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  1. Dartmouth Libraries
  2. Research Guides
  3. FILM 51 - Game Design Studio
  4. Home

FILM 51 - Game Design Studio

This is the course guide for FILM 51.
  • Home
    • Course description
    • In the Library's collections
    • Introductory reading(s)
    • Selected book title(s)
    • Other library resource(s)
    • Finding scholarly articles & journal title(s)
    • Internet resource(s)
    • Citing and Tracking Your Bibliographic References
    • Keeping up with the Gaming literature

Subject Librarian

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Lucinda M. Hall
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Contact:
Evans Map Room, Baker-Berry Library
Dartmouth College
25 N Main ST
Hanover, NH 03755
(603) 646-0962
Website Skype Contact: d1128r8@kiewit.dartmouth.edu
Social: LinkedIn Page LibraryThing Page
Subjects: Film and Media Studies, Geography, Polar Studies

SURVEY ABOUT THESE COURSE GUIDES

Course description

This course explores how innovative games are created and what elements go into the design of a good play experience. Games, be they console, networked, mobile, board, or pervasive, provide a versatile platform for design thinking and media practice. During the course, students create a host of game prototypes that address social issues. Students study the process of making games while developing actual game ideas, prototyping, play-testing, and documenting original, innovative game plans in a design journal.

[Source: ORC/Catalog, 05/31/2022] Dist:TAS

In the Library's collections

The call number ranges vary for video and computer game design. One area is the Baker-Berry Cook Collection on Berry Level 3. The call number range is QA 76.575 through QA 76.76. Another section is GV 1469.15 through GV 1469.7 located on Baker Stack Annex A.

You can use one of these subject headings to start your research in the library's online catalog:

  • games design and construction
  • computer games programming
  • computer games philosophy
  • video games authorship
  • game theory

Introductory reading(s)

  • Cover art The art of game design by Jesse Schell
    • On Campus or VPN
    • E-Book
    Call Number: eBook
    ISBN: 9781138632059
    Publication Date: 3rd ed.
    Presents sets of questions, or different lenses, for viewing a game's design. This book describes the deepest and most fundamental principles of game design, demonstrating how tactics used in board, card, and athletic games also work in video games. It provides practical instruction on creating world-class games that will be played again and again. ...
  • Cover art Clockwork game design by Keith Burgun
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry Cook QA 76.76 .C672 B859 2015
    ISBN: 9781138798731
    Clockwork Game Design is the most functional and directly applicable theory for game design. It details the clockwork game design pattern, which focuses on building around fundamental functionality. You can then use this understanding to prescribe a system for building and refining your rulesets. A game can achieve clarity of purpose by starting with a strong core, then removing elements that conflict with that core while adding elements that support it. ...
  • Cover art The game narrative toolbox by Tobias Heussner, et. al.
    • On Campus or VPN
    • E-Book
    Call Number: eBook
    ISBN: 9781317661627
    Learn how to create compelling game story lines. Four experienced narrative designers from different genres of game development have banded together to create this all-inclusive guide on what it's like to work as a writer and narrative designer in the videogame industry.
  • Cover art On the way to fun: an emotion-based approach to successful game design by Roberto Dillon
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry Cook QA 76.76 .C672 D54 2010
    ISBN: 9781568815824
    How can video games be fun and immerse players in fantastic worlds where anything seems possible? How can they be so engaging to have become the main entertainment product for children and adults alike? In On the Way to Fun, the author proposes a possible answer to these questions by going back to the roots of gaming and showing how early games, as well as modern indie productions, captivated generations of players even without the need for fancy graphics and effects but by relying on basic emotions and instincts instead. This book will be most beneficial to aspiring and beginning game designers and to anyone who wants a better understanding of human nature and how it relates to the design process of immersive video game experiences.
  • Cover art Theory of fun for game design by Raph Koster
    • On Campus or VPN
    • E-Book
    Call Number: eBook
    ISBN: 9781449363215
    Publication Date: 2nd ed.
    Now in full color, the 10th anniversary edition of this classic book takes you deep into the influences that underlie modern video games, and examines the elements they share with traditional games such as checkers.
  • Cover art Values at play in digital games by Mary Flanagan; Helen Fay Nissenbaum
    • On Campus or VPN
    • E-Book
    Call Number: eBook
    ISBN: 9780262027663
    All games express and embody human values, providing a compelling arena in which we play out beliefs and ideas. "Big ideas" such as justice, equity, honesty, and cooperation -- as well as other kinds of ideas, including violence, exploitation, and greed -- may emerge in games whether designers intend them or not.

