How Video Games & Board Games Work
- Free tutorial
- Rating: 4.3 out of 54.3 (2 ratings)
- 1,108 students
- 1hr 27min of on-demand video
- Created by Myk Eff
- English
What you’ll learn
- Identify the common features of video games and board games
- Explain the main differences between video games and board games
- Complete a board game prototype
- Analyze games in depth
Requirements
- No previous knowledge or skills in games is required. The course is beginner friendly.
Description
This course presents a complete toolkit of ideas for understanding and making games. It is based on my university course, Introduction to Game Studies: Theory and Design, which is a course designed as a general elective that anyone in the university can take. As such, the course is entirely non-technical, and so doesn’t teach a game engine like Unity or Unreal. All of the topics covered in the course, however, can be practically applied to making games.
A unique feature of this course is that it is designed to be equally useful whether you are interested in making board games or video games. This course covers a complete toolkit of ideas for understanding and making games. As such, the course is entirely non-technical, and so doesn’t teach a game engine like Unity or Unreal. All of the topics covered in the course, however, can be practically applied to making games, whether it’s a digital video game or an analog board game.
The first half of the course is actually focused on game theories and examples based more on board games, because obviously analog games have been around for thousands of years prior to the development of digital games. So, to lay the foundations for game design principles, we cover a lot of the main ground of game design theory by relating to examples of board games which are much easier to prototype and perhaps even more familiar to many compared to computer-based games.
The course is divided into four thematic sections, which build on each other:
- The General Principles of Game Design
- Storyworlds, Game Worlds & Interfaces
- Agency, and
- Systems
The course content is also structured to support a challenge project to design a prototype board game, to solidify the learning.
Who this course is for:
- Beginner
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Course content
17 sections • 106 lectures • 1h 50m total lengthCollapse all sections
Course Intro4 lectures • 12min
- About the Instructor00:24
- Welcome Message (same as landing page intro video)03:30
- Course Introduction08:04
- About the Courseware00:13
Principles of Game Design Part 17 lectures • 3min
- Boardgame Challenge00:38
- What is a Game?00:01
- Rules & Mechanics00:00
- Ideation, Brainstorming & Innovation00:00
- Video Summary #101:28
- Video Summary Transcript01:00
- Online Readings & Resources00:03
Principles of Game Design Part 27 lectures • 2min
- Audiences, Game Titles & Player Types00:01
- Prototyping, Playtesting, Iteration & Fun00:01
- Affordances, Game Dynamics, Gameplay & Core Loops00:01
- Eurogames vs Amerigames00:00
- Video Summary #201:20
- Video Summary Transcript01:03
- Online Readings & Resources00:00
Principles of Game Design Part 37 lectures • 2min
- Pillars, Goals, Features & Elements00:01
- Game State, Information & Movement00:01
- Narrative Elements00:00
- Google Images vs Generative AI for Board Game Visual Design Research00:03
- Video Summary #301:20
- Video Summary Transcript00:58
- Online Readings & Resources00:03
Principles of Game Design Part 48 lectures • 3min
- Chance, Probability & Fairness00:00
- Skill & Decision Making00:00
- Trade-Offs, Dilemmas, Sacrifices, Risk & Reward00:01
- Strategy, Tactics & Feedback00:00
- Actions, Events, Choices, Time & Turn Taking00:01
- Winning & Losing00:00
- Video Summary #401:32
- Video Summary Transcript00:56
Principles of Game Design Part 57 lectures • 3min
- Balance & Tuning00:00
- Difficulty & Mastery00:00
- Economies00:00
- Game Documentation00:00
- Video Summary #501:32
- Video Summary Transcript01:00
- Online Readings & Resources00:00
Visual Design in Prototyping Board Games5 lectures • 23min
- Google Images vs Generative AI for Board Game Visual Design Research00:03
- Visual Hierarchy04:13
- Typography and Font09:31
- Gestalt Principles04:13
- Color Theory05:05
Storyworlds, Game Worlds and Interfaces Part 15 lectures • 3min
- Game Worlds, Dimensionality & Time00:01
- Environment, Culture & Emotion00:00
- Ethics, Morality, Violence & Realism00:01
- Video Summary #601:53
- Video Summary Transcript01:10
Storyworlds, Game Worlds and Interfaces Part 28 lectures • 3min
- Game Genres & Tropes00:00
- Post-Genre, Anti-Genre & Art Games00:01
- The Magic Circle00:00
- Rogers on Storywriting00:04
- Mapping & Wayfinding00:00
- Video Summary #701:34
- Video Summary Transcript01:04
- Online Readings & Resources00:02
Storyworlds, Game Worlds and Interfaces Part 36 lectures • 2min
- Levels00:00
- Layouts00:00
- Atmosphere & Progression00:00
- Video Summary #801:29
- Video Summary Transcript00:55
- Online Readings & Resources00:02
Agency6 lectures • 4min
- Agency00:00
- Demographics by Age & Sex00:01
- Gamer Dedication00:00
- Games & Current Events01:20
- Video Summary #901:41
- Video Summary Transcript01:03
Systems Part 16 lectures • 3min
- History of Video Games00:01
- Common Digital Gaming Platforms00:01
- Systems Concepts00:00
- Video Summary #1002:00
- Video Summary Transcript01:04
- Online Readings & Resources00:02
Systems Part 24 lectures • 2min
- Flowcharting, Algorithms & Pseudocode00:00
- Overview of Video Game Systems00:01
- Video Summary #1101:29
- Video Summary Transcript00:53
Systems Part 37 lectures • 3min
- Core vs Non-Core Mechanics00:01
- Core Mechanic Systems00:00
- Non-Core Mechanic Systems: Economies00:00
- Non-Core Mechanic Systems: Progression00:00
- Non-Core Mechanic Systems: Social Interactions00:01
- Video Summary #1201:48
- Video Summary Transcript01:10
Miscellaneous5 lectures • 7min
- Great Dialogue Lines From Video Games02:06
- Art Game Examples: It’s Gonna Rain Ludoremage00:25
- Transcript of Great Dialogue Lines From Video Games01:47
- My other free Udemy courses00:06
- Course Bibliography & Further Reading02:11
Other Uses of Game Engines11 lectures • 19min
- Simulation, Education & Training00:13
- Music Videos, Live Visuals & New Forms00:33
- Music Video Example #1: Syzygy03:48
- Music Video Example #2: Down Temp Oh03:52
- Music Video Example #3: Rasasvada03:52
- Music Video Example #4: Metanoia03:25
- Conceptual Music Video00:59
- VJ Loop Example #100:40
- VJ Loop Example #200:30
- VJ Loop Example #301:07
- VJ Loop Example #400:15
Special Topics: Blogging & Research Writing3 lectures • 15min
- Blogs & White Papers01:14
- Research Writing00:31
- How to Write Research Essays13:07
