ATLS 4519 / 5519

Course Description

In this course students will develop the skills necessary to create unique interfaces for experimental game experiences.

Students will gain experience using open-source platforms like Raspberry PI and Arduino, and employing key practices in professional digital game development including: game loops, state management, and data stream parsing. This course will also explore the history of digital game interfaces, and investigate strategies for controller design. Students will journey through the diverse landscape of past and present digital game interfaces, and probe how we can keep game interfaces fresh.

Course Objectives

Students who successfully complete this course will:

Critical Thinking & Theory / History:

• Learn the history of arcades machines, and the evolution of the contemporary game controller
• Research approaches for designing game interfaces
• Explore alternative game interface options

Design/Creative:

• Learn the fundamentals of physical interface design
• Practice prototyping and user testing techniques
• Create and iterate on multiple physical game interfaces

Technical:

• Gain experience using Arduino to create robust interfaces
• Implement digital games with Javascript and Phaser.js
• Work with data streams to communicate between hardware and software