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University of Westminster
5CCGD009W Game Studio – Coursework 1 (2023/24)
Module leader Shaif Hemraj Unit Coursework 1 – Preproduction Weighting: 40% Qualifying mark 30% Description Finished work should showcase evidence of research, analysis and problem- solving. Submission will involve the use of digital materials and documents that can effectively present information in relation to the game development lifecycle for a chosen idea. Remember, this assessment will allow you to simulate what it can be like to work in the industry, as well as give you the opportunity to apply your skills and showcase what you have to offer through the interview and pitching process. Learning Outcomes Covered in this Assignment: This assignment contributes towards the following Learning Outcomes (LOs): LO1: Gain practical experience of software project management throughout the game development lifecycle based on effective analysis of the problem domain, elicitation of requirements, applying the formal design, implementing and testing it to meet the intended set of requirements. L04. Explain Professional code of Conduct including ethics and ethical codes, Intellectual Property, Data Protection and Project Documentation issues; LO5: Gain practical experience of working as a member of a game development project team including such professional practices as project documentation and version control. Handed Out: 30 /0 1 /2 4 Due Date 22 /0 2 /2 4 Submissions by 1pm Expected deliverables Part 1.1 – 1.4: Report documents in PDF format Part 1: To Be Uploaded by Group Leader: Focus on Documentation/Pitch
**- Testing Design plans
- Contracts
- Meeting Minutes
- Design Document
- Trello management
- Pitch Document (With Miro Link/Screenshots)**
Part 2: (Uploaded By Each Member)
- Link of Online Site With at least 3 relevant blog posts (Portfolio/LinkedIn)
- CV & Cover Letter in PDF format
- Relevant Online Training Certificates for Employability
- Attend Online Interview on Date Set by Module Leader All parts from each student must be submitted by the referral/deferral deadline. Method of Submission: Electronic submission on BB via a provided link close to the submission time and in-class presentation. The file you upload should have the following naming format: <5CCGD009WCW1_StudentNumber_FullName.docx> E.g. 5CCGD009W_CW1_w1234567_HungryJason.docx Type of Feedback and Due Date: (^) • Verbal feedback will be provided in the tutorials as the assessment progress,
- Verbal feedback for the submitted coursework will be provided directly during the next tutorial
- Written feedback and marks within 15 working days (3 weeks) after the submission deadline. All marks will remain provisional until formally agreed by an Assessment Board. BCS Criteria 2.1.1 Knowledge and understanding of facts, concepts, principles & theories 2.1.2 Use of such knowledge in modeling and design 2.1.3 Problem solving strategies 2.1.4 Analyze if/how a system meets current and future requirements 2.1.5 Deploy theory in design, implementation and evaluation of systems 2.1.6 Recognise legal, social, ethical & professional issues 2.1.7 Knowledge and understanding of commercial and economic issues 2.1.8 Knowledge of management techniques to achieve objectives 2.2.1 Specify, design or construct computer-based systems 2.2.3 Recognise risk/safety for safe operation of computing and information systems 2.3.1 Work as a member of a development team 2.3.2 Development of general transferable skills 3.2.2 Defining problems, managing design process and evaluating outcomes 3.2.3 System Design 4.2.2 Defining problems, managing design process and evaluating outcomes Assessment regulations Refer to section 4 of the “How you study” guide for undergraduate students for a clarification of how you are assessed, penalties and late submissions, what constitutes plagiarism etc. Penalty for Late Submission If you submit your coursework late but within 24 hours or one working day of the specified deadline, 10 marks will be deducted from the final mark, as a penalty for late submission, except for work which obtains a mark in the range 40 – 49%, in which case the mark will be capped at the pass mark (40%). If you submit your coursework
Coursework Description
For this assessment, you will be required to prepare a professional game pitch proposal and design documentation. In addition, you will supply a viable Project Plan with all relevant accompanied documents ( part 1 ). Further to this, you will prepare for a formal Interview process by creating an online portfolio, CV, and Cover Letter ( part 2 ). This coursework will consist of two parts and be marked based on the following marking criteria:
Part 1 - Project Initiation in Computer Game Software Development [50 marks total]
For this assessment, you will be expected to brainstorm and pitch a game idea based on a brief. Upon doing so, you will then receive feedback and be able to re-pitch the idea in a ‘rapid-fire’ session. Use Miro to create visual elements that will help showcase your planning process, as well as other relevant information if possible. 1.1 Pitch Document and Video – Commercial Overview [15 marks] For this section, you will need to provide essential game details ( 8 Marks).
- Working game title: Can be based on licenses provided in class, or an original idea.
- Introduction
- Brief description of core gameplay: Focus on the key engagement mechanics (100 words).
- Game type/genre: What type of game is it, or is it totally different?
- USPs: What is unique about your game, compared to the competition?
