Project Brief

Course: BA / FdA Games Art and Design
Year: Two
Unit: BA6: Contexts: Collaboration, audience and employability
Project Title Production
Project 1 of 3 within this unit
Start Date: 14/03/11
Study Hours: 165
Submission Date: 16/05/11
Tutor(s): TBC

Description
This project builds and explores the difficult task of transposing game assets, design and narrative into an interactive format using both high-end computing and restricted resolutions (Apple handheld devices).
You will need to consider varying technical requirements of two platforms and conflicts that may arise from possible limitations and disparity, ultimately choosing which direction you will continue in; high-end computing, or more restrictive hardware, or examples of both.
You should now be completely focused on using either two or three dimensions within your studio practice, concentrating on a sole specialism from here on in.
If you have worked predominantly in 2D, you will create an interactive graphic novel / narrative for your chosen platform(s). If you predominantly use digital 3D, you should be focused on adapting a character, environment or vehicle for use in the available game engine(s).
You will gain experience assessing multiple platforms and game engines competing to ensure design is not lost in translation.

This project addresses the key areas of study as follows:

Studio Practice: You will initially research the available game engine(s) and alternate methods of interactivity, choosing to focus on a PC/Console or iPhone/iPod Touch platform.
All options require a completed learning agreement and approval from course staff. There will be a series of focused lectures, seminars and workshops to guide your technical and creative practice in this project. We will cover 2D and 3D fundamentals in relation to game engines, interactivity and possible alternatives where narrative is the favoured goal. You will each end the project with examples of interactivity and a greater understanding of practical limitations of hardware. A relevant drawing programme will run concurrently with this project.

Business and Professional Skills: Business and Professional Skills are integrated with Project 3 (Advanced Games Studies & Research). All topics covered are relevant to studio practice and inform your creative and practical decision-making.

Contextual Studies: Contextual studies runs as a separate project (Advanced Games Studies & Research). throughout this unit. All topics covered are relevant to studio practice and inform your creative and practical decision-making.

Personal Development and Planning: You will keep an independent reflective journal or blog recording your own personal learning experience throughout this brief.

The table below lists the work you will need to submit and which areas of study each item relates to:

Work required for this project:
Area of study
Which Unit Assessment Requirement this work contributes to:
Completed (and signed off) learning agreement

Studio Practice
BA 6 - A body of studio work
One or more examples of interactivity

Studio Practice
BA 6 - A body of studio work
Reflective Journal (Digitized Notebook/Sketchbook/Blog) [PDF]

Studio Practice / PDP
BA 6 - Research files
All work MUST be correctly formatted and submitted to the Digital 3D server. Folder structures and naming conventions must be adhered to precisely.

Studio Practice / PDP
BA 6 - A body of studio work; Research files

Not assessed in this project:
Business and Professional Skills / Contextual Studies
n/a

The table below shows which of the Unit Learning Outcomes are addressed by this project and what you will need to do to show that you have met them:

Learning Outcome
How you will be assessed:

LO10: Use a range of strategies to articulate and extend the limits of your subject and contextual knowledge.
We will be looking for processes of analysis and execution when translating original content to a specific platform. This will be found in your blog and interactive digital submission.

LO12: Demonstrate your ability to negotiate, plan and work collaboratively to meet specified goals.
We will be looking for a clear and concise learning agreement, supporting schedule and evidence of peer interaction in your blog to inform your goal(s).

Reference material
As currency of information is crucial to this project, reference material will be given at the beginning of each brief and be available on the VLE pages for Games Art and Design.