A course about rethinking digital architectural design tools at the University of Minnesota, Spring 2009.
Course Description
How is the architectural design process a game? How could video gaming influence architectural design? In this course students will explore the world of digital game play and propose new modes of designing based on their findings. Using a simple programming toolkit, students will design and build game software that presents new ways to see the design process. No prior experience with either computer programming or video games is necessary; course assignments will be geared toward students new to these topics.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course students should be able to:
- think critically about design processes in terms of the concepts of play, gaming, and interface.
- develop new design processes by combining elements from various forms of game play.
- realize game designs by building software using basic programming skills acquired through course assignments.
Modes of Inquiry
This course will rely primarily on process-based instruction as a mode of inquiry, utilizing computer programming as a primary medium. Programming will be taught only to a level sufficient to enable students to use it as a tool to realize their envisioned design games. The majority of learning will happen in programming workshops in which students and the instructor collaboratively translate ideas into computer code. In addition to the process-based instruction, students will engage in research into digital game play and human-computer interfaces.
Expected Outcomes
The outcomes of the course exercises will be a set of simple software applications that present playful ways for designers to create using computers. These software applications will take the form of rough prototypes and a final (not necessarily "finished") design game. In addition to the software, students will also make two short presentations: one on a digital game and one on a human-computer interface device.