt Games Spotlight: Alt Control Games
  • Makey Makey overview (Poz Fab)
  • Games and Context
  • Review Key Elements of a Game and other reading (Reality is Broken)
  • Razors
  • Scoping for small teams
  • Types of 2D Games: https://gamemaker.io/en/blog/2d-game-genres
  • Coding Walkthrough: Importing Projects, Variables

Readings: Play The Marriage Links to an external site. OR Passage Links to an external site.; Read Reality is Broken, Chs. 5-7         

Assignments: Write a short definition for each of the Core Game Dev Terms (on Canvas) and submit it through Canvas. We will have time for questions on the vocab at the beginning of next class, followed by a short (easy) quiz. 

Discussion Board: 1 paragraph about you as a developer. Your experience, the things that drive you, what it means to you to be "alternative"

-

Week 3

  • Vocab Quiz
  • Alt Games Spotlight: Art Games
  • Finding your game
  • Four Questions: Audience, Access, Finance, USP
  • Social Discovery and Community Seeding
  • Coding Walkthrough: Movement and Collision

Readings: Play Poikilia Links to an external site.; read Reality is Broken, Chs. 8-10        

Assignments: Research types of games you’re interested in and find a problem or market you want to address. Research games in that field already. Come up with a razor pitch to present for 1-2 minutes at the beginning of class. Feel free to go crazy on your game ideas; please make sure you don’t duplicate something that already exists!

Discussion Board: List your razor pitch for your game. Write a paragraph or two about your findings from the games search assignment, including info about similar games, existing markets, etc.

 

Week 4

  • Alt Games Spotlight: Edutainment
  • Art Walkthrough: Basics of Pixel Art
  • Present Razor Pitches for Games
  • Team formation for Final Project
  • Teach paper prototyping?
  • Review reading (Reality is Broken)
  • Coding Walkthrough: Win/Lose States
  • Coding Walkthrough: GUI Drawing

 

Readings: Play Zombies, Run! Links to an external site.; Read Reality is Broken, Chs. 11-13      

Assignments: (GROUP) Start working on a basic (paper or digital) prototype to test out some game mechanics

Discussion Board: (GROUP) Post a picture/screenshot/artifact of your progress so far on your game prototype. Write 1 paragraph wherein you summarize the game mechanics and 1 paragraph where you talk about your process of prototyping so far.

 

Week 5

  • Alt Games Spotlight: Exergames
  • Review reading (Reality is Broken)
  • Prototyping Methodologies
  • Collaboration Superpowers Activity
  • Art Walkthrough: Basics of Pixel Art

Assignments: Complete your basic (paper or digital) prototype and be ready at the beginning of class to show it off. Greg and TA will be doing walk-arounds during your working time.

Discussion Board: (GROUP) Post a picture/screenshot/artifact of your completed game prototype. Write 1 paragraph wherein you explain the game concept and 1 paragraph about what features you hope the game will have by the end of the semester.

 

Week 6

  • Alt Games Spotlight: Sex games  (Trigger Warning: sexual violence/content)
  • Review reading (Reality is Broken)
  • Walk-arounds with Greg / Working time
  • Production Planning / Milestone Lists
  • Coding Walkthrough: Hazards
  • Coding Walkthrough: Simple Enemies
  • Working time for prototypes

Readings: Play Depression Quest Links to an external site.

Assignments: Write a short definition for each of the Studio Game Dev Terms (on Canvas) and submit it through Canvas. We will have time for questions on the vocab at the beginning of next class, followed by a short (easy) quiz. Work on your alpha build!

Discussion Board: Create a Production Plan including Alpha, Beta, and Gold production milestones, as well as the names of the people on your team.

