Courses
The courses listed below are Esports or Gaming focused courses currently available at the University of Illinois. For up to date schedules check out Course Explorer.
RST 199 Esports Foundations, a second 8 week course, Fall 2020
Esports have quickly emerged amongst industry leaders in terms of online viewership, global competition, and sponsorship dollars. RST 199 will examine the cross-section of trends related to social connections being formed and maintained online, digital consumption, corporate investment and global growth in the gaming audience. 3 credits
GWS 204 Gender in Gaming, Spring Semesters
Examines the history of gender in videogames, focusing on how movements like #GamerGate, #RaceFail09, internet bullying, doxing and trolling emerged as the coordinated effort to consolidate and maintain videogames and geek culture as the domain of masculinity and whiteness. We also consider how the embodied elements of play as well as the spatial logics of games function to promote and resist representation, and we will end by looking at how games designed by women and people of color are transforming how and why we play games. Same as ENGL 277 and MACS 204.
INFO 403 An Introduction to Top Down Video Game Design
The emphasis of this course is on developing an understanding of top down video game design using the various design methodologies and tools introduced in class. Students will form small groups (4-6) and work on their own design within a selected genre (to be determined at the beginning of the semester). Areas of focus include high level design vision, audience evaluation, User Interface and its impact on the design, iteration of a series of design documents (high, medium and low level) and the team dynamics of communication, critique and integration. The goal of the class is to have the small teams use the concepts and the tools taught in class to create a complete design document that will be cataloged for later use. 3 undergraduate hours. 3 graduate hours.
ECE 586 Topics in Decision and Control, Spring Semesters
Lectures and discussions related to advanced topics and new areas of interest in decision and control theory: hybrid, sampled-data, and fault tolerant systems; control over networks; vision-based control; system estimation and identification; dynamic games. May be repeated up to 12 hours within a term, and up to 20 hours total for the course. Credit towards a degree from multiple offerings of this course is not given if those offerings have significant overlap, as determined by the ECE department. Prerequisite: As specified each term. It is expected that each offering will have a 500-level course as prerequisite or co-requisite.
CI 437 Educational Game Design
Examines the role that physical and digital games play in learning. Focuses on how people learn through play and how game structures support educational outcomes. Principles of game design are described and students apply them to the design of original games with a specified educational objective. Students learn to prototype, playtest, and evaluate the educational content of games. Surveys and samples games in the areas of serious games, persuasive games, games for impact, etc. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: Junior standing or consent of instructor.