University of Illinois Chicago home syllabus info gallery
 
CS426/DES426 Videogame Design
Class Information and Resources

All class-related information (including handouts, electronic readings, and assignments) should be accessed through the CS426 web portal located at: http://evl.uic.edu/cs426

For a quick view of results, please see the gallery of final projects.

1::Prerequisites

Prerequisites for CS students: CS251 (Data Structures).

Prerequisites for DES students: Creative Coding or Contemporary Product Form or permission from DES.

  • In non-pandemic years, the class meets in ERF 2068 Continuum; since the classroom is a research facility, special rules of conduct apply (see first class meeting slides). Attendance tends to be 100%, as this course employs massively in-class exercises, presentations, discussion, and critiques. Class will start right on time, often with a quiz or presentation; being consistently late (e.g., 2 or more times) is subject to the fair-play penalty described in Section 9. :-)

  • On many class meetings, this class will have a restrictive policy regarding laptops and smart phones. Devices need to be off for the duration of class discussion and critiques, unless they are specifically requested by the staff for specific tutorials and exercises. We need you to be present, active and alert for the duration of the entire class.

2:: Textbooks

While there is a wealth of gaming books available, few enough resources are dedicated to video game design and implementation for computer science and engineering majors. This does not mean that we will not read in this class; quite the contrary. However, most of the class readings will be online. We will read additional articles as necessary (electronic copies will be provided for these). The book we recommend for this class is:

  • Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games, Third Edition, by Tracy Fullerton.

3:: Staff

Professor:

  • Liz Marai, CDLRC 5411
  • Email: gmarai AT uic.edu
  • Office Hours: Mon 12:30pm-1:30pm or by appointment.

Graduate Teaching Assistant:

  • TBD, CDLRC 5412.
  • Email: TBD AT uic.edu
  • Office Hours: TBA.

4:: Course Grade, Assignments, and Final Project

The course grade will be decided based on the following factors:

  • Final project, including intermediate deliverables (40%)
  • Class participation (20%)
  • Quizzes and exam, assignments and in-class exercises (40%)

Dr. Marai grades based on the overall class performance, and does not curve grades. Hypothetically speaking, if each student in the class does great, the entire class could get an A grade. Generally speaking, a grade within a standard deviation of the class mean is a pass, anything else is not. We will share the grade histogram for the entire class once an assignment is graded, so that you get a sense of how you are doing with respect to the rest of the class.

  • Classes will be divided among short lectures, discussions and debates, in-class exercises, quizzes, design critiques, student presentations, and group meetings.

  • Many of the assignments will be done in groups. Please note that in this course, as in real life after graduation, whom you get to work with for several exercises is determined by us/your project manager, not by you. When appropriate, all members of a group will earn the same grade, barring exceptional circumstances. We will closely monitor member contributions to the group work, as well as repeatedly ask for peer-based feedback.

  • Your primary grade will come from the course projects. While the class discussion and debates will not define your grade, your performance on them can alter your grade (in particular, not paying enough attention to them can cause you to lose a letter grade or more).

  • Sometimes you may think that you have been graded unfairly. Please take this up with the TA who graded your assignment. If there is still a problem, Dr. Marai is the final word in grading and will be happy to hear what you have to say. Also, once the grades have gone out, you will only be given two weeks to lodge a protest. In other courses, students have tried to get points back on all of their assignments in the last week of class, and though we would like to promote fair grading, we would like to dismiss malintentioned hassling. Our first priority is fairness (both to us and to you), so please do complain about grades if you don't agree with them.

  • Last, but not least, this edition of 426 emphasizes teamwork and oral communication skills, both essential componens of game design and implementation. This emphasis is reflected in both assignments and the class participation component of the grade. To help define successful oral communication, we provide two grading rubrics, one for student presentations and the other one for class discussion (see Section 9 below).

5:: Late Policy

We do not accept late assignments. The assignments will sometimes be timed to coincide with a lecture on a topic, so completing the assignment is crucial class preparation. After the class, the assignment will have much less value. The more deadlines you make, and the more serious the ones you keep, the better your grade. An assignment that is 5 minutes late will receive 0 points.

  • That being said, each student benefits from a total of 3 free late days throughout the semester. Note: Group assignment and the midterm are not eligible for these free late days, because being late for those assignments/the midterm would delay your whole team or impact the rest of the class. You do not need to contact the staff for these late days. The staff will consider the timestamps of your submissions and optimally allocate those 3 free late days at the end of the semester so your course grade benefits most.

6:: Attendance and Other Course Policies

Please email the course staff if you face an unexpected situation that may impede your attendance, participation in required class and exam sessions, or timely completion of assignments.

  • Email Expectations: Students are responsible for all information instructors send to your UIC email accounts. Faculty messages should be regularly monitored and read in a timely fashion.

7:: Collaboration

You may not discuss the assignment with anyone outside of the permitted group (by default, nobody else) with the sole exception of the course staff.

  • If you have specific requests, please ask the course staff privately under Piazza. If the question or answer are of general interest, please post it to Piazza.

  • The project is, naturally, a group activity. Groups will communicate internally in ways defined by the group leadership. Groups may communicate with one another in clearly permitted ways (as defined by the course project requirements).

8:: Academic Honesty

The University has an Academic Code that governs all our transactions. In this course, we interpret this code as: All submitted work must be your own. You may not submit as yours work done by a classmate, by a friend, by someone on the internet etc. Always give proper credit. We expect that you, as students and scholars, will abide by this faithfully and fully. Cheating in this course will result in an F for the course.

