Games
Over 130 games are available as academic resources on
campus. These are located in Sawyer and Schow (some
on reserve), and in the Graphics Lab by special
appointment. These are a combination of my personal
collection and the College's collection. Please dive
deeply into this resource! Please also respect these
works as academic materials. Preserve their quality,
approach them in a scholarly manner, and give
appropriate and unambiguous attribution when
discussing them.
I recommend the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 ("PS3") in
Jesup B04 (available 24/7) and the meeting rooms in
Schow as gaming locations easily accessible to
everyone in the class. I also recommend e-mailing the
class list beforehand so that you can group up. Most
of the board games require at least three
players. Studying even single-player video games as a
team is very effective--often you can learn more about
the game by watching someone else play. If you have
your own game console you are welcome to play these
games on that as well. Note that some of the games
below are PS2, PC, and Wii games, which will not work with
the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. You can play those
by appointment with me in the Graphics lab or on your
own console.
Schow Library Reserved Games
Throughout the semester, I'll place the following
games are on 4-hour reserve for you in Schow library.
The course schedule will indicate which of these
are assigned and when.
Because we have only one copy of most games, I often
let you choose between multiple games that are similar
for the purpose of the assignment. For example,
Borderlands, Okami, and Valkyria
Chronicles are all strong examples of painterly
art direction in games. Stone Age
and Agricola are both canonical
worker-placement games. You can expect to study four
of these in depth and experience about one quarter of the total list.
These games will form the core of your critical gaming
vocabulary because each is exemplary in some way...but
not necessarily necessarily a positive way. Beware that some
are good examples of bad designs.
- Citadels, Fantasy Flight Games, card game, 4+, 2006. 2-7 players (4-5 recommended), 20-60 min. with Dark City expansion.
- Agricola, U. Rosenberg, Z-Man Games, board, 12+, 2008. 1-5 players (3-4 recommended), 30 min./player
- Carcassonne, Klaus-Juergen Wrede, Rio Grande Games, board game, 2008. 2-5 players, 45 min./player
- Puerto Rico, A. Seyfarth / Ravensburger Spieleverlag, Rio Grande Games, board game, 12+, 2002. 3-5 players, 90-150 minutes. with Expansion pack.
- Dominion, D. X. Vaccarino, Rio Grande Games, card game, 8+, 2009. 2-4 players, 30 minutes. (The Intrigue and Cornucopia expansions are available in the library as well)
- The Settlers of Catan, K. Teuber, Mayfair Games, board game, 12+, 1996. 3-4 players, 1-2 hours.
- Cathedral, Mattel, board game, 10+, 1986. 2 players, 15 min.
- Tipover, ThinkFun, board game, 8+, 2004. 1 player, 10 min.
- Pandemic, M. Leacock, Z-Man Games, board game, 10+, 2007. 2-4 cooperative players, 45 min.
- Mass Effect, Bioware, Microsoft Game Studios/Electronic Arts, Xbox 360, Windows, PS3, 2007
- Mass Effect 2, Bioware, Electronic Arts, Xbox 360, Windows, PS3, 2010
- Robo Rally, R. Garfield, Avalon Hill/Wizards of the Coast, board game, 12+, 2005. 2-8 players, 30+ min.
- Battlestar Galactica, C. Konieczka, Fantasy Flight Games / Sci-Fi, board game, 10+, 2008. 3-6 cooperative players. 2-3 hours
- Power Grid, F. Friese, Rio Grande Games, board game, 12+, 2004. 2-6 players, 2 hours
- Equate, M. K. Beavers, Conceptual Math Media, board game, 8+, 1996. 2-4 players, 45 min.
- Yinsh, K. Burm, Don & Co NV, board game, 2003. 2 players, 30 min.
- Odin's Ravens, T. Gimmler, Kosmos/Rio Grande Games, board game, 10+, 2002. 2 players, 30-40 min.
- Pit, Hasbro, Winning Moves Games, card game, 7+, 1972. 3-8 players, 30 min.
- Stone Age, B. Brunnhofer, 999 Games, board game, 10+, 2008. 2-4 players (4 recommended), 60 min.
- Apples to Apples, M. Kirby and M. A. Osterhaus, Mattel, card game, 12+, 1999. 4-10 players (5-8 recommended), 30 min.
- Shadows Over Camelot, B. Cathala and S. Laget, Days of Wonder, board game, 10+, 2005. with expansion. 3-8 cooperative players (5-8 recommended), 90 min.
- Through the Desert, Reiner Knizia, Kosmos/Fantasy Flight Games, board game, 8+, 1998. 2-5 players, 45 min
- Munchkin Bites!, Steve Jackson, Steve Jackson Games, card, 2004. 3-6 players, 60 min
- Dante's Inferno, Visceral Games, EA, Xbox 360 and PS, ESRB: M, 2010.
