Serious games are games that are designed for a serious purpose and not only for entertainment. This serious purpose can be related with the defence, education, scientific exploration, health care, emergency management, city planning, engineering, religion, politics or something similar. Digital Learning Games is multidisciplinary curriculum that combines game design, interaction design and instructional design. It’s objective is to bring together experts with different background (art, ICT, pedagogy, psychology) and design and develop learning games in heterogeneous teams.
 
During the short summer course participants will get the essence of designing serious and learning games. Students with different background from all over the world are forming teams and design new serious games from idea to working prototype. For prototyping the environment that does not require programming skills are used.
 
Course topics:

1. The nature of serious games
2. Examples of serious and learning games
3. Game design process and roles
4. Finding the idea and defining goal for the serious game
5. Gameplay: challenges and actions
6. Game core mechanics: objects and conditions
7. Design of game assets: game world, characters, story
8. Game Development environments
9. Game Development in eAdventure
 
The language of the course is English.
 

Course schedule

Mon 11 Jul
10:00 Serious Games and Game Based Learning, examples
11:30 Break
12:30 Game design process and roles
14:30 Guided tour in Old Town
18:00 Welcoming reception
 
Tue 12 Jul
10:00 Presenting and selecting ideas and forming teams
11:30 Break
12:30 Game concept and serious goals
14:00 Coffee break
14:30 Creating and presenting game concepts
16:00 Free workshop
 
Wed 13 Jul
10:00 Gameplay: challenges and actions
11:30 Break
12:30 Game core mechanics: objects, events and conditions
14:00 Coffee break
14:30 Designing game objects, events and conditions
16:00 Free workshop
 
Thu 14 Jul
10:00 Design of game assets: world, characters and story
11:30 Break
12:30 eAdventure workshop - platform for game development
14:00 Coffee break
14:30 eAdventure workshop
16:00 Free workshop
 
Fri 15 Jul
10:00 Game development in eAdventure
11:30 Break
12:30 eAdventure advanced features and game development
14:00 Coffee break
14:30 Game prototype presentation
16:00 Feedback session
18:00 International Evening