Selected book title(s)

  • Cover art Augmented learning: research and design of mobile educational games by Eric Klopfer
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry LB 1029 .G3 K585 2008
    ISBN: 9780262113151
    An overview of mobile learning games that argues for the educational advantages of handheld games over their big-screen counterparts. New technology has brought with it new tools for learning, and research has shown that the educational potential of video games resonates with scholars, teachers, and students alike. In Augmented Learning, Eric Klopfer describes the largely untapped potential of mobile learning games--games played on such handheld devices as cell phones, Game Boys, and Sony PSPs--to make a substantial impact on learning. ...
  • Cover art Chance, strategy, and choice: an introduction to the mathematics of games and elections by Samuel Bruce Smith
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry Cook QA 269 .S587 2015
    ISBN: 9781107084520
    Games and elections are fundamental activities in society with applications in economics, political science, and sociology. These topics offer familiar, current, and lively subjects for a course in mathematics.
  • Cover art Chris Crawford on interactive storytelling by Chris Crawford
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry Cook GV 1469.17 .S86 C73 2005
    ISBN: 9780321278906
    As a game designer or media storyteller, you know that the story is everything. However, figuring out how to tell it interactively - can be challenging. This work provides examples of contemporary games that rely on different technologies - and learn the storytelling lessons to be garnered from each of the past methodologies.
  • Cover art The game design reader: a Rules of play anthology by Katie Salen Tekinbas; Eric Zimmerman, eds.
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry Cook QA 76.76 .C672 G357 2006
    ISBN: 9780262195362
    Classic and cutting-edge writings on games, spanning nearly 50 years of game analysis and criticism, by game designers, game journalists, game fans, folklorists, sociologists, and media theorists.The Game Design Reader is a one-of-a-kind collection on game design and criticism, from classic scholarly essays to cutting-edge case studies. ...
  • Cover art Physics for game developers by David M. Bourg; Bryan Bywalec
    • On Campus or VPN
    • E-Book
    Call Number: eBook
    ISBN: 9781449392512
    Publication Date: 2nd ed.
    If you want to enrich your game's experience with physics-based realism, the expanded edition of this classic book details physics principles applicable to game development. You'll learn about collisions, explosions, sound, projectiles, and other effects used in games on Wii, PlayStation, Xbox, smartphones, and tablets. You'll also get a handle on how to take advantage of various sensors such as accelerometers and optical tracking devices. ...

Other library resource(s)

  • Resource logo Feminist and queer game studies from Oxford Bibliographies Online - Communication by Adrienne Shaw, Alexandrina Agloro, Josef Nguyen, Amanda Phillips, Bonnie Ruberg
    • On Campus or VPN
    Call Number: Electronic resource
    ISBN: 9780199756841
    To date, there are no general overviews of feminist and queer game studies, though there are several core texts, edited collections, and special journal issues. Much of feminist game studies might more rightly be called women’s game studies, as the feminist goals of the work were largely focused on ethnographic and qualitative scholarship on women and girls who play and make games. Research on masculinity in games comprises a much smaller subcategory of research. ...
  • Resource logo Video and computer games from Oxford Bibliographies Online by Raiford Guins, Laine Nooney
    • On Campus or VPN
    Call Number: Electronic resource
    ISBN: 9780199791286
    It almost goes without saying that video games have made a profound impact across culture and society. According to the Electronic Software Association, 67 percent of households within the United States play video and/or computer games. The average video game player is age thirty-four and has been playing games for well over a decade. Gamer demographics have also shifted significantly, as women and girls constitute 40 percent of gamers while, in 2010, 26 percent of gamers are over the age of fifty. ...
  • Resource logo Video games and communication from Oxford Bibliographies Online - Communication by Brett Sherrick
    • On Campus or VPN
    Call Number: Electronic resource
    ISBN: 9780199756841
    Video games (or computer games or digital games) are a form of media that communicates through a combination of methods, including text, visuals, audio, and—perhaps most importantly—rules. As an industry (or set of industries), games represent one of the most pervasive and successful media in the world. Despite that, research on games is still fairly young, and it is often dispersed across disciplines, such as computer science, rhetoric, literature, and leisure studies. This article focuses on social scientific research on games conducted primarily in the field of (mass) communication. ...

