At a conference for game developers today in San Francisco, Ernest W. Adams, a consultant to colleges on the development of game programs, advised a group of college game instructors to abide by 11 rules:
Don’t give students multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank tests.
Reward precision in game development but not “handwaving,” or glossing over details.
For undergraduates, emphasize interaction and game-play, not aesthetics and story design.
Teach not only game development but also the history of games, the analysis of games, and the sociology of games. Mr. Adams offered this analogy: “You don’t become an orchestral composer without dissecting the works of Mozart and Bach.”
Build relationships with the game industry, but be aware that it is extremely broad and includes more than just companies that produce games on PC’s and consoles.
Require students to work in teams. Teach project management skills, and discourage overambitious projects.
Don’t punish students who fail in first-year projects. Encourage them to learn from the experience.
Encourage students in their final projects to think outside the box. “Let them be weird while they can,” said Mr. Adams. He talked about one group of students who designed a game about pirates in a bathtub.
Encourage game-development students to take classes in the arts and sciences.
Introduce students to all aspects of game design.
Don’t take an existing computer-science, art, animation, media-studies, English, or other program, add a game course, and call it a game program.
—Andrea L. Foster
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