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Teaching Game Development To Fine Arts Students?

Posted by timothy on from the I-see-you've-all-brought-your-apples dept.

jkavalier writes "I've been asked to prepare a short course (50 hours) of video game development to Fine Arts students. That means people with little-to-no technical skills, and hopefully, highly creative individuals. By the end of it, I would like to have finished 1-3 very basic minigames. I'm considering Unity 3D, Processing, and even Scratch. How would you approach teaching such a course? What do you think is the best tool/engine/environment for such a task?"

13 of 172 comments (clear)

  1. How about "Alice"? by elrous0 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Alice is a pretty simple way to introduce newbies to game/3D-environment development. I used to use it in an introductory programming class and the kids loved it. Gives you a real sense for how game development and programming work without being heavy-handed about it (or requiring students to jump right into hand-coding, without so much as flowers and dinner first). Here is the text I used for the course.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    1. Re:How about "Alice"? by samkass · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I'd also check out GameSalad, which offers a GUI for attaching artwork to objects, then setting properties/events across objects to build a game out of it. It's really easy to create a basic platformer or simple touch game mechanics, and you can focus on how the artwork contributes to the game.

      You can also generate web, Mac, PC, and iOS output (the latter which can be submitted to the App Store, which might be a fun reward for your students.)

      --
      E pluribus unum
  2. As with so many courses by guruevi · · Score: 3, Insightful

    and nobody seems to understand it - you shouldn't teach programs, you should teach techniques and principals to be applied in lab sessions. I don't know what arts students are doing in game development. If anything, the only thing they should be developing is artwork.

    You can use anything to teach them how to design something, I would suggest Blender (since it's free and they are ART students) or if they are technically adept enough (which they aren't), you can let them use the Sauerbraten engine and I believe you can get the Unreal engine free as an educational institution. If you have to get really simplistic and only teach them how their art works out in games, use HTML5 or *shudder* Flash, for something bigger you can use the Doom engine (very simple to design for) and let them make some artwork for it.

    --
    Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
  3. Unreal or Steam by zombieChan51 · · Score: 3, Informative

    A good way to start them out is making 3d models and creating maps for games using Unreal or Source.

  4. WTF by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...ugh, I think maybe you shouldn't be teaching them?

  5. Re:I would approach teaching that course... by Sonny+Yatsen · · Score: 3, Informative

    There are other aspects to game development than just programming, you know. Think BioWare would be anywhere if they don't have top notch writers? What about the graphic artists, 3D modelers, texture artists, and level designers that are indispensable in any game studio?

    --
    My postings are informational and does not constitute legal advice. Act on it at your risk.
  6. Re:I would approach teaching that course... by Gotung · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Clearly the goal isn't to turn some art student into the next Carmack. But development teams need artists, and don't you think giving those artists some basic understanding of how 3D games are built would help them do their jobs?

  7. Blender by LetterRip · · Score: 5, Informative

    The Blender Game Engine is actually quite suitable for an introductory game design course, and it has two completely free books written for learning it, plus a huge number of example games and scripts. Almost all of the logic can be scripted with 'logic bricks' (a minor amount of simple python scripts are needed for some typical behaviours).

    http://download.blender.org/documentation/gamekit2/
    http://download.blender.org/documentation/gamekit1/

    Also see Yo Frankie - which shows what a team can accomplish in a short time

    http://www.yofrankie.org/
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7RRaEvWqJc

    Blender itself is now quite easy to create game assets in, and works well as a level editor.

    The Game Engine is not exactly cutting edge, but then cutting edge isn't of much benefit for learning game design.

  8. Fine-arts + programming = ? by chemicaldave · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Stick with the broader aspects of game design such as: story development, character development, gameplay, flow. I would be hesitant to throw "fine-arts" students into programming. If you must, however, I have no advice.

    1. Re:Fine-arts + programming = ? by asdbffg · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I took a game design/development course as a student at CalArts. Many of the students were from the film program, but we also had some musicians, sound designers, and theater kids. Many of the students came into the course with a basic knowledge of programming. Out of that class I saw games developed and completed in Processing, Flash, and Torque.

      Another game design class that worked with created two games based on Arduino hardware and Max/MSP. One game incorporated RFID scanners and custom built MP3 players to take players on an audio scavenger hunt. That game received funding from the city arts council and was installed in local mall and again later as part of a city-wide arts festival, the other used video tracking to track players in a physical game arena and has been shown at several Maker Faires and art exhibitions here in LA and Europe.

      Many artists I've met are more than capable programmers, and many of them make their art exclusively in coding environments. I would assume that artists taking a game development class would at least be technically minded. The point is that it's probably a mistake to assume that "fine arts" students can't or shouldn't handle more technical work.

  9. Re:Flash by Ethanol-fueled · · Score: 3, Funny

    For such an illiterate students

    How's that Flash workin' out for 'ya?

  10. Re:I would approach teaching that course... by jkavalier · · Score: 4, Informative

    The course's aim is to let art students have a glimpse of the interactive and expressive possibilities that videogames have. It's not about training them to become EA employess, but to inspire them and burst a little flame of curiosity for interactive art and art games.

  11. Game Development or Computer Game Programming? by HawaiianToast · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It sounds like you want to teach computer game programming to me. If you really want to just teach game development maybe you should develop a pen & paper game. They can write the rule book. Otherwise you're teaching two things and maybe nobody will learn much of either.