- Market analysis: identify similar titles report on their Meta-critic scores, units sold as evidence.
- Platform: What is the lead platform?
- Target Audience: Identify the expected player by age, gender, social position. Provide reasons for the selection.
- Age rating: What age rating do you think it is likely to be. This must be suitable for the content.
- Number of Players: How many people can play it at once, is it online?
- Executive Summary. You will also need to discuss Ethics and Intellectual Property at length (7 Marks).
- References when citing sources and inspirations
- Ethical Considerations when discussing ideas
- Copyright to avoid plagiarism and abide by fair use.
- Brief Overview of IP (If Chosen From License List) with explanation on why it was chosen. One or more members of the team will present their idea in a video format to be reviewed by peers and academics. The pitch itself can be developed using Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Slides, and then exported as a pdf and video. Feel free to attach Miro screenshots in the pitch. All aspects of the pitch must be covered. The peer and academic feedback will be provided in a timely manner to support the development of the Game Design Document.
1.2 Game Design Document [10 marks] For this section, you are encouraged to use the examples given in the Pitch to articulate points (5 Marks).
- Introduction + Game Concept: Describe in detail the concept of the game expanding on the Brief description of core gameplay found in Pitch.
- Player Motivation: Describe why you feel the identified audience (from Pitch) will be motivated to play the game based on the identified USP’s (from Pitch). Consider novel gameplay and/ or game narrative.
- Key Gameplay Mechanics + Visuals: Explain key gameplay mechanics and visual style.
- Controls: How will the game be controlled and what are the rules to ensure the game is balanced? Map out control instructions.
- Game Progress: How does the game unlock and how does the player progress? Consider presenting the next four components in a table (5 Marks).
- Environments: What type of levels will there be and how many?
- Characters: What are the main characters in the game (if any)?
- Audio Design: What will the sound be like in this game, music, speech, sound effects?
- Menu System: Briefly describe each menu in the game and how they link to each other?
- Walk through: A description of the player’s experience at a point in the game that best demonstrates the intended gameplay? Remember, when presenting your game idea, the challenge is to make a compelling and credible case for why it should be signed up. The focus should be on the game itself, not on demonstrating your modding or coding abilities. All research must be present in the appendix for this task. If there is insufficient evidence of research this task mark will be capped to 8 overall! 1.3 - Project Management in Computer Game Software Development - [15 marks] On completing a successful game pitch, you must create a Business Case and Project Plan to simulate the pre-production aspect of development. The Business Case will include: Business Case [5 marks]
- Business Justification for the game is based on the Pitch.
- Risk Assessment of the risk and opportunities presented by the project.
- List of Key Performance Indicators and Critical Success Factors. Based on the Business Case, you must also complete a Project Plan. The Project Plan will consist of: Project Plan [10 marks]
- UML Model Diagram based on the Game Design
- Requirements Analysis based on the UML Diagram
- Asset/Task List based on the Requirements Analysis
- Gantt Chart outlining the project lifecycle.
- Trello Project Board populated with the project tasks
Part 2 - Professional Practice in Computer Game Software Development – Project
Preparation [50 marks]
With the aid of an Online Portfolio that best reflects your practice and a downloadable CV, you will take part in a mock job interview in front of a panel, selling your skills and outline your plans for your future career. You need to take the following steps: 2.1 CV [ 8 marks] You will need to create a CV outlining your career and education thus far. This is intended as a document to attract future employment, so make sure that it is up to date and formatted to a professional standard. Remember to aim to keep your CV to two pages of A4 paper and to include all of the most important and potentially appealing information for a prospective employer in the top half of the first page. A CV template will be made available to you on blackboard. 2.2 Cover Letter [ 8 marks] Your CV should also be accompanied by a Cover Letter that is no more than one page of A4 long targeted towards the job you are applying for (links and screenshots below). This letter should include your own name and address in the top left-hand corner of the page and should be addressed “ To Whom it May Concern”. It should be used to describe in more detail your interest, ambitions and passions with regard to getting work in the games industry. 2.3 Online portfolio ( 8 marks) You will need to produce a website with a home menu, contact page and project samples. These can be code demos, videos, pictures, or written documents, such as design documents), a link to your CV, contact details, basic information about who you are and any other relevant external links). Showcase the work you did for this assessment on the website with at least 3 posts that showcase the progress that was made overtime. You need to address the following:
- Accessibility and navigation (Can people access the content easily and quickly?)
- Promoting your work (Is it clear who you are and what you do? Do your examples of work display and play properly? Is the information given to the point?)
- First Impressions (Is the immediate image people see when they access your site eye-catching enough to keep their attention) Creating your website: You can create your online portfolio with the application of your choice. Uploading your site Online. Please host your website on a free server of your choice. Your Security: Your portfolio is an online, searchable webpage and therefore available to anyone! Limit your personal and contact details as this can be subject to data theft! Do not use your personal email, telephone number or address; for your safety use an anonymous Contact Me page that is linked to a personal or school email account.
