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

Discussion 1: Introduce Yourself and Connect!

Let’s get to know each other!

Please read the syllabus and review the course schedule. Read the “Glossary” from the Larp Design book and Stephen R. Balzac’s “The Use of Structured Goal Setting in Simulation Design.”

Then, answer the following questions in complete sentences and paragraph form:

  1. What is your name and what pronouns should we use for you, e.g. they/them, she/hers, he/his, etc.?
  2. Where in the world are you located currently? Feel free to include any other aspects of your cultural background you would like to share.
  3. What is your educational background?
  4. What is your career and current professional affiliations (if relevant)?
  5. Choose one or more words from the Glossary that are important to your experience and/or are helping you better understand your role-playing game experiences. Explain why.
    • Alternatively, choose one or more words that are unfamiliar and you hope to explore further in this class. Why are these concepts of interest to you? Be specific.
  6. Review Balzac’s article on Structured Goal Setting. Have you engaged in structured goal setting in your own game design? If so, be specific. 
    • If not, explain how the concepts presented might help you design games for transformative impacts.

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For all discussion forum assignments, reply to at least two (2) of your peers using the Ask a Question, Answer a Question format:

  • Reply to your peers with at least five (5) substantive sentences. Sentences like “Hello” and “Good post” do not count toward this length requirement. 
  • When possible, seek out students who have not yet received a response.
  • One of these sentences should ask a question of each peer based upon the content of their post. This question should be related to the substance of their post.
  • Check the discussion forum throughout the week.
  • When your peers respond to your posts, answer their questions, then ask a question in return to further the conversation.
  • Similarly, when you ask a question, monitor the thread for responses, answer their question, and ask another question in return, etc.
  • When responding to your peers, search for posts that do not yet have replies rather than focusing on specific people.
  • Respond in this manner often throughout the next week for full participation.
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