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Abstract:"A one-semester introductory undergraduate course in computer game development is described. The freshman-level course has been taught for four years. The course was designed and implemented in the context of a new curriculum in computer game development. Goals of the course were to retain undergraduate computer science (CS) majors, attract new students to CS, and expose students to the content creation pipeline used in more advanced courses. A significant aspect of the course is the end-of-semester project to create a machinima - a video created using computer game technology. Besides the initial goals for the course, other benefits were discovered including fostering a sense of community by helping students get to know their peers early in the program. Results, both quantitative and anecdotal, show the course has exceeded expectations in meeting the goals originally established. In addition, the course content has been adapted to the format of a three-day summer workshop to recruit high school students to the university. The course has been integral to the growth of the CS program, enabling the program to nearly triple in size over four years and achieve both statewide prominence and national recognition."

From the introduction: "This paper describes why and how an introductory video game design course was conceived and implemented, the best practices developed, and lessons learned since its first implementation in spring 2009. Introduction to Video Game Design was conceived at Johns Hopkins University as a creative, design-based course in which undergraduates work in collaborative, interdisciplinary teams on authentic projects. Students gained a broad knowledge of the gaming industry, along with practical development skills, through regular lecture-discussion sessions coordinated with weekly labs. The interdisciplinary student teams were mentored by industry professionals and worked throughout the semester to produce video games. The course development team faced a variety of challenges stemming from the inter-institutional, inter-departmental collaboration. The authors hope the case study described and evaluation data shared can help other schools planning to implement design-based courses, whether it is based on video game design or not."

NEW YORK, March 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Princeton Review (www.princetonreview.com) -- one of the nation's best-known education services companies -- today reported its third annual list naming the schools with the best programs to study video game design. The new list, "Top Schools to Study Video Game Design for 2012," recommends 50 schools in all.

Abstract: "Macquarie University, in 2012, introduced two undergraduate coursework programs in the area of video games. These programs are a joint initiative of the Departments of Computing and Media, Music, Communication and Cultural Studies. The programs represent an innovative approach to curriculum structure in this area, combining technical, design and reflective critical practice to produce rounded graduates with a wide knowledge of issues and practices in interactive media. This paper describes the process of designing these programs, the aims and rationales guiding their design and their detailed structure. The central guiding principle behind the programs was that accomplished designers of interactive media, particularly video games, need both a sound technical background and an appreciation of the relationship between users, society and their designs. This is reflected in both the structure of the programs and the pedagogical approaches in the specialist units."

The author reports data from a 2012 study on the diversity characteristics of students in game programs in the United States and future workforce implications.

"Gaming has proven to be successful in K12... can it work for undergraduates as well?"

Abstract: "A comprehensive undergraduate curriculum in computer game development is described. The program was created as a set of elective courses in the context of a traditional computer science (CS) degree. Primary goals of the program were to increase enrollment in CS and prepare students for careers in the entertainment software industry. In addition, the CS department sought to compete for students with larger state institutions. To do so effectively the department needed to offer a unique program. Results show the new program helped the CS department to nearly triple enrollment over four years and achieve both statewide prominence and national recognition."

2012 Challenge announced, entries open in Nov. 2011, The Middle School Stream aims to motivate and engage middle school students (grades 5 through 8) in STEM learning, 21st Century Literacy Skills and Systems Thinking by challenging them to design original video games. The High School Stream aims to motivate and engage high school students (grades 9 through 12) in STEM learning, 21st Century Literacy Skills and Systems Thinking by challenging them to design original video games. The Collegiate Stream challenges emerging game developers at the graduate and undergraduate levels to design video games for children (grades pre-K through 8) that teach key STEM concepts and foster an interest in STEM subject areas. The Educator Stream challenges educators to design video games for children (grades pre-K through 12) that teach key STEM concepts and foster an interest in STEM subject areas.

Abstract: "We introduce ALE, a new framework for writing games for the An- droid platform. The primary motivation behind ALE is to empha- size reading code before writing it. Beginners read game code to learn how levels can be made, and advanced users read the code of ALE itself to learn how to create useful and extensible libraries. To date, roughly 200 students at our university have used ALE, rang- ing from first-semester engineering undergraduates through Mas- ters students. ALE has proven useful in teaching non-majors about CS, in making introductory CS programming courses more excit- ing, and in encouraging creativity, entrepreneurship, and good pro- gram design in upper-level electives. Based on these experiences, we encourage educators at all levels to consider using ALE to im- prove students' ability to learn by reading code."

Abstract: "This paper explores the consequences of using the game engine Unity to construct 3-D models of Pompeian houses, linked to art and spatial databases, as an ongoing research colloquium for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in the humanities. Rather than serving as a neutral piece of visualization software, the game engine functions as critical tool because, more than any other visualization platform, it permits real time, embodied movement through the houses. One outcome of such embodied movement has been the recognition that the traditional vocabulary for describing space in Pompeii is inadequate, and a much more careful methodology is required, using network topology and visibility graph analysis to establish spatial profiles for the rooms. As they construct the models in Unity, students also encounter the contradiction between the texture pipeline used to produce immersion in games and the emphasis on accuracy and scientific objectivity found in cultural heritage discourse, a discourse which paradoxically also stresses immersion. Finally, the game engine encourages students to consider the rhetoric of embodied play in the Pompeian decorative ensembles themselves."

Abstract: "In 2010, the authors (Jacobs, a game design professor, Sugarman, a pediatrician, and Rice, a psychotherapist ) started meeting to brainstorm design and play concepts for a therapeutic, physiologically-controlled videogame intended for use by people diagnosed with anxiety and/or autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The goal was to combine cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), narrative therapy (NT) and biofeedback supported psychophysiological selfregulation (PSR) into a game that would engage adolescents and provide hard data on a player's physical and emotional states during a therapy session. The game concept that emerged is "MindGamersTM in School" (MG), a therapeutic game prototype being developed and tested across two 6-month sessions by the authors and two teams of undergraduate game design and development students at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Pursuing the design required half the team to learn principles, terms and methods of strength-based, client-centered psychotherapy and their application to psychophysiological selfregulation and biofeedback theory and practice. The other half of the team needed to engage in understanding the current state of role-playing videogames, avatar creation systems and game design/development processes. This paper will describe the current game prototype and then focus on MG's design and development process by looking at how the initial design period brought the game design to its current state and how it has continued to influence the production process."

Abstract: "This paper describes the creation of a 2D game engine, the ULL Introductory Game Engine (UIGE), for use in an introductory video game programming course as part of an undergraduate computer science curriculum. Having the right tools available can make illustrating the concepts of game development and design substantially easier. In creating the engine, a number of factors such as ease of use and accessibility, were considered. Furthermore, course instructors must determine how much assistance (in the form of tools for the engine) is too much assistance, as students may miss core principles if development with the engine is made too abstract. Successful implementation of tools like UIGE allow students to produce games quickly and the concepts of game development to be taught more effectively."

Abstract: "This paper explores the possibilities of game-based learning within the context of a graphic design education. A global network now exists that puts all professionals in competition with one-another, and in order to stay competitive as educators, we must be able to produce professionals that can solve problems creatively. However, traditional teaching methods may in some contexts be unable to provide the kind of education students need, and initial research suggests that game-based learning may be a viable solution. This study establishes a framework of good game-based learning principles and a design for a video game to be used in a teaching environment. Primarily target audiences are teenage students, roughly ages 10 - 14, and college level undergraduate students, ages 18 - 25, of all genders. This video game is intended to teach players situated meanings for key visual communication concepts of grid and modularity, in a way that allows them to create high level relationships between these and their creative work."

Abstract: "This paper is a reflection on a design teaching project that endeavours to establish a culture of critical design thinking in a tertiary game design course. In the first instance, the 'performing design' project arose as a response to contemporary issues and tensions in the Australian games industry and game design education, in essence, the problem of how to scaffold undergraduate students from their entry point as 'players' (the impressed) into becoming designers. The performing design project therefore started as a small-scale intervention to inspire reflection in a wider debate that includes: the potential evolution of the contemporary games industry; the purpose of game design education; and the positioning of game design as a design discipline. Our position is that designing interactive playful works or games is victim of a tendency to simplify the discipline and view it from either the perspective of science or art. In this paper we look at some of the historical discussions on the distinct identity of games. Then we present an overview of the typical state of play in contemporary game design education which inspires the performing design project as an intervention or teaching technique. This leads us to question understandings of education and training and creativity and innovation. Finally we reflect on insights arising from the performing design project which lead us to support Archer's call for a 'third area' that balances the monolithic practices of the two major academic disciplines."

Abstract: "Commissioned by the campus Office of Admissions, we have built a series of three campus tour and orientation games over the past academic year with undergraduate student project teams. Based on well-established game industry practices we followed an iterative agile process with Scrum and managed to avoid many classical pitfalls in game development. While we achieved some measure of success, in post-project analysis, it becomes obvious that our process would have benefited from the heavy emphasis of "users" in the User-Centered Design (UCD) methods. In this position paper, we propose that the serious game development community continue to critically analyze the results from the UCD projects to benefit from its lessons, well-understood good practices, and development paradigms."

"Editor's note: Ann DeMarle is director of the Emergent Media Center and associate professor of communication and creative media at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont. "(CNN) Talking about Champlain's game development degree programs.

abstract: "Game development is one of the fastest growing industries today. The demand for popular games is impressive and the prospects for employment are promising. However, many recent college graduates do not specialize in this field. A generic computer science degree is adequate, but it could be improved with more relevant training. We propose a dedicated minor that emphasizes software development to prepare students for future study or employment in the game industry. We anticipate that this minor will distinguish students from other recent graduates, increase enrollment, and improve feedback from existing students."

From Iowa State University students, Metalblast : "The game takes place in the year 2052. Plants are dying, and there is a developing ecological crisis. At the same time, an expert team of plant scientists has disappeared. The player, represented by a novice undergraduate student in the research lab, must shrink to microscopic size, enter the plant cell, rescue the lost scientists, discover what is killing the plants, and save the world - all in the game's virtual, 3-D environment. Along the way, players must solve problems and answer questions about the cell and metabolic biology. "