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

Sign up for Your Playtest and Feedback Group

For this class, you will join a group of 3-4 students based on your preferred schedule for video conference meetings. This group will be your Playtest and Feedback group for the course. Together, you will:

  • Play one (1) of the five (5) recommended nanogames from #Feminism. Please pick a scenario none of you (or few of you) have played if possible.
  • Playtest the games designed by each group member and give them feedback once. In other words, you will be iterating upon your game design based upon their feedback 1 time, so you will need 1 session for each game. We recommend booking several playtests in the same session if possible. Game play should not exceed 45 minutes and feedback should not exceed 15 minutes, for a total of one (1) hour maximum per game. Time yourselves.
  • Provide feedback on each member of your groups’ first complete draft of Major Assignment 2.

To sign up for your playtest group:

  1. Click on People.
  2. Join a group under one of the following tabs: Flexible; Weekday Daytime CET (Central European Time); Weekday Evenings CET (Central European Time); Weekend Daytime CET (Central European Time); or Weekend Evenings CET (Central European Time).

— Please join a group that is close to being full if possible, as a full group will make playtesting and feedback sessions more fruitful.

— To figure out your time in CET, use the linked International Meeting Planner. Keep in mind that the differences between time zones may shift throughout the semester based upon Summer Time vs. Winter Time.

— We recommend for students in the Master’s program in Visby to group together and meet physically if possible.

— If your schedule is quite flexible, choose a slot in a Flexible group. If necessary, we may ask you to join a group with a more limited schedule. Some students have much more spare time than others to meet, so your flexibility might be of great assistance to them.

  1. Post immediately in your group a short introduction and your available times. Use CET to make it easier for everyone to plan.
  2. Schedule your first meeting, which will be a playtest of one of the available #Feminism nanogames. You can discuss in the group any scenarios you definitely want to play, as well as share ones you do want to play, but please agree on one of the games.

— Uppsala University supports the linked software Zoom, which we recommend for all students.

Please email us if you have questions or concerns.

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