Readings | Media Industries and Systems | Comparative Media Studies/Writing

Some of these files are also available on iTunes®.

Course readings.
WEEK #	TOPICS	READINGS
1	(Brief) Trip Through Time	Jenkins, Henry. "Games, the New Lively Art." In Handbook of Computer Game Studies. Edited by Joost Raessens and Jeffrey Goldstein. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2005. ISBN: 9780262182409. Crawford, Chris. Chapters 1-4 in Chris Crawford on Game Design. Indianapolis, IN: New Riders, 2003, pp. 6-53. ISBN: 9780131460997. Reference: The Dot Eaters: Video Game History 101.
2	Game Basics	Bates, Bob. "Concepts/Principles of Game Design." Chapters 1-2 in Game Design: The Art and Business of Creating Games. Prima Tech's Game Development Series, ed. André LaMothe. Boston, MA: Premier Press, 2001, pp. 4-46. ISBN: 9780761531654. ———. "Storytelling." Chapter 4 in Game Design: The Art and Business of Creating Games. Prima Tech's Game Development Series, ed. André LaMothe. Boston, MA: Premier Press, 2001, pp. 76-102. ISBN: 9780761531654. Murray, Janet. "A New Medium for Storytelling." Part I in Hamlet on the Holodeck. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1998, pp. 13-65. ISBN: 9780262631877. Aarseth, Espen. "Genre Trouble." First Person, 2004. Wolf, Mark J. P. "Genre and the Video Game." Chapter 6 in The Medium of the Video Game. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2002. ISBN: 9780292791503. Demo: Videos of Game Genres.
3	Game Basics (cont.)	Bates, Bob. "Getting to Yes." Chapter 1 in Game Design: The Art and Business of Creating Games. Prima Tech's Game Development Series, ed. André LaMothe. Boston, MA: Premier Press, 2001, pp. 1-20. ISBN: 9780761531654. ———. "Project Lifecycle." Chapter 10 in Game Design: The Art and Business of Creating Games. Prima Tech's Game Development Series, ed. André LaMothe. Boston, MA: Premier Press, 2001, pp. 206-218. ISBN: 9780761531654. Crawford, Chris. Chapters 6-8 in Chris Crawford on Game Design . Indianapolis, IN: New Riders, 2003, pp. 71-106. ISBN: 9780131460997.
4	Designing Games	Bates, Bob. "Game Design Issues." Chapter 3 in Game Design: The Art and Business of Creating Games. Prima Tech's Game Development Series, ed. André LaMothe. Boston, MA: Premier Press, 2001, pp. 48-74. ISBN: 9780761531654. ———. "Managing Development." Chapter 11 in Game Design: The Art and Business of Creating Games. Prima Tech's Game Development Series, ed. André LaMothe. Boston, MA: Premier Press, 2001, pp. 48-74 and 220-238. ISBN: 9780761531654.
5	Class Workshop: Teams and Projects	Bates, Bob. "Level Design." Chapter 5 in Game Design: The Art and Business of Creating Games. Prima Tech's Game Development Series, ed. André LaMothe. Boston, MA: Premier Press, 2001, pp. 90-122. ISBN: 9780761531654.
6	"Storytelling and Narrative"	Rollings, Andrew, and Ernest Adams. Chapter 4 in Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design . New York, NY: New Riders Games, 2003, pp. 89-119. ISBN: 9781592730018. Bates, Bob. "Managing Development." Chapter 11 in Game Design: The Art and Business of Creating Games. Prima Tech's Game Development Series, ed. André LaMothe. Boston, MA: Premier Press, 2001, pp. 48-74 and 220-238 [reread]. ISBN: 9780761531654. Guest Lecture: Steve Meretzky, one of the most respected writers and designers in the industry, Steve Meretzky has written Infocom™ games, including The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and is currently working with Paul Neurath on mobile games. For further reference, read his interviews with the BBC and Gamasutra.com. Hear his lecture about interactive storytelling: (MP3 - 24.4MB). The following portions of audio were removed due to copyright restrictions: Sheldon, Lee. "Prelude in a Fire-Lit Cave." In Character Development and Storytelling for Games (Game Development Series). Boston, MA: Thomson Course Technology, 2004, p. 1. ISBN: 9781592003532. Campbell, Joseph. Prologue, paragraph 3, in The Hero with a Thousand Faces. 2nd ed. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1972. ISBN: 9780691017846. Card, Orson Scott. Excerpt p. 258, middle of paragraph 3 to end of paragraph 5 in "The Originist." In Maps in a Mirror: The Short Fiction of Orson Scott Card. New York, NY: Tom Doherty Associates, 2004, pp. 214-262. ISBN: 9780765308405.
7	Team Building	Bates, Bob. "The Development Team." Chapter 8 in Game Design: The Art and Business of Creating Games. Prima Tech's Game Development Series, ed. André LaMothe. Boston, MA: Premier Press, 2001, pp. 143-180. ISBN: 9780761531654. [Or 2nd ed. 2004, pp. 151-182. ISBN: 9781592004935.]
8	"Using Outside Resources"	Bates, Bob. "The Development Team." Chapter 19 in Game Design: The Art and Business of Creating Games. Prima Tech's Game Development Series, ed. André LaMothe. Boston, MA: Premier Press, 2001, pp. 182-202. ISBN: 9780761531654. Stone, Allucquère Rosanne. "Cyberdammerung at the Atari Lab." Chapter 6 in The War of Desire and Technology at the Close of the Mechanical Age. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1996, pp. 122-155. ISBN: 9780262691895. Also review the following article: Jassin, Lloyd J. "Working with Freelancers: What Every Publisher Should Know About the 'Work for Hire' Doctrine." CopyLaw.com, 2000. Adapted from Jassin, Lloyd J., and Steven C. Schechter. Copyright Permission and Libel Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers. New York, NY: Wiley, 1998. ISBN: 9780471146544.
9	Play Balance and Online Games	Rollings, Andrew, and Ernest Adams. "Internal Economy of Games." Chapter 8 in Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design. New York, NY: New Riders Games, 2003, pp. 239-288. ISBN: 9781592730018. ———. "Online Games." Chapter 17 in Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design. New York, NY: New Riders Games, 2003, pp. 499-532. ISBN: 9781592730018.
10	"Introduction to Marketing and Intellectual Property"	Bates, Bob. "The Development Team." Chapter 12 in Game Design: The Art and Business of Creating Games. Prima Tech's Game Development Series, ed. André LaMothe. Boston, MA: Premier Press, 2001, pp. 237-253. ISBN: 9780761531654.
11	Selling your Game	Bates, Bob. "The Development Team." Chapter 13 in Game Design: The Art and Business of Creating Games. Prima Tech's Game Development Series, ed. André LaMothe. Boston, MA: Premier Press, 2001, pp. 248-260. ISBN: 9780761531654.
12	Workshop: Polishing the Presentation and Business Plan	Salisbury, Ashley. "Pitch Materials." Chapter 3 in Game Development Business and Legal Guide. Boston, MA: Premier Press, 2003, pp. 87-91. ISBN: 9781592000425.
13	Team Presentations	Crawford, Chris. "Themes and Lessons." Chapter 27 in Chris Crawford on Game Design. Indianapolis, IN: New Riders Games, 2003, pp. 424-454. ISBN: 9780131460997.