Theory

What's so important about theory?

Theory gives a structure to design and development. Without the underlying theory, which has been developed and added to over many years, the designer or developer is only guessing. Pure intuition can only take you so far. Principles, Elements, and underlying theory are our keystones to quality in design and development. And while some of these fields of theory may at first seem not to apply to a study of interactivity and game-based learning, I hope to demonstrate that there is in fact a rich tapestry of dependency that connects them all.

Animation

In the case of animation, the original 12 principles of animation as codified by Disney help give moving pictures a sense of life. These were the principles an entire industry was established upon. But over time, more prinples of animation were developed, which I will refer to as the extended principles of animation, and the physics of animation. Each of these, if incorporated into your work, will improve the final result.

Biomechanics

The way living things move is important not only when we want to recreate them in digital art or animation, but many new solutions and products come from studying biomechanical movement of bipeds, quadrapeds, birds, and insects.

Color

Color is perhaps the most important tool the digital artist or designer has at their fingertips. Color is equally important to the commercial designer, the game artist, the web designer, the interface designer, and the list goes on. If it involves a graphic expression of some kind, color is key.

Communication

Color is perhaps the most important tool the digital artist or designer has at their fingertips. Color is equally important to the commercial designer, the game artist, the web designer, the interface designer, and the list goes on. If it involves a graphic expression of some kind, color is key.

Design

The Principles of Design and the Elements of Design are described with visuals. These principles and elements will make any digital designer stronger and at the same time more conversant in the theory behind what they do.

Ethics

Because there is so much potential for both good and bad in the arts, it seemed right to include some pages on Ethics. What ethical boundaries should we be cognizant of when dealing with digital content?

Game-Based Learning

Games have far more to offer than other forms of media, in terms of engagement, addressing the different learning styles, and making the learning applied.

Game Design (& Development)

From idea to paper prototype, factoring in fun and playability with the goal of the game, here are some approaches to designing and developing digital games.

Interactivity

How is the user or player of the application (web site, game, whatever) able to interact with the application? From simple clicks to capturing input from the user that is referenced later in the application, to more profound interactions between user and software.

Narrative

Telling a good story has always been a great way to capture the interest of an audience. Here are some components of a good story, and some good examples of narrative from a wide range of digital possibilities.

Pedagogy

How do we learn, and how do we enrich the classroom? What is internal and external motivation, what is blended learning, and what does the research say about how we can make rats smarter?

Usability

Users choose the first reasonable plan, so designers and developers need to consider these practicalities and more as they design interactive applications and games.