IGB400 Game Studio 3: Game Innovation

Unit Outline: Semester 2 2024, Gardens Point, Internal

Overview

This unit explores how game technology and design can be applied in innovative ways. This unit aims to extend your discipline expertise, providing you with the additional knowledge, skills and insights that allow you to create an innovation within the field. Furthermore, you will be able to explore innovation within the games industry or impact more broadly on other industries.

The unit has a particular focus on helping you create a well rounded portfolio, social media profiles, curriculum vitae as well as developing your interview and job test skills to support you post graduation. 

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Integrate in-depth of knowledge in a game development discipline.
2. Create game innovation through creative problem solving and reflective knowledge integration.
3. Work independently and critically reflective professional practice.
4. Effectively use oral and written communication to articulate project process and outcomes.
5. Prepare and review your professional profile and clearly articulate your career goals and professional capabilities in the form of curriculum vitae.

Content

Learning Approaches

This unit uses a mentoring approach to learning where you are in charge of and have responsibility for your own development.  You will be expected to search for and critically evaluate information from a variety of sources as well as develop of a project brief based on this research. At this stage of your course, it is expected that the project you undertake will be highly complex, requiring attention to a diverse and conflicting range of issues. You will be required to independently apply relevant knowledge and skills you have developed throughout the degree.

Teaching staff will use individual consultations to check-in on your progress and provide mentoring across the semester. These consultations will be supported by special-focus lectures that are directed at developing your capacity to innovate in the game design/development field. Workshops related to developing your professional profile will also be included at key times during the semester to prepare you for life after graduation. Furthermore, you will also be involved in seminar presentations that give you practical experience in preparation and presentation of ideas for peer group discussion.

Industry guest speakers from the Games Design Industry (including First Nations People) will be invited to discuss their work and career paths.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

You will have a range of opportunities to receive feedback on your learning and progress in this unit including:

• Detailed formative feedback regarding the strengths and weaknesses of your work and suggestions for further consideration on a weekly basis as part of your individual consultation with with your project supervisor.
• Guidelines and objectives will be provided for each piece of assessment to help you assess your progress.
• Opportunities for self and peer feedback will be available at seminars and workshops. 
• Comprehensive written feedback will be provided on all assessment tasks via the rubric.
• Student Success Group feedback is available on your Curriculum Vitae.

Assessment

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Portfolio

This assessment requires to undertake three tasks related to your life after graduation:

1. Review and update your professional identity on social media
   
   
2. Prepare a Curriculum Vitae.
   
   
3. Critique and update your professional portfolio. Your portfolio should represent a compilation of the output you have created throughout your degree including that created in this unit. This includes both the final output (e.g., games developed) as well project management processes, project management processes, comments and responses from meetings and presentations, and reflections of your growth as a game development professional. 

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Assessment: Presentation (Oral or Group)

Seminar presentation (with accompanying slides) assessed by a panel of academics, with input from industry representative and/or peers.

Assessment: Project (applied)

Format variable for difference disciplines, could take form of a discussion paper, case study, design, creative work (e.g., game), model, simulation, algorithm.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Resource Materials

Other

Canvas site.

Risk Assessment Statement

There are no unusual health or safety risks associated with this unit.

Course Learning Outcomes

IN05 Bachelor of Games and Interactive Environments

1. Demonstrate broad knowledge of games and interactive environments principles and theory, with an in-depth knowledge of one games-related discipline.
   Relates to: ULO1, Presentation (Oral or Group), Project (applied)
2. Apply creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills to generate solutions to design challenges.
   Relates to: ULO2, Project (applied)
3. Create engaging and meaningful games experiences for specific target audiences in partnership with diverse industry and community stakeholders using industry-relevant software and technologies..
   Relates to: ULO2, Project (applied)
4. Communicate complex concepts at all stages of the development cycle to specialist and non-specialist audiences in written, oral and interactive visual formats.
   Relates to: ULO4, ULO5, Portfolio, Presentation (Oral or Group), Project (applied)
5. Critically reflect on social, ethical, cultural, legal and accessibility issues in the context of games and interactive environments, including as they relate to First Nations Australians.
   Relates to: ULO3, Portfolio, Presentation (Oral or Group), Project (applied)
6. Evidence the development of your learning, professional capabilities and skills through creating a curated portfolio of work.
   Relates to: ULO2, ULO5, Portfolio, Presentation (Oral or Group), Project (applied)