USC IMD:

Archangel 491 Proposal

Hi everybody!

Here's my proposal for Advanced Game Design. We'll be pitching it on April 15! Thoughts? Interest?

Thanks,
Bill

Repeat after me on the PS3

According to an experiment on a bird called a budgerigar, the bird finds it easier to learn by imitation than by ignoring observed behavior of another bird. Automatic imitation has been accepted in humans, but the authors claim this is the first evidence of automatic imitation in birds.

This suggests to me that many tasks can be learned by observing others perform the same. In my thesis, I had been presenting behavior to imitate, so that users could begin to pick up elements of a foreign language without verbal instruction. The technique prompted me to look for exemplary cases of priming player behavior through imitation in videogames.

Last week while I was playing Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3), I arrived where my plane had crashed. From the overlooking cliff, I noticed one of the thugs, in the distance, sliding down a rope. It struck me as an odd way to set the scene of the thug's camp. After I wiped them out (actually I didn't want to kill these anonymous brown-skinned fellows, but that's the only way the game taught me to progress the plot), I was stumped on how to trigger the next encounter or cutscene. Then I saw the rope. With little thought, I climbed. I had imitated the distant rope climber. Through storytelling and animation, my behavior was artfully directed to discover the next scene's trigger volume. And rather than distract me, as most hints in games do (including the L2 button in Uncharted), this subtle display of a behavior to imitate suggested a solution without breaking my belief in the narrative.

Feedback wanted

Would you like to influence the design of a game in just 30 minutes? Runesinger, an advanced game and MFA thesis at USC is conducting a focus test. Do you have half an hour to look at a storyboard and prior language games, listen to original scores and reference songs? No experience required. Express yourself.

Korean and American snacks provided. This will be on campus, Wednesday July 16 and Thursday July 17, from 1 pm to 4 pm. The focus test will finish in 30 minutes. Is there a time that is good for you? Contact me to confirm: kennerly -AT- usc -DOT- edu

Thesis playtesters wanted

Korean lunch will be served, including fresh sushi, vegetables, cookies, tea, and juice.

We are looking for players to influence the design of an MFA thesis and advanced game project that practices a foreign language through play. No gaming or language experience necessary.

In response to the thoughtful comments from the previous round of playtesting is a collection of prototypes of casual games: a meaningful introduction, a playful sandbox, and a series of interesting choices, none of which require use of a keyboard.

This playtest takes 30 minutes. It will be offered on Wednesday and Thursday (May 28, 29) in the early afternoon. Contact me to confirm a time (even on a different day).

This is at the interactive media lab (IML) at G142, the basement at the bottom of the stairs, below Carson Sound Stage, which is across the street from the Student Health Center on the north side of campus.

Contact: Ethan Kennerly (kennerly -AT- usc -DOT- edu)
Game: http://runesinger.com

Runesinger is recruiting

Our MFA thesis and Advanced Game Project is recruiting. Runesinger is a videogame to practice Korean through play. We are seeking three creative coders and many more playtesters. Do you know someone interested?

CTIN 491 Advanced Game Project - The Winners

Please join me in congratulating the three winning teams for the 2008-2009 Advanced Game Project class. As you may know many teams submitted proposals in March, five finalists were chosen to present their work to a selection committee from USC and industry yesterday, three winning teams have been greenlighted to move forward. They are:
1) Minor Battle - Andre Clark and team
2) Runesingers - Ethan Kennerly and team
3) Reflection - Keith Co and team

Thanks to all the students who participated in this intensely competitive process. Congrats again to this year's winners.

CTIN 491 Advanced Game Projects - The Five Finalists

Thanks to all students who submitted proposals for the 2008-2009 Advanced Game Project process. The selection committee met Wednesday and reviewed all submissions in detail.

The five finalists in random order are:
1) Reflection – Keith Co
2) Minor Battle – Andre Clark
3) Runesinger – Ethan Kennerly
4) SpliceMeister – Joseph Spradley
5) Bloodlines – RJ Layton

Note that these finalists will present in person to the selection committee on April 30. Three winning projects will be greenlighted for production.

CTIN 491 Advanced Game Projects: Call for Proposals

CTIN/CSCI 491 is a two-semester advanced game project class administered collaboratively by the USC School of Cinematic Arts and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. Note that is course is also called CSCI 529 for Viterbi grad students.

Students bring their individual talents as designers, programmers, artists, writers, composers, producers, etc. together in cross-disciplinary teams. Mentors from industry and the faculty are integrated into the process from the start. Art assets are produced (as much as possible) for the 491 teams by separate students from the CSCI 281 Pipelines for Games class.

Completed student work will be promoted via coordinated effort by the university.

The goal is simple: USC strives to create the best student games in the world.