GAM 369: Virtual Reality Game Development
Dr. Brian Schrank
bschrank [at] gmail.com
School of Design
College of Computing and Digital Media
DePaul University
Please call me Brian, he/him
email: bschrank [at] gmail.com
old website: www.BrianSchrank.com
Course Description
In this workshop students cultivate the skills to design, program, and develop VR (virtual reality) games. Students learn about the unique affordances and design opportunities inherent to the platform. Topics include the history of VR, VR art, as well as toy design and development. Students collaboratively develop cutting-edge VR toys and games using the studio model in which each student adopts a professional role on the team such as programmer, designer, and artist. Class time consists of lectures, workshops, workdays, playtests, critiques, and class discussions. Course is repeatable.
2 Work Sessions Weekly Outside of Class
You will meet and work with your team at least twice in person each week outside of class.
Weekly Effort
If you cannot dedicate at least 15-25 hours a week outside of class to work on your games, then drop the course. We do not want you here. Just drop. Seriously.
Success in this course requires consistent, weekly effort. The games you will develop in this course will be very experimental. They will likely be the coolest (or weirdest) games you have ever made, but they will also demand more from you to make than a normal game. They demand wilder brainstorming; they demand outside-the-box problem-solving to prototype; they demand braver iterations to get right; and they demand more from your average player so playtesting itself will prove challenging.
Open Minds
Success in this course requires a very open mind. VR game designers must be smarter and more intentional than their best players. You are in the position to truly invent the medium of VR. Break boundaries and define the medium. Be ready to create new kinds of games. To accomplish that you will have to take risks and work far, far outside of your comfort zone. You will know how well you are doing in this course by how uncomfortable you are developing your games.
Failure is an option.
If you worry too much about making the best possible game, you will only make crap VR games. You need to learn to both let go and hold on to be a great developer. Here is that concept graphed out for you:
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Stay loose and open yourself to change:
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Final Grade Calculation:
Kind and Helpful = 5%
Vocal and Participatory = 10%
Analysis and Critique = 20%
- Play and critique VR toys/games by peers and others
Projects = 65%
- Fantastic Non-human VR Toy = 20%
- VR Playgrounds = 20%
- Final VR Game = 25%
LETTER GRADE TO POINT SYSTEM CONVERSION:
A (90-100+), B (80-89.999), C (70-79.999), D (60-69.999), F (below 60).
Cell Phones and Mobile Devices
Cell Phones and Mobile Devices should not be audible (including audible vibration) during class. Any student who answers a cell phone during instruction will be excused for the day.
Preferred Name & Gender Pronouns
Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with respect to individuals and topics dealing with differences of race, culture, religion, politics, sexual orientation, gender, gender variance, and nationalities. I will gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name or gender pronoun. Please advise me of this preference early in the quarter so that I may make appropriate changes to my records. Please also note that students may choose to identify within the University community with a preferred first name that differs from their legal name and may also update their gender. The preferred first name will appear in University related systems and documents except where the use of the legal name is necessitated or required by University business or legal need. For more information and instructions on how to do so, please see the Student Preferred Name and Gender Policy at http://policies.depaul.edu/policy/policy.aspx?pid=332
Disabilities
Students seeking disability-related accommodations are required to register with DePaul’s Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) enabling them to access accommodations and support services to assist with their success. There are two office locations: Loop Campus – Lewis Center #1420 – (312) 362-8002 Lincoln Park Campus – Student Center #370 – (773) 325-1677 Students who register with the Center for Students with Disabilities are also invited to contact Dr. Gergory Moorhead, Director of the Center, privately to discuss how he may assist in facilitating the accommodations to be used in a course. This is best done early in the term. The conversation will remain confidential to the extent possible. Please see https://offices.depaul.edu/student-affairs/about/departments/Pages/csd.aspx for Services and Contact Information. A student may choose to request certain accommodations by asking me directly, e.g., if sitting near the front of the room helps you see or hear better I can reserve a spot for you up front.