Students will work with Professor Noah Wardrip-Fruin and PhD students doing computational media research in the Computer Science department to develop individual and collaborative projects in multiple areas of playable media, including innovative computer games and digital fictions.
In Spring 2009, students in the Playable Media group will take part in a Playable Media graduate course led by Noah Wardrip-Fruin and cross-listed between DANM and the Computer Science department. This course will bring DANM MFA students together with CS PhD students who are working on research projects to enable new genres in gaming. All students in the course will design a series of prototypes, critique each other's work, and discuss a series of readings and playable media examples.
Over the summer, students will have opportunities to begin project work. This work may take a number of forms. Students may pursue projects they conceived before applying to DANM, individual or collaborative projects conceived in the Playable Media course, or make contributions to ongoing, large-scale projects taking place under the direction of UCSC faculty involved in playable media. Projects may be conducted entirely by UCSC students and faculty or may also involve collaborators at other universities, in the wider field of the arts, and/or in industry.
In the following two academic quarters, project work will continue and come to fruition. As appropriate, students will participate in Wardrip-Fruin's research seminar, research projects with other playable media-related UCSC faculty, lab meetings within the Computer Science department, and other aspects of the diverse intellectual life around these topics at UCSC. Further coursework, workshops, and critique opportunities - from UCSC faculty and visitors - will be arranged based on student interests and project directions.