- Assassin's Creed II, Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft, Xbox360, PS3, and PC, ESRB: M, 2009
- Burnout Paradise, Criterion Games, Electronic Arts, PS3, Xbox360, and PC, ESRB: E10+, 2008
- Left 4 Dead 2, Valve Corporation, Xbox360 and PC, ESRB: M, 2009
- No More Heroes 2, Grasshopper Manufacture, Ubisoft, Wii, ESRB: M, 2010
- Okami, Clover Studio, Capcom/Activision, PS2 and Wii, ESRB: T, 2009
- Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar San Diego and Rockstar North, Rockstar Games, PS3 and Xbox360, ESRB: M, 2010
- You Are Microscopic, Edward Packard, Bantam Books, CYOA, 1992
- Race Forever, R. A. Montgomery, Chooseco, CYOA, 1983
- The Third Planet from Altair, Edward Packard, Bantam, CYOA, 1979
- The Mystery of Ura Senke, Shannon Gilligan, Chooseco, CYOA, 1985
- The Cave of Time, Edward Packard, Bantam, CYOA, 1979
- Dead Space 2, Visceral Games, Electronic Arts, PS3, ESRB: M, 2011
- Wasabi!, Joshua Cappel and Adam Gertzbein, Z-Man Games, Board, 10+, 2-4 players, 30-45 min, 2008
- Resident Evil 5, Capcom, Xbox 360, PS3, and PC, ESRB: M, 2009
- Skate 2, EA Black Box, Electronic Arts, PS3 and Xbox360, ESRB: T, 2009
- Super Mario Galaxy 2, Nintendo EAD Tokyo, Nintendo, Wii, ESRB: E, 2010
- God of War III, Santa Monica Studio, Sony Computer Entertainment, PS3, ESRB: M, 2010
- Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure, Capcom, Wii, ESRB: E, 2007
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Infinity Ward, Activision, PC, PS3, and Xbox360, ESRB: M, 2009
- Valkyria Chronicles, Sega WOW, Sega, PS3, ESRB: T, 2008
- Rachet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time, Insomniac Games, Sony Computer Entertainment, PS3, ESRB: E10+, 2009
- Borderlands, Gearbox Software, 2K Games, PC, Xbox360, and PS3, ESRB: M, 2009
- Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Naughty Dog, Sony Computer Entertainment, PS3, ESRB: T, 2009
- Little Big Planet, Media Molecule, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, PS3, ESRB: E, 2008
- Fable III, Lionhead Studios, Microsoft Game Studios, Xbox360 and PC, ESRB: M, 2010
- Batman: Arkham Asylum, Rocksteady Studios, Eidos Interactive, PS3, PC, and Xbox360, ESRB: T, 2009
- Fallout 3, Bethesda Game Studios, Methesda Softworks, PC, PS3, and Xbox360, ESRB: M, 2008
- BioShock 2, 2K Marin, 2K Games, PC, Xbox360, and PS3, ESRB: M, 2010
- Heavy Rain, Quantic Dream, Sony Computer Entertainment, PS3, ESRB: M, 2010
- Fahrenheit / Indigo Prophecy, Quantic Dream, Atari, Xbox, PS2, and PC, ESRB: M / AO, 2005
Categories
Some loose categorizations of exemplary games in certain
dimensions are below. These particular games will be
used repeatedly as examples in class. The ones in
brackets are not on reserve, but most are available by
appointment with me. These might be good games to focus
on or reference in your critical essays and to measure your
designs against. My categorization is subjective, of course.
- "Painterly": [Bastion], Borderlands, Okami, Valkyria, [Limbo], [Braid], [No More Heroes 2]
- Games with Gross Flaws (but not necessarily "bad"): Clue, Sorry, Monopoly, Equate, Dante's Inferno, [Skyrim], [Indigo Prophecy], [Minecraft], Wasabi!
- Abstract Strategy: [Go], Othello, YINSH, Chinese Checkers, Chess, Uno. Effectively abstract strategy
- Cooperative: Pandemic, Space Alert, Shadows Over Camelot, Battlestar Galactica, [Arkham Horror], [Left 4 Dead 2], [Counter-Strike], [Natural Selection 1 and 2], [Portal 2], [Alien Swarm]
- Worker Placement: Agricola, Stone Age, [Konisburg]
- Real-Time Board Game: Pit, Apples-to-Apples, [Creationary], Galaxy Trucker, Space Alert
- Turn-Based Computer Game: [Civilization], [HeroAcademy], [X-Com]
- Drafting: Citadels, 7 Wonders
- Economy: Settlers of Catan, Agricola, Puerto Rico, 7 Wonders, [Age of Empires (any)]
- Bidding: [Ra], [Princes of Florence], [Fairy Tale], [Modern Art]
- Artistically Effective/Important (in some dimension): Heavy Rain, Indigo Prophecy, [Bastion], [Limbo], [Portal/Portal 2], Agricola, [TRAUMA], [Flash Duel], Uncharted 2, [Space Alert], [Risk: Legacy], [World of Goo], [Space Invaders Infinity Gene], [Guitar Hero and Rock Band (any)], Dominion, 7 Wonders, Rush Hour, [Catherine], [Osmosis], [Minecraft], [Brutal Legend], [Grim Fandango], [Quake 3], [Doom 2], [Wing Commander 3], The Cave of Time, Dominion
Sawyer Library
The following video games are available in Sawyer
library. They are not assigned.