Finding scholarly articles & journal title(s)

Articles and other writings about games and game theory can be found in many publications. Our collection includes several titles which looks exclusively at Games. You can use Film & Television Literature Index to find articles or use the search box at the top of the page.

  • IEEE transactions on games by IEEE Computational Intelligence Society
    • On Campus or VPN
    Call Number: Electronic journal
    The IEEE Transactions on Games publishes original high-quality articles covering scientific, technical, and engineering aspects of games.
  • Issue cover art International journal of computer games technology
    • Open Access Icon
    Call Number: Electronic journal
    This journal publishes original research and review articles on both the research and development aspects of games technology covering the whole range of entertainment computing and interactive digital media.
  • Resource logo Film & television literature index
    • On Campus or VPN
    • Database
    Call Number: Electronic resource
    This index covers over 300 journal and magazine titles for film and television reviews, scholarly and critical analysis of cinema and television, and articles of popular interest about film and television. About half the journals and magazines are film periodicals and the other half cover film and television with some regularity. Subject coverage includes film & television theory, preservation & restoration, writing, production, cinematography, technical aspects, and reviews.
  • Resource logo Web of science citation databases by Clarivate
    • On Campus or VPN
    • Database
    Call Number: Electronic resource
    The online version of 3 separate ISI indexes: Arts & Humanities Citation Index, Science Citation Index and, Social Sciences Citation Index.

Internet resource(s)

  • Aden Evens (English Department)
    • Link
    Another faculty member who researches New media.
  • Film & Media Studies Department
    • Link
  • Game Theory
    • Link
    A game development company in Vermont featured on InnoVaTe.
  • International Center for the History of Electronic Games
    • Link
    The International Center for the History of Electronic Games® (ICHEG) at The Strong collects, studies, and interprets video games, other electronic games, and related materials and the ways in which electronic games are changing how people play, learn, and connect with each other, including across boundaries of culture and geography.
  • Tiltfactor Laboratory
    • Link
    The Tiltfactor Laboratory is the first academic center to focus on “critical play.” Their mission is to research and develop software and playful art that creates rewarding, compelling, and socially-responsible interactions, with a focus on inventive game design for social change.
  • Values at Play
    • Link
    Values at Play™ investigates how designers can be more intentional about the ways in which they integrate human values into their game-based systems.

Citing and Tracking Your Bibliographic References

Use this guide to help you learn how to correctly cite and keep track of the references you find for your research.

  • Citation Resources
    • Link
    Resources to help you cite and manage references.

Keeping up with the Gaming literature

Want an easy way to keep up with the journal literature in Gaming research? And you use a mobile device? You can install the BrowZine app and create a custom Bookshelf of your favorite journal titles. Then you will get the Table of Contents (ToCs) of your favorite journals automatically delivered to you when they become available. Once you have the ToC's, you can download and read the articles you want from the journals for which we have subscriptions.

You can get the app from the App Store or Google Play.

Don't own or use a mobile device? You can still use BrowZine! It's also available in a web version. You can get to it here. The web version works the same way as the app version. Find the journals you like, create a custom Bookshelf, get ToCs and read the articles you want.

  • Last Updated: May 8, 2025 4:20 PM
  • URL: https://researchguides.dartmouth.edu/film51courseguide
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