Course Syllabus

GAMEPLAY CONTENT DESIGN

Fall 2025 Syllabus

 

Professor

Matt Anderson, MFA

mla8@utah.edu

Office hours: By Appointment

DISCORD: SERVER INVITE

 

Description: 

In this course students will learn and develop skills allowing them to perform the role of a game designer within a larger game development team. This course emphasizes gameplay content design: creating gameplay within a pre-established game context (e.g. missions, quests for a game). Designing such gameplay content generally entails determining what the gameplay beats, objectives, interactions, spatial layout, rewards, dialogue and story elements are. Students will pitch, present, document, and iteratively develop and polish their gameplay content using scripting and industry standard tools. 

 

Learning Outcomes:

Students will be able to:

• Articulate the role of the designer in the context of a game development team and explain core concepts of gameplay content design including player motivations, gameplay beats, challenge, pacing, reward structures, etc.
• Pitch and present concepts for gameplay content designs that respond to predetermined experiential goals and articulate those pitches through visual and textual media deliverables.
• Build customized gameplay content inside of an existing level editor or content engine using scripting and foundational programming concepts including conditional logic, variables, etc.
• Synthesize peer feedback to iterate upon and polish a complete, playable gameplay content.

 

 

TA HOURS:   

By Appointment

 

TEACHING ASSISTANTS: 

TBA

 

REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS AND OTHER RESOURCES

• Readings and articles as assigned by the professor will be provided in PDF format.

 

CLASS STRUCTURE AND GRADING

Students will demonstrate their understanding of the gameplay content design, planning, implementation, and evaluation through creative problem solving and execution of weekly assigned projects.

Typical course projects will encompass creating practical game content in an existing tool and gameplay infrastructure, both individually and in collaborations with peers under provided creative and technical constraints.

 

Grading Rubrics will typically be based on the following:

• Following instructions
• Participation
• Creativity in achieving the desired experiential goal
• Technical execution
• Completeness and polish of work

 

Grading Scale

Grades are based on the following scale, and may be finalized on an adaptive curve. Grades in Canvas may not necessarily reflect final course grade.

 

A    94 – 100                

A-   90 - 93.99              

B+  87 - 89.99              

B    84 - 86.99              

B-   80 - 83.99              

C+  77 - 79.99              

C    74 - 76.99              

C-  70 - 73.99

D+  67 - 69.99

D    64 - 66.99

D-   61 - 63.99              

E    0 - 60.99

Late assignments will receive -10% per day up to a maximum of -50%.

 

Grading Breakdown

Attendance: 20%

Project Deliverables: 50%

Individual Assignments: 30%

 

COURSE POLICIES

Participation

Participation comprises several factors. Attendance, arriving on time, being prepared, participating in discussions, critiquing work, asking questions, offering suggestions, clarifying expectations, and challenging suppositions or ideas. Make your positive presence known.

 

Canvas

Check Canvas for announcements and important information. The student is responsible for all information disseminated on Canvas.

 

Assignment Submissions

All homework files must be submitted in the format required by the Instructor. For most design projects, this will be in the form of a project zip file, either as a file, or as a link to a file if the project is too big to attach to a Canvas submission. Please name your file using the following convention: Assignmentname_Studentname.(suffix), or Assignmentname_Teamname.(suffix). Naming conventions are extremely important in content creation.

 

Late Work / Resubmissions

Grades on assignments may be penalized up to 10% per late day at the discretion of the instructor. Resubmissions are subject to the discretion of the instructor.

 

Alternative Assignments

In limited cases, students with a demonstrable mastery of weekly subject matter may propose an alternate assignment. The goal of this class is to challenge the student and stretch their abilities. Alternate assignments are at the discretion of the instructor.

 

Syllabus

The syllabus may be subject to change. The Instructor will notify the class regarding all changes. In the event of any discrepancy between this syllabus and content found in Canvas, the information in Canvas will take precedence.

 

Accommodation
I do not offer content accommodations. If you find any of the course material offensive, you may opt not to participate acknowledging that you will not receive points for that section of the course.

 

Equal Access

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 the class, reasonable prior notice needs to be given to the Center for Disability Services, 162 Olpin Union Building, 581-5020 (V/TDD). CDS will work with you and the instructor to make arrangements for accommodations. All information in this course can be made available in alternative format with prior notification to the Center for Disability Services. 

 

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, veteran¹s status or genetic information. If you or someone you know has been harassed or assaulted on the basis of your sex, including sexual orientation or gender identity/expression, you are encouraged to report it to the University’s Title IX Coordinator; Director, Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, 135 Park Building, 801-581-8365, or to 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 police, contact the Department of Public Safety, 801-585-2677(COPS). Additional information regarding reporting and victim supportive resources are available at the offices listed above.

 

Utah Games Misconduct Policy

Students in the program are bound by the University of Utah’s Academic Misconduct Policy which is outlined in the Code of Student Rights & Responsibilities (available here: https://regulations.utah.edu/academics/6-400.php). 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. Students who are found to have participated in academic misconduct in a class will be sanctioned with a failing grade for the assignment. Students who are sanctioned a second time will receive a failing grade for the course they are in, and students sanctioned a third time will not be allowed to take further Utah Games courses at the University of Utah. Further, students who are in the degree program will be removed from the program.

 

WEEKLY BREAKDOWN

 

Week 1

Introduction to the Syllabus

 

Week 2

Game Heuristics

Preparing for Development

Project: Core Game Familiarization

Project: Tools Installation

 

Week 3

Input and Challenge

Project: Tools Familiarization

 

Week 4

Concepting and Planning

Project: Small Dungeon Implementation

Project: Dungeon Treatment

 

Week 5

Tempo and Pacing

Dungeon Treatment Review

Project: Dungeon Implementation

 

Week 6

Navigation, Guidance, and Orientation

Project: Dungeon Implementation

 

Week 7

Rewards, Progression, and Player Motivation

Project: Dungeon Polish and Review

 

Week 8

FALL BREAK

 

Week 9

Narrative and Emotions

Project: Side Quest One Treatment and Implementation

 

Week 10

Designing for Combat Encounters

Side Quest One Review

Project: Side Quest Two Treatment and Implementation

 

 

Week 11

Experiential Goals

Town Teams and Treatment

Side Quest Two Review

 

Week 12

Team Meetings and Critique

Town Treatment Review and Selection

Project: Town Blockout

 

Week 13

Team Meetings and Critique

Town Implementation

Project: Town Space and Character Implementation

 

Week 14

Team Meetings and Critique

Town Implementation

Project: Town Core Quest and Dungeon Implementation

 

Week 15

Team Meetings and Critique

Project: Town Side Quest Implementation

 

Week 16

Town Presentations and Review