PHOTOS: MAKING PAPER PROTOTYPES (DEC 11 2019)

EVENT: STORYTELLING IN VIDEO GAMES: A WORKSHOP (NOVEMBER 27 2019)

On November 27 2019, game designer Pietro Polsinelli will lead a workshop on merging storytelling principles and game design tool for the students of the Master of Arts in Game Design at IULM University. The workshop takes place during GAME CONTEXTS, one of the Program’s core courses. It is also open to all alumni of the M.A. Program (to enroll, please RSVP at least three days in advance).

When defining the narrative of a game, even at the concept level, it is useful to write down short characters bios, articulate the game's background universe, outline the possible endings and so on. Writing a sample dialogue or textual introduction can reveal several hidden or undefined features required and how they should interact with the game mechanics. Polsinelli will illustrate the development of the recent Football Drama, and how that process was expanded for his next project, Roller Drama concept design, pointing out some specific concepts needed when making narratives and mechanics interact. Students will work together with Pietro to add narrative background research and mechanics to their projects.

Pietro Polsinelli is a game designer and developer, mostly working on applied (a.k.a. educational) games. He co-authored a book on applied games in Italian and is currently writing a book on applied games (in English) titled Explaining With Games.

Read more about