MCCCD Program Description

The Electronic Game Industry

Course: CIS107

First Term: 2006 Fall

Lec + Lab 3 Credit(s) 4 Period(s) 3.7 Load
Subject Type: Occupational
Load Formula: S

Description: Introduction to the electronic game industry, including history, market, distribution and publishing channels, business models, team roles, and career landscape. Technical topics covered include software engineering, artificial intelligence, game physics, computer graphics, and networking

MCCCD Official Course Competencies
1. Describe the history of the game industry, and identify and explain differences among various game genres and platforms. (I) 2. Explain the Game Development Life Cycle (GDLC) and its various phases. (II) 3. Describe the various elements of game play, and explain the process of committing game development ideas to paper for technical review. (III) 4. Explain how visualizing and hearing the game can impact the game development process. (IV) 5. Use a software tool to explore the design and development of games. (IV, V) 6. Explain how math, logic, and artificial intelligence impact game design and graphics. (V) 7. Explain the importance of good storytelling, prototyping, and playing fields to game success. (V) 8. Describe the various game publishing and distribution channels, including business and marketing models specific to each. (VI) 9. Identify the most effective career paths for various types of jobs in the game industry. (VI)
MCCCD Official Course Competencies must be coordinated with the content outline so that each major point in the outline serves one or more competencies. MCCCD faculty retains authority in determining the pedagogical approach, methodology, content sequencing, and assessment metrics for student work. Please see individual course syllabi for additional information, including specific course requirements.

MCCCD Official Course Outline
I. Introduction to Electronic Games A. How games are made B. The evolution of games C. Game genres D. Game platforms II. Game Development Life Cycle A. Planning and design B. The production cycle C. The production team D. Scheduling and budgets III. Documenting the Idea A. Elements of game play B. Committing ideas to paper C. The game design document D. Technical review IV. Implementing the Vision A. Visualizing the game B. Hearing the game C. Coding the game V. Elements of Game Design Implementation A. Interface design B. Math, logic, and artificial intelligence C. Storytelling in games D. Prototyping and building playfields E. Completing the game VI. The Business Side of Games A. Marketing the game B. Economics of the game industry C. Career opportunities

MCCCD Governing Board Approval Date: 5/23/2006

All information published is subject to change without notice. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, but based on the dynamic nature of the curricular process, course and program information is subject to change in order to reflect the most current information available.