2.4 Interview [20 marks] You will have an opportunity to promote yourself during a mock job Interview. You will be able to choose one of 4 job types that you are applying for in this mock interview. They are: ● Programming Internship – Activision, Blizzard ● Design Intern (Star Wars) - NaturalMotion Games ● Software Development Intern - Ansys ● 3D Artist Intern – Humanitarian Operations During this interview you will have the opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of the industry along with all of your other skills and talents related to making games. Your CV and online portfolio could be very useful tools in increasing your chances of success during this interview process and you are recommended to have them with you and accessible at the interview. Things to remember:
- Presentation and clarity of interface in your online portfolio are important.
- Spelling and Grammar mistakes in your CV and Portfolio will not be forgiven.
- Be sure to include only your best quality work in your online portfolio. The interview needs to demonstrate the following.
- Quality, clarity, sophistication and focus in self-presentation.
- Awareness of the needs of games company, and other professional bodies
- Ability to identify your own strengths and weaknesses in relation to the needs of the employer and any relevant experience for the job that is available. The online portfolio and CV need to demonstrate the following.
- Ability to show work within an online portfolio.
- Effective use of language
- Interface clarity - Accessibility and navigation
- Ability to write a formal CV and Cover Letter 2.5 Training Course/Certificate [6 marks] To demonstrate your skills and knowledge of relevant software and notable abilities often needed in the gaming industry, you will be expected to complete a training course online to obtain a certificate that can then be added to your professional profile. Doing so will provide a variety of benefits, such as making your resume more suitable for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and supporting your LinkedIn profile. You will need to complete at least one course from the following links. ● LinkedIn – Game Design Foundations: 3 Pitch, Propose, and Practice ● LinkedIn – Introduction to C# with Unity ● LinkedIn – Unreal Engine: ArchViz Design Techniques ● LinkedIn – Game Development Foundations: Game-Related Math
PART 1 Individual Students will make this submission
PART 2 Individual Portfolio Submission and Interview
- The submission effectively uses digital materials and documents to present information in a clear, engaging, and detailed manner.
- The student demonstrates and applies a deep understanding of the professional code of conduct, including ethics, intellectual property, data protection, and project documentation issues.
- The student collaborates exceptionally well within a team, using project documentation and version control practices to ensure the successful completion of the project. Good (60% – 70%):
- The finished work showcases strong evidence of research, analysis, and problem-solving skills, while also demonstrating a solid understanding of the game development lifecycle and how to effectively manage software projects.
- The submission manages to use both digital materials and documents to present information in a clear and professional manner, with content that contains a clear amount of creativity while also covering the requested areas with a notable level of detail.
- The student demonstrates and applies a good understanding of the professional code of conduct, by covering ethics, intellectual property, data protection, and project documentation issues to a notable extent.
- The student works well as a member of a game development project team, as the work is well documented and straightforward to navigate through. Average (50% – 60%):
- The finished work showcases an acceptable amount of research, analysis, and problem- solving skills, while also demonstrating a basic understanding of the game development lifecycle and how to manage software projects effectively.
- The submission uses digital materials and documents to present information in a clear manner, but could benefit from additional creativity, attention to detail, and professionalism.
- The student demonstrates and applies an average understanding of the professional code of conduct, including ethics, intellectual property, data protection, and project documentation issues.
- The student works adequately as a member of a game development project team, although further evidence of collaboration strategies to highlight how the project was developed through teamwork is needed. Basic (40% – 50%):
- The finished work showcases limited research, analysis, and problem-solving skills, demonstrating a basic understanding of the game development lifecycle and how to manage software projects effectively.
- The submission uses digital materials and documents to present information in a somewhat unclear manner, which results in it lacking creativity, attention to detail, and professionalism.
- The student demonstrates and applies a limited understanding of the professional code of conduct, as the topic of ethics, intellectual property, data protection, and project documentation issues is only briefly discussed.
- The student provides little as a member of a game development project team, as it is evident that collaboration strategies have been avoided. Insufficient (0% – 40%):
- The finished work fails to achieve a standard that can be deemed passable, as there is little evidence of research, analysis, or problem-solving skills throughout. A very minimal understanding of the game development lifecycle, as well as how to effectively manage a project, is evident throughout the entirety of this submission.
- The submission fails to effectively use digital materials and documents to present information to a passable standard, as the submission could strongly benefit from an increased amount of creativity, detail, and overall professionalism.
- The student demonstrates a poor understanding of the professional code of conduct, as relevant topics, such as ethics, intellectual property, data protection, and project documentation issues, are not applied to the development of the game project.
- The student fails to work effectively as a member of a game development project team, as it is evident that a minimal contribution was made within their team.
