Spring Break
Video gaming, 3-D modeling courses available in spring
The Meaning of Video Games and Advanced 3-D Modeling will be available to students with NMC majors or minors
Lauren Sigel
Issue date: 2/12/09 Section: News
This spring term, the new media communications department is offering two new electives to students with a NMC major or minor.
The Meaning of Video Games and Advanced 3-D Modeling are being offered for the first time in OSU history, and anyone with a strong interest in video games or who has prior experience with 3-D modeling are encouraged to sign up. Both classes fall under the category of NMC 499 Special Topics.
Bill Loges, an associate professor in new media communications and sociology, is the instructor for The Meaning of Video Games. It is his first time teaching a course exclusively devoted to deciphering video and online games, and he encourages anyone who is interested in video games to apply.
"Students can expect to get two basic experiences out of taking this course," Loges said. "One is that they will gain a true appreciation for games from a player's point of view, and be able to truly appreciate and analyze the work and detail that goes into making a game's storyline."
"The other thing students can expect is to learn how to analyze games and learn the nature of storytelling in an interactive environment, the reward structure of games and the social systems that games create," he said.
Loges added that students will learn about the fine line that video game designers walk each day when producing games that need to be challenging but not too difficult to be able to succeed.
"In taking this class, students will gain an understanding in the story a game is telling and learn to recognize elements of what makes the storyline successful. There is a fine balance between game goals being too boring or too challenging. Learning how much frustration a player can take before giving up and moving on helps a developer make a challenging, yet fun, game," Loges said.
Advanced 3-D modeling will be taught by NMC instructor Marty Havran, who has worked in the film industry for the last 16 years as a 3-D modeler at Sony Imageworks, Disney Studios, and most recently DreamWorks.
The Meaning of Video Games and Advanced 3-D Modeling are being offered for the first time in OSU history, and anyone with a strong interest in video games or who has prior experience with 3-D modeling are encouraged to sign up. Both classes fall under the category of NMC 499 Special Topics.
Bill Loges, an associate professor in new media communications and sociology, is the instructor for The Meaning of Video Games. It is his first time teaching a course exclusively devoted to deciphering video and online games, and he encourages anyone who is interested in video games to apply.
"Students can expect to get two basic experiences out of taking this course," Loges said. "One is that they will gain a true appreciation for games from a player's point of view, and be able to truly appreciate and analyze the work and detail that goes into making a game's storyline."
"The other thing students can expect is to learn how to analyze games and learn the nature of storytelling in an interactive environment, the reward structure of games and the social systems that games create," he said.
Loges added that students will learn about the fine line that video game designers walk each day when producing games that need to be challenging but not too difficult to be able to succeed.
"In taking this class, students will gain an understanding in the story a game is telling and learn to recognize elements of what makes the storyline successful. There is a fine balance between game goals being too boring or too challenging. Learning how much frustration a player can take before giving up and moving on helps a developer make a challenging, yet fun, game," Loges said.
Advanced 3-D modeling will be taught by NMC instructor Marty Havran, who has worked in the film industry for the last 16 years as a 3-D modeler at Sony Imageworks, Disney Studios, and most recently DreamWorks.
Note: writers will not reply to comments.
Be the first to comment on this story
Comments by registered users are approved by default.