3 credits
Spring 2026 Lecture Upper Division
Every game designer and gamer knows that there is more to narrative than just words on a page and more to worldbuilding than images on a screen. This course looks at the ways that narrative worlds get built-in games. We will begin by looking at the narrative elements in analog games that have been the foundation of many digital games and move on to look at the elements in digital games that come together to form the worlds.
Learning Outcomes1Comprehend theoretical texts about game design and world building and demonstrate this by discussing them in class and with written assignments.
2Analyze digital and analog games for specific world building techniques and strategies and demonstrate this via class discussion and written assignments.
3Synthesize what they have learned about world building from theoretical texts and gameplay and demonstrate this by applying it to a final project in which they design their own game worlds.
made by Purdue students.