Teaching Serious Game App Design
Through Client-based Projects
Christopher Totten
George Mason University
4400 University Drive
Art and Design Building, MSN: 1C3 Rm 2023
Fairfax, VA 22030
202-270-5660
ctotten@
ABSTRACT
This paper explores mobile game development courses conducted during the 2012/2013
academic year at George Mason University. In the courses, students had to design mobile
games for clients. Each design group of five students was responsible for developing a
game that would address the clients’ goals. Throughout each course students developed
mobile game prototypes and, eventually, an alpha build of the proposed mobile game on
a phone or tablet.
This paper explores the effectiveness of studio courses in embodying the game design
process over individual tool-based courses. It examines the effectiveness of an immersive
client-based design project at demonstrating development issues to students. Lastly, it
explores how such courses can fit into a Game Design curriculum while still addressing
specific Serious Game issues. Through the exploration proposed, educators can consider
whether the challenges, surprises, and management issues inherent in client-based
projects are worth wider adoption.
Keywords
Serious Games, game design pedagogy, mobile games, mobile apps, client-based
projects, curriculum development
INTRODUCTION
As a field of design in which a student may earn an undergraduate or graduate degree,
Game Design is showing itself to be one of the more complex to study. The International
Game Developers Association’s 2008 Curriculum Framework for Game Design pr