Admission requirements
Bachelor degree (completed). To participate in this course you will need to be comfortable with the basics of programming and the operation of media creation software.
Description
Scientific experiments increasingly involve interactive elements and virtual environments that make use of the technological advancements in video game development. Some studies even specifically involve video games to collect data or to use them to educate people on a specific issue. However, designing and conducting game-based research projects requires understanding not just of one's own field of research, but also of the conventions and practical considerations that are part of video game development.
In this course, you will learn how to design and conduct a game-based research project that involves either the modification of an existing video game, or the purposeful development of a new interactive experience. In the process, you will learn about existing 'serious game' projects, recent developments in game research more generally, and technological affordances that can be used in video games and interactive experiences. Course lectures provide the theoretical foundation for game-based research practices, as well as game design and development principles. Workshops provide space for related discussion and applied, collaborative development work. At the end of the course, you will have gained the experience of conducting research work with the help of video games, and will be able to apply it in your area of study.
To enjoy this course you should be enthusiastic about experimenting with video games and show curiosity for the medium in general; including the willingness to analyse games that you might not usually choose to play. Game development is a challenging, time-consuming activity that requires collaboration and a wide range of skills. However, taking on this challenge will equip you with the ability to conduct unique and novel research projects.
Course objectives
Answer questions about the role, effect and conventions of video games in applied and academic research.
Critically assess the impact of game design when developing video games for non-entertainment purposes.
Explain, select and apply different types of methodology and research outputs when conducting game-based research.
Develop original research questions involving video games, critically analyse and select one and develop an appropriate methodology.
Implement the selected methodology and collect/retrieve the necessary data.
Analyse the results, critically discuss the implications and the performance of the methodology against the research objectives.
Illustrate and describe the performed research in an academic form, as a full scientific paper (including background research, methodology, results and discussion).
Present the research and the findings in public, communicating objectives, methodology, results and limitations.
Timetable
In MyTimetable, you can find all course and programme schedules, allowing you to create your personal timetable. Activities for which you have enrolled via MyStudyMap will automatically appear in your timetable.
Additionally, you can easily link MyTimetable to a calendar app on your phone, and schedule changes will be automatically updated in your calendar. You can also choose to receive email notifications about schedule changes. You can enable notifications in Settings after logging in.
Questions? Watch the video, read the instructions, or contact the ISSC helpdesk.
Note: Joint Degree students from Leiden/Delft need to combine information from both the Leiden and Delft MyTimetables to see a complete schedule. This video explains how to do it.
Mode of instruction
Lectures, self study, workshops, and collaborative project work
Assessment method
Mid-course exam (15%)
Research project and paper (60%)
Project presentation (25%)
The exam takes place roughly half-way into course. The research project and paper are evaluated at the end of the course. The project presentations takes place in December.
Research projects are carried out in teams.
The retake for the exam takes place in December.
The retake for the research project (including paper and presentation) is an individual 'post-mortem' paper (a critical reflection of the successes and failures throughout the research project).
Reading list
Throughout the course students will receive articles or papers to read, videos to watch, and games to play. All essential material will be made available as part of the course. Additional, non-essential material might be recommended from time to time.
Registration
As a student, you are responsible for enrolling on time through MyStudyMap.
In this short video, you can see step-by-step how to enrol for courses in MyStudyMap.
Extensive information about the operation of MyStudyMap can be found here.
There are two enrolment periods per year:
Enrolment for the fall opens in July
Enrolment for the spring opens in December
See this page for more information about deadlines and enrolling for courses and exams.
Note:
It is mandatory to enrol for all activities of a course that you are going to follow.
Your enrolment is only complete when you submit your course planning in the ‘Ready for enrolment’ tab by clicking ‘Send’.
Not being enrolled for an exam/resit means that you are not allowed to participate in the exam/resit.
Contact
Contact the lecturer(s) for course specific questions, and the programme's coordinator for questions regarding admission and/or registration.
Remarks
Elective, external and exchange students (other than Media Technology and Computer Science students) need to be admitted to the course before registration due to limited capacity. Contact the programme's coordinator to request admission; include a short description of your course interest and state your current study programme in your correspondence.
Software
Starting from the 2024/2025 academic year, the Faculty of Science will use the software distribution platform Academic Software. Through this platform, you can access the software needed for specific courses in your studies. For some software, your laptop must meet certain system requirements, which will be specified with the software. It is important to install the software before the start of the course. More information about the laptop requirements can be found on the student website.