Course Syllabus

53-451 / 53-751 

RESEARCH ISSUES IN GAME DEVELOPMENT: DESIGNING FOR XR

Fall 2021  | Hunt Library, Studio A  | M-W-F 10:10-11:30am

Carnegie Mellon University,  Entertainment Technology Center

Website: https://courses.ideate.cmu.edu/53-451/f2021/

NameEmailRoom #Skype
Professor:Tom Corbetttcorbett@andrew.cmu.eduHL A5A / PTC 3319tcorbett216

Office Hours:

Time / Location: (To be determined)

Please email me at tcorbett@andrew.cmu.edu to reserve a meeting time and/or schedule an appointment.

Course Description

Extended Reality (often referred to as “XR”) describes the virtual environments generated by the related technologies of Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Mixed Reality. Each generates spatial experiences at varying levels of immersion that can enhance or replace our perception of the real world, and each bring their own advantages and limitations. With many XR devices now commercially available, and more advanced platforms expected within the next few years, game companies are beginning to generate more XR content, but are faced with the challenge of designing for mediums in which very few standards exist. 

This course will seek to better understand these technologies – examining the features that differentiate these platforms as well as their capabilities and limitations, and exploring the methods and techniques that fool our brains into believing these environments to be “real”. Students will play games and explore apps released for these platforms, dissecting them to discover best practices for designing content for users.  We will apply these learnings by creating brand new XR content. Course work will be performed in collaborative, cross-disciplinary teams as students form their own game studios to tackle design challenges and create games of their very own. These teams will engage in hands-on development for XR platforms, and will have roles for artists, programmers, designers, producers and more. 

This course is 12 credits, as it requires slightly more outside-of-class work with your teams to effectively prototype, playtest, and compile your results.  Please reserve the appropriate amount of time for your classwork and respect the schedules of your teammates

Course Objectives

  • Understand the core concepts of how XR platforms work, how users perceive and interpret the experience, and how to design effective content for this medium. 
  • Practice development methods including rapid prototyping, iterative development, user-centered design, and proper evaluation methods.
  • Explore the structure, methods, and economics of the games and XR industries to understand how these affect decision making and development and how that drives research focus.

Course Structure

Class sessions for this course will consist of lectures, guest speaker events, work sessions, and team assignment presentations.  The typical week will be structured as follows, but is subject to change:

  • Mondays: Lecture
  • Wednesday: Workshop / Guest Speaker / Open Lab / Playtesting
  • Friday: Team Progress Presentations

Team Assignments for this course are structured into two separate phases.

  • First Half of Semester: Team Assignments will be run in 2 week sprints, with an interim and final presentation.  Teams will all receive the same assignment (with some variation).
  • Second Half of Semester: Teams will be reorganized to each work on a game project for the remainder of the semester.  Projects will be selected from individual proposals from students.

Individual assignments will also be issued during the semester.

NOTE:  Given the various uncertainties created by the ongoing pandemic, assignments and schedule are subject to change.   Notice will be provided in class and through announcements on Canvas.

Required Text

There is no required textbook for this course.  Links to suggested and required readings will be posted on the course website.

Course Policies

For this course it is expected that all interactions, including those with fellow students, should be treated as though this were a real-life work environment.  While this course offers opportunities to experiment with designs and technologies – and to take larger risks than one might in an actual workplace – you are still expected to exhibit the conduct of a professional adult at all times.

Attendance

  • Attendance is expected for all class sessions.  (Exception: If you are sick, stay home. Do not infect the rest of us.  Please send a note to myself and/or the TA to let us know that you will be out)
  • Excused absences will be considered on a case-by-case basis.  If you know you will be out of town or have a conflicting appointment, please let me know ahead of time via e-mail.  
  • It is your responsibility to communicate and coordinate this absence with your teammates.
  • If you are quarantined due to COVID exposure, it is your responsibility to coordinate with me to devise an alternate plan. 

Class Conduct

  • Be on time and ready when class begins.  Repeated late arrivals will be noted and your grade may be penalized.
  • Be awake, engaged, and participatory.
  • Be respectful of our guests, our staff, and each other.
  • Use of electronic devices is permitted as long as it is relevant to the current class.
  • Be responsible and respectful with your food and beverages.  We share the IDeATe facilities with many departments, please keep them clean.

Team Conduct

  • Be respectful of your teammates.
  • Be honest with your teammates.
  • Do your work.  Meet your deadlines and deliverables.

Assignment Policies

Project parameters and deliverables will be distributed at the beginning of each assignment.  If you have questions about the assignment or deadlines, please ask.

Assignments and project deliverables MUST be submitted by the deadline.  For most team projects, this will be Thursdays at 11:59pm.  Late projects and assignments will assume a penalty or may not be accepted at all.

“LAST KNOWN GOOD” POLICY:  Deliverables are expected to function during weekly reviews.  Submitting or displaying broken or unplayable builds may result in a penalty or incomplete grade.  It is recommended that your team adopt and adhere to processes that regularly backup your work. A cornerstone of solid backup strategy is having a “last known good” policy in place, where a successful and playable build of your assignment is saved as a snapshot, independent of your ongoing development.  Using this policy ensures that you still have something to show in class in the event of something going catastrophically wrong with your current build (which happens way more often than you think).