 

Week 7

  • Studio Game Dev Terms Quiz
  • Alt Games Spotlight: Empathy Games
  • Working time and reviews of production plans with Greg
  • Overview of Principles of UI and Graphic Design
  • Practical Applications of Graphic Design from Game Stills
  • Coding Walkthrough: Menu Systems

Readings: Play Dys4ia Links to an external site.; read Rise of the Video Game Zinesters, Chs 1-3

Assignments: Finish your alpha build, and be ready to present it for 2 minutes at the beginning of the next class period. Please have your .exe ready to go either on a flash drive or on your own computer.

Discussion Board: (none: get your alpha builds ready!)

 

Week 8

  • Alpha Build Presentations
  • Alt Games Spotlight: Queer Games
  • Review reading (Missions for Thoughtful Gamers)
  • How to Hold a Good Playtest
  • “Juice It Or Lose It”
  • Coding Walkthrough: Juice
  • Art Walkthrough: Basics of animations and effects

Readings: Read through the descriptions of (or play?) 3 games from http://www.protestgames.org/; Links to an external site. read Rise of the Video Game Zinesters Chs 4-6

Assignments: Keep working on game. Have a build ready at the start of class next week for in-class playtest.

Discussion Board: Post your revised razor pitch + 3 questions to ask during the alpha playtest. A successful razor pitch is a single sentence and gives all the most basic info about the game, including genre, number of players (if not assumed under the genre), and the primary mechanic or actions the player takes. For example, Space Goats is a two-player cooperative space farming game where you tend to a colony of giant, mutant goats.

 

Week 9

  • In-class Playtest
  • Alt Games Spotlight: Activist Games
  • Review reading (Missions for Thoughtful Gamers)
  • Open coding questions
  • Working time for beta build

Readings: Play Hardcord Drugs; finish Rise of the Video Game Zinesters

Assignments: Work on your game! Catch up on readings!

Discussion Board: 

 

Week 10 - Spring Break, No Class

Week 11 - GDC, No Class

Week 12

  • Alt Games Spotlight: Psychedelic Games
  • Working time and reviews of production plans with Greg
  • Getting the right info out of playtests
  • Open coding questions
  • Working time for beta build

Readings:  Play Run Jesus Run Links to an external site.; read Work of Game Chs. 3-5 (finish)

Assignments: Beta Build of Core Game Project due on Canvas by start of next class. Make sure the games are demo-ready, as we’ll have a playtest as well.

Discussion Board: Write your revised razor pitch + 3 questions to ask during the beta playtest.

- 

Week 13

  • Alt Games Spotlight: Religious/Spiritual Games (Trigger Warning: religious topics, secular depictions of religious characters/events)
  • Beta Playtest and Build Review
  • Review of expectations for Gold Build of Core Game Project
  • Coding Walkthrough: Room Changes, Credits
  • Open coding questions
  • Working time for beta build

Readings: Readings: Play Chex Quest 3 Links to an external site. OR Cap'n Crunch's Crunchling Adventure Links to an external site.

Assignments: Work on Gold Master Build

Discussion Board: (GROUP) Come up with 3 simple pieces of juice you could add to your game

-

Week 14

  • Alt Games Spotlight: Advergames
  • Review of Wrap Kit
  • Final play test before Game Demo Day (Final Exam)
  • Working time for Gold Build

Readings: None (get your games done!!!)

Assignments: (GROUP) Gold Presentation. Be prepared to present on your game and your creative journey for 3-4 minutes at the start of class.

Discussion Board: None (get your games done!!!)

 

Week 15

  • Final Build Review Presentations (3-4 mins each)
  • Review of Wrap Kits
  • Review of Post Mortem

Readings: (None)

Assignments: Post-Mortem, Wrap Kits (instructions for both on Canvas)

Discussion Board: Post your post-mortem, along with a screenshot from your game

 

Week 16          Final Exam (Game Demo Day), Post-Mortem and Wrap Kits due at start of class

 

Note: This syllabus is meant to serve as an outline and guide for our course. Please note that I may modify it with reasonable notice to you. I may also modify the Course Schedule to accommodate the needs of our class. Any changes will be announced in class and posted on Canvas under Announcements.

 

 

 

 

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Course Summary:

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