During the quarter, the extra credit opportunities are
available to you. Note that extra credit assignments are entirely voluntary; students are
not required to participate in extra credit assignments. Points earned
for extra credit are in addition to the base 200 possible points that can
be earned during this course.
0. Read the Review Sheet prior to class that week. Mark it up with any questions or comments you might have and ask intelligent questions or make thoughtful comments during class. If you impress the instructor, including by answering these questions, you will earn an extra credit point.
1. Attend a game convention / exposition and bring back a convention badge with your name on it. Only a convention badge with your name on it will earn you the 6 extra credit points. The following event(s) qualify (although if you know of any other such conventions, please email me with their information and I can approve them for you on a case-by-case basis).
Strategicon Game
Conventions (Orccon, Gateway, and Gamex): are
held three times per year at the Los Angeles Airport Weston hotel over Presidents
Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Weekends.
These are player's convention where all types of game tournaments and
open gaming are held. In addition, there is a dealer's room, auction, painting
contests, and other activities. Important: When you get to the
convention, ask for convention staffer Norm Carlson or Clyde Brien; they'll
give you the "proof of attendance" you need to bring back for your extra
credit points.
The
Game Developers Conference,
which is usually held each year in early March (sadly, during finals week of
our Winter Quarter) somewhere in the Bay Area. This is the show to
attend if you want to be a game developer! Complete with meetings for artists,
programmers, designers, writers, audio techs, and producers, this show also
boasts the best Job Fair in the industry. It's expensive but well worth it.
Also, there's E3, but that show can be difficult to get into unless you already work in the game business. It's full of sound and fury, but finding significance is difficult. Still, it's the best show for collecting swag. Be sure to bring me some!
Article: How to Network at Game Industry Events by Marc Mencher
Don't just take in the sights when you're there; make some contacts! This article tells you how.
2. Arrange for an acceptable guest speaker who works as a Lead, Director, or is some sort of Producer or Management in the game business to come to the last hour of class during Week 7. Please email me beforehand to discuss who you wish to bring to class and I'll let you know whether that is an acceptable guest speaker and if there is any time remaining in class for another guest speaker that week. For this you can earn up to 6 extra credit points.
3. Write a mock review of your Course Project game. Imagine it as a published game and write it up as a reviewer would. Do this just as you did for your Survey of the Game Industry's Week 5 homework - where you will find all the style and formatting guidelines (except that you can make this mock game review up to 1,000 words long, if you want). This mock review of your project game is not only a great tool for Marketing to help them understand it, but it is also useful as a development tool to keep the team focused on building and polishing those features necessary to achieve this kind of review once it ships. This game review can earn you up to 4 extra credit points.
4. I'm looking for better corporate image for The Client to whom you are pitching your Graded Course Project. If you would like to create a better corporate name, motto, and logo than Next Thing Games for The Client, I will award 6 extra credit points if I use it (and 3 extra credit points if I don't). Have fun, but you've still got to convey the spirit of the client in the new corporate identity you devise for it.
5. Then there is always the Graded Course Project extra credit that you can earn for your team.
