Experimental Game Mechanics

Thomas Wagensommerer
Arts and Society, Experimental Game Cultures
2023S, scientific seminar (SEW), 4.0 ECTS, 2.0 semester hours, course number S30456

Description

Conventional game mechanics can be described as “rule-based methods for agency in the gameworld, designed for overcoming challenges in non-trivial ways.” (Sicart, M. A. (2016a). Mechanics. In H. Lowood & R. Guins (Eds.), Debugging Game History: A Critical Lexicon. (pp. 297–304). MIT Press)

This course aims to reflects on strategies to approach, research, evaluate, create and define experimental game mechanics to overcome the present state of game mechanics in a playful way.

Throughout the course, we use and misuse modes of digital production to perforate the surface of representation to expose its new flesh. (cf. Videodrome - David Cronenberg 1983)

This course explicitly understands game (or rather: play) as a matter of artistic creation.

Although this course is the successor to "Experimental Game Mechanics 2022W" and will continue strand laid out there, it's not a mandatory requriement and everyone is welcome to jump in along the way.

Examination Modalities

Attendance

Participation

Exercises / Conception of prototypes

Individual research and presentation

Comments

Recommended:

Pre-Installation of the latest version of Unity3D

Laptop with hardware capable of running Unity3D

Camera + Microphone (e.g. Smartphone)

Headphones

Key Words

game art, game mechanics, game engine, unity, artificial intelligence, sound, surrealism, shader, programming, conceptual, computer animation, computer graphics, software, digital imaging, electronic music, media art, electronic media, music

Dates

08 March 2023, 10:00–11:00, "PSK Rosenbursenstrasse 3 1st floor (studio 151/152/156) 1010 Wien" (preliminary discussion)
15 March 2023, 10:00–12:00, "PSK Rosenbursenstrasse 3 1st floor (studio 151/152/156) 1010 Wien"
22 March 2023, 10:00–12:00, "PSK Rosenbursenstrasse 3 1st floor (studio 151/152/156) 1010 Wien"
29 March 2023, 10:00–12:00, "PSK Rosenbursenstrasse 3 1st floor (studio 151/152/156) 1010 Wien"
19 April 2023, 10:00–12:00, "PSK Rosenbursenstrasse 3 1st floor (studio 151/152/156) 1010 Wien"
26 April 2023, 10:00–12:00, "PSK Rosenbursenstrasse 3 1st floor (studio 151/152/156) 1010 Wien"
03 May 2023, 10:00–12:00, "PSK Rosenbursenstrasse 3 1st floor (studio 151/152/156) 1010 Wien"
10 May 2023, 10:00–12:00, "PSK Rosenbursenstrasse 3 1st floor (studio 151/152/156) 1010 Wien"
17 May 2023, 10:00–12:00, "PSK Rosenbursenstrasse 3 1st floor (studio 151/152/156) 1010 Wien"
24 May 2023, 10:00–12:00, "PSK Rosenbursenstrasse 3 1st floor (studio 151/152/156) 1010 Wien"
31 May 2023, 10:00–12:00, "PSK Rosenbursenstrasse 3 1st floor (studio 151/152/156) 1010 Wien"
07 June 2023, 10:00–12:00, "PSK Rosenbursenstrasse 3 1st floor (studio 151/152/156) 1010 Wien"
14 June 2023, 10:00–12:00, "PSK Rosenbursenstrasse 3 1st floor (studio 151/152/156) 1010 Wien"

Course Enrolment

From 17 February 2023, 21:53
Via online registration

Experimental Game Cultures (Master): Game Development and Reflection: Game Development and Reflection I-III 536/001.01

Co-registration: not possible

Attending individual courses: not possible