Educators’ Rant at GDC 2013
March 26, 2013, Game Developers’ Conference, San Francisco—Four educators offered their thoughts on teaching game development. Clara Fernandez-Vara from MIT, Michael Mateas from UC Santa Cruz, Ian Schreiber, an independent developer, and Jose Zagal from DePaul offered their opinions on the state and nature of game education.
Zagal started out decrying the practice of using iconic or best-in-class games as examples for classes. These critically acclaimed and popular games may have many elements to recommend them, but are too complex to use as teaching vehicles. In addition, the choice of these games can lead to nerd fights over specific details and characteristics and can be out of date for many students.
Classes have to focus on games, ignoring the basics and emphasizing the emotional connections. Students need to be placed first in the minds of the teachers, or it is bad for future designs. For example, educators need to differentiate between important and a real learning vehicle. They must consider social conventions and timeframes, since the lack of experience and literacy in some genres can have detrimental effects on learning.
Educators need to understand their own assumptions and use games that support learning. Usually this means a non-mass-market, non-influential game. The basic techniques are easier to understand if they are simple. And finally, educators need to ensure that students take ownership of their own education.
Schreiber deprecated the whole industry for being mostly white, male, and straight. The general concept is that gamers are against women and diversity, and the educational system is turning these people into developers. There is a need for the whole industry to change, as the changing markets are making the all male gamer society become extinct.
The industry has to change hiring and recruiting practices to consider populations other than the former male-dominated gamers as potential hires. All students need some form of gender studies to address the fact that, now, a majority of gamers are casual and female. These change are affecting the whole industry.
Fernandez-Vara echoed the poor selection criteria for developers as being overly specific. Examples of very successful game developers from areas other than computer science showed that the changing technologies for game programs differ from those needed for game design.
Many developers don’t put enough attention to audio, production, scoping, and prototyping, so have no vision on emerging technologies. A computer science degree is not even close to the skills needed for game development. Video games are not only technology, but also need a human aspect. Most game courses are part of other departments, so game design is missing key components like game theory, game studies, etc. Good games need artists so the focus on technology is a mistake.
Mateas proclaimed that education is a function other than for teaching. The role of the universities is to develop scholarly commentary and communities to transform students and form a school of thought. Schools should include game studies, design research, and technology R&D in their curricula.
The schools have to apply technology to existing games and transform their potential through computational media, formal modeling, and technology. Game design should be about the intersection of design and technology to increase the number of influences and improve outcomes for students that can transfer to life skills. The profit on $0 is still going to be $0. Play should be the basis for computational and procedural thinking.