Students are expected to turn in their own work.  Don’t cheat or plagiarize. Please review CMU’s policy on Academic Integrity (http://www.cmu.edu/academic-integrity/).  Materials created by someone else (code, photographics, music, etc) must include proper permission and/or attribution.  Use of code libraries must be approved on a case-by-case basis.

Teams maintain ownership of the intellectual property of their creations in this class.  It is a good practice for teams to agree upon their own IP policy and sign a written version of the agreement, just in case.  CMU retains a non-exclusive royalty-free license to use and demonstrate projects created for this class.

Grading Policy

Students in this course will be graded individually for participation and individual assignments and as a group for team assignments.  Team assignments will be evaluated for both project (the quality of the final product) and process (the quality of effort, organization, and teamwork put forth by the team members).  All team members will receive the same project and process grades, except in cases where an individual’s effort is shown to have greatly mismatched that of the rest of the team.

Grading Breakdown

  • 10% Individual Assignments
  • 10% Participation
  • 40% Team Projects 1-3
  • 40% Team Research Project

Grades for this course are assigned based on the following table:

97%A+ExcellentExceeds expectations
92%A
90%A-
87%B+GoodMeets expectations
82%B
80%B-
77%C+SatisfactoryMeets requirements, but not expectations
72%C
70%C-
67%D+UnsatisfactoryBelow requirements and expectations
65%D

IDeATe Common Learning Goals

  • Demonstrate an appreciation for and ability to participate in critique of one’s own work and the work of others
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the role of reflection in learning and designing (begin to become a reflective practitioner)
  • Demonstrate an ability to articulate the story (visually, orally, verbally, aurally …) of one’s own work and one’s own learning
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the history, cultural context and social implications of X
  • Demonstrate the ability to work in a multidisciplinary environment

Information about IDeATe

Facilities

Most IDeATe facilities are located in Hunt Library. Lending, Physical Computing Lab, Media Lab, the laser cutters, 3D printers, woodshop, and CNC router are on the lower level. Some of the equipment requires special training which you will receive either in the class that requires it or in a micro course. If you are unsure of how to operate any of the equipment or are unsure how to use the equipment safely and effectively, please send email to help@ideate.cmu.edu.

NOTE: IDeATe equipment lending and operating hours continue to be modified due to COVID restrictions.  Please refer to the IDeATe COVID-19 safety measures page for more information.  (https://resources.ideate.cmu.edu/covid19/)

Safety: Report all fires and emergencies immediately to University Police at 412-268-2323.

Emergency response: University Police — 412-268-2323

Building maintenance: Facilities Management & Campus Services — 412-268-2910

IDeATe-related inquiries — help@ideate.cmu.edu

IDeATe Lending

Once you are enrolled in an IDeATe course, you will have access to IDeATe Lending. You will maintain your access through the rest of your time at Carnegie Mellon. You must present your CMU ID each time you borrow an item. You will also be able to purchase a limited number of consumable items (such as plywood and acrylic) for projects. Please visit https://resources.ideate.cmu.edu/lending/ for more detailed information on available resources, to review the IDeATe Lending Borrower Policy, and to find hours of operation.

Classroom and Lending access

If you are enrolled in an IDeATe class at least a week before the start of the course, you will have access to IDeATe Lending and (if applicable) have keycard access to the classroom door on the first day of class. If you add a course during the Add Period, you may need to wait a few business days to receive access while the lists are updated. If you add a course after the last day of the Add Period, email help@ideate.cmu.edu with your name, Andrew ID, and course number so we can add you to our systems.

IDeATe advising

If you have questions or need advice about IDeATe minors or courses, please get in touch with Kelly Delaney, the Assistant Director of IDeATe. Her office is in Hunt 246 and her email is kellydel@andrew.cmu.edu.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities 

If you have a disability and are registered with the Office of Disability Resources, I encourage you to use their online system to notify me of your accommodations and discuss your needs with me as early in the semester as possible. I will work with you to ensure that accommodations are provided as appropriate. If you suspect that you may have a disability and would benefit from accommodations but are not yet registered with the Office of Disability Resources, I encourage you to contact them at access@andrew.cmu.edu.

Statement of Support for Student’s Health & Well-Being

Take care of yourself. Do your best to maintain a healthy lifestyle this semester by eating well, exercising, avoiding drugs and alcohol, getting enough sleep and taking some time to relax. This will help you achieve your goals and cope with stress.

If you or anyone you know experiences any academic stress, difficult life events, or feelings like anxiety or depression, we strongly encourage you to seek support. Counseling and Psychological Services (CaPS) is here to help: call 412-268-2922 and visit http://www.cmu.edu/counseling. Consider reaching out to a friend, faculty or family member you trust for help getting connected to the support that can help.

If you have questions about this or your coursework, please let me know. Thank you, and have a great semester.