EDGE

Empowering Game Design Education

Course Content
Course Information
This course explores specific concepts and practices to consider when designing for transformative impacts.
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Welcome! Start Here for Important Information from Your Instructors
Schedule & Instructions
Course Calendar
Assessments & Deliverables
Policy on Generative AI
Learning Objectives and Success Criteria
Course Materials
Unit 1: Role-playing Game Design Basics
This course explores foundational concepts and practices to consider when designing analog role-playing games for transformative impacts.
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Overview: Role-playing Game Design Basics
Discussion Forum Instructions
Orientation Quiz
Sign up for Your Playtest and Feedback Group
Discussion 1: Introduce Yourself and Connect!
Discussion 2: Tabletop Role-playing Games — Design Basics
Discussion 3: Live Action Role-playing Games (Larp) — Design Basics
Unit 2: Transformative Leisure Role-playing Game Design
These types of games are not necessarily played for an educational or therapeutic purpose, but they can be designed with specific goals in mind and players might find them transformative in a variety of different ways.
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Overview: Transformative Leisure Role-playing Game Design
Discussion Forum Instructions
Discussion 4: Workshop Design Brainstorming
Instructions for Major Assignment 1: Playtest Scenario and Playtest Plan
Playtest 1: Return to #Feminism
Discussion 5: Designing Transformative Leisure Role-playing Games
Unit 3: Therapeutic Role-playing Game Design
These types of games are designed for a therapeutic purpose or to help participants develop social skills.
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Overview: Therapeutic Role-playing Game Design
Discussion Forum Instructions
Reflection Journal 1: Emotional Debriefing and You
Discussion 6: Therapeutic Role-playing Game Design
Unit 4: Educational Role-playing Game Design
These types of games are designed for an educational purpose according to specific learning objectives, such as curricular materials or helping participants develop social skills.
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Overview: Educational Role-playing Game Design
Discussion Forum Instructions
Discussion 7: Learning Objective, Workshop, and Educational Debrief Brainstorming
Submission of Major Assignment 1: Playtest Scenario and Playtest Plan
Schedule Playtest 2: Playtest and Feedback Session
Instructions for Major Assignment 2: Framing Transformative Game Design
Discussion 8: Educational Role-playing Game Design
Unit 5: Research and Design Specifics
We will discuss ways to design and iterate role-playing games, but also how to take that process a step further.
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Overview: Research and Design Specifics
Discussion Forum Instructions
Discussion 9: Specifics of Researching Role-playing Games
Discussion 10: Specifics of Role-playing Game Design
Playtest 2: Playtest and Feedback Session
Reflection Journal 2: Reflection Models and You
Unit 6: Styles and Cultures of Design
As we have discussed before, role-playing games emerge from specific design and play communities.
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Overview: Styles and Cultures of Design
Discussion Forum Instructions
Discussion 11: Styles and Cultures of Role-playing Game Design
Submission of First Complete Draft of Major Assignment 2: Framing Transformative Game Design
Peer Review Instructions for Major Assignment 2
Unit 7: Ritual, Symbolism, and Culture in Game Design
In this Unit, we will deepen into specific practices for designing rituals, narratives, and symbolism in role-playing games.
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Overview: Ritual, Symbolism, and Culture in Game Design
Discussion Forum Instructions
Discussion 12: Culture, Ritual, and Symbolism Design Brainstorming
Reflection Journal 3: Cultural Role-playing and You
Submission of Peer Reviews for Major Assignment 2
Unit 8: Role-playing Game Design and Conflict
As with our first class, this unit will cover both conflicts surrounding certain facets of game design within gaming communities.
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Overview: Role-playing Game Design and Conflict
Discussion Forum Instructions
Discussion 13: Conflict in Role-playing Game Design
Unit 9: Representation and Tech Ethics in RPG Design
In this unit, we will primarily focus on the way disabilities are represented in role-playing game design.
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Overview: Representation and Tech Ethics in RPG Design
Reflection Journal 4: Representation, Tech Ethics, and You
Unit 10: Framing Transformative Game Design
Welcome to our last unit on your reflections and analysis of the transformative game design process.
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Overview: Framing Transformative Game Design
Reflection Journal 5: Transformative Game Design and You
Submit Final Draft of Major Assignment 2: Framing Transformative Game Design
Transformative Game Design 1

Playtest 2: Playtest and Feedback Session

Schedule your first Playtest and Feedback Session with your group.

  1. Remember that your playtest and feedback session should not exceed 50 minutes: 40 minutes maximum for the playtest making sure you save 10 min for feedback from all participants.
  2. Please adhere to the following structure for your Nanogame Playtest as closely as possible:
    • Give a basic brief of the game and hand out the characters (no more than 10 minutes)
    • Play the one workshop activity designed for your nanogame for a part of the game that players might find challenging (no more than 10 minutes)
    • Play one scene (no more than 10 minutes)
    • Ask 1 emotional, intellectual, or educational debrief question for each player to answer (5-10 minutes)
    • Feedback (no more than 10 min)

= 30-50 min max

  1. Make sure that each student’s workshop, scene, and debrief gets playtested. This may require more than one video call.   
  2. Come to your playtests prepared with your playtest plan and questions for feedback from your playtesters.
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