  • As a student and member of the UIC community, you are expected to adhere to the Community Standards of academic integrity, accountability, and respect. Please review the UIC Student Disciplinary Policy for additional information.

9:: On Writing

We care about your ideas, and we also care equally deeply about the quality of your writing. We care about spelling, capitalization, punctuation, sentence construction, paragraphs, and so on. Avoid passive speech except where appropriate. Extremely good ideas expressed very poorly will earn a very poor grade. The use of Gen-AI tools is not allowed, and probably wouldn't be of much use in this course anyway.

10:: On Oral Communication and Discussion of Readings

We care equally deeply about the quality of your speech -- be it during team communication, results presentations, or deploying the game for testing. We want you to be successful, and to this end this semester we provide grading rubrics for class presentation and class participation (see syllabus).

10:: Disability and Religious Accommodation Procedures

UIC is committed to full inclusion and participation of people with disabilities in all aspects of university life. If you face or anticipate disability-related barriers while at UIC, please connect with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at drc.uic.edu, via email at drc@uic.edu, or call (312) 413-2183 to create a plan for reasonable accommodations. To receive accommodations, you will need to disclose the disability to the DRC, complete an interactive registration process with the DRC, and provide the instructor with a Letter of Accommodation (LOA). Upon receipt of an LOA, the course staff will gladly work with you and the DRC to implement approved accommodations.

  • Following campus policy (please see https://oae.uic.edu/religious/ for the list of religious holidays), if you wish to observe religious holidays, you must notify the course staff by the tenth day of the semester. If the religious holiday is observed on or before the tenth day of the semester, you must notify the course staff at least five days before you will be absent. Please submit this form (https://oae.uic.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2019/07/StudentReligiousAccomodationRequestForm.pdf) by email with the subject heading: “YOUR NAME: Requesting Religious Accommodation.”

11:: Classroom Environment

Community Agreement/Classroom Conduct Policy

  • Be present by turning off cell phones and removing yourself from other distractions.

  • Be respectful of the learning space and community. For example, no side conversations or unnecessary disruptions.

  • Assume goodwill in all interactions, even in disagreement.

  • Facilitate dialogue and value the free and safe exchange of ideas.

  • Try not to make assumptions, have an open mind, seek to understand, and not judge.

  • Approach discussion, challenges, and different perspectives as an opportunity to “think out loud,” learn something new, and understand the concepts or experiences that guide other people’s thinking.

  • Debate the concepts, not the person.

  • Be gracious and open to change when your ideas, arguments, or positions do not work or are proven wrong.

  • Be willing to work together and share helpful study strategies.

  • Be mindful of one another’s privacy, and do not invite outsiders into our classroom.

  • Content Notices and Trigger Warnings: Our classroom provides an open space for a critical and civil exchange of ideas, inclusive of a variety of perspectives and positions. Some readings and other content may expose you to ideas, subjects, or views that may challenge you, cause you discomfort, or recall past negative experiences or traumas. We intend to discuss all subjects with dignity and humanity, as well as with rigor and respect for scholarly inquiry. If you would like us to be aware of a specific topic of concern, please email or visit during Office Hours.

12:: Recording, Copyrights, and CS Code of Conduct

  • Audio/Video Recording To ensure the free and open discussion of ideas, students may not record classroom lectures, discussion and/or activities without the advance written permission of the instructor, and any such recording properly approved in advance can be used solely for the student's own private use.

  • Copyrighted Material All material provided through the course web site is subject to copyright. This applies to class/recitation notes, slides, assignments, solutions, project descriptions, etc. You are allowed (and expected!) to use all the provided material for personal use. However, you are strictly prohibited from sharing the material with others in general and from posting the material on the Web or other file sharing venues in particular.

  • Please protect the copyright integrity of all course materials and content. Please do not upload course materials not created by you onto third-party websites or share content with anyone not enrolled in our course.

  • We expect all students to adhere to the CS Code of Conduct, which is also linked from the Undergraduate CS program homepage.

13:: Resources: Academic Success, Wellness, and Safety

We all need the help and the support of our UIC community. For additional assistance, please contact your assigned college advisor and visit the support services available to all UIC students.

  • Academic Success (please locate at UIC these resources) ● UIC Tutoring Resources ● College of Engineering tutoring program ● Equity and Inclusion in Engineering Program ● UIC Library and UIC Library Research Guides. ● Offices supporting the UIC Undergraduate Experience and Academic Programs. ● Student Guide for Information Technology ● First-at-LAS Academic Success Program, focusing on LAS first-generation students.

  • Wellness ● Counseling Services: You may seek free and confidential services from the Counseling Center at https://counseling.uic.edu/. ● Access U&I Care Program for assistance with personal hardships. ● Campus Advocacy Network: Under Title IX, you have the right to an education that is free from any form of gender-based violence or discrimination. To make a report, email TitleIX@uic.edu. For more information or confidential victim services and advocacy, visit UIC’s Campus Advocacy Network at http://can.uic.edu/.

  • Safety ● UIC Safe App—PLEASE DOWNLOAD FOR YOUR SAFETY! ● UIC Safety Tips and Resources ● Night Ride ● Emergency Communications: By dialing 5-5555 from a campus phone, you can summon the Police or Fire for any on-campus emergency. You may also set up the complete number, (312) 355-5555, on speed dial on your cell phone.