June 23-27, 2025 Lincoln Center

Non-Credit Course

This course provides a gentle and fun introduction to the design and production of computer-based video games, for students with no prior programming experience. Students will learn principles of game design, and apply them to create an actual computer game. Students will also research aspects of games and/or the game industry. 

Skills/Learning Outcomes

By participating and completing this course, students will:

• Gain familiarity of games and their potential beyond entertainment.
• Know and employ the terminology of games and design.
• Recognize the approaches, strategies, and tools needed to produce interactive experiences.
• Identify innovations that continue to change how games address complex issues.
• Develop and refine skills needed for physical and digital content creation.
• Be more creative, expressive, and analytical about all aspects of game culture.
• Create game projects via hands-on methods and digital creation tools. 

Course Schedule

DAY 1 - WHY WE PLAY

• Course overview, introductions, and syllabus

• Intro to games: What are they?

• Deconstructing Games

• What kind of player are you? Looking at Bartle.

• Experience through play - A selection of board games

• Deconstruction practice - Analyzing what was played in comparison to player types

• Happiness Engineers: What makes games satisfying?

• Psychological topics that connect with gameplay (i.e., conditioning, motivation, and flow)

• Soda Dungeon / Clicker Heroes

DAY 2 - EDUCATIONAL GAMES

• What makes games beneficial for learning?

• How can game mechanics help players learn?

• Let’s Play! Ecochains and Timeline - Two ways of approaching learning content

• Games are complicated…how do we get them to work in a classroom?

• Converting game mechanics into educational systems (reframing / rephrasing)

• Creating an educational game prototype

DAY 3 - GAME NARRATIVE & DIGITAL DESIGN

• What makes good stories and strong characters?

• Key strategies for game narrative design (i.e., structure story of world / player)

• The three dimensions of character creation (and development)

• Introduction to RPG Maker MZ - The no-frills, no programming, fun (and frustrating) game design tool!

• Designing our own simple, digital prototype!

DAY 4 - GAMES FOR CHANGE

• Representation in Games: How has representation and inclusion changed in game spaces?

• Representation of women, people of color, and LGBTQIA+ in games

• Games & Mental Health

• Achieving respectful representation

Instructor Bio

Christopher Vicari is an educational technologist and adjunct professor. He is a multimedia practitioner and web designer, specializing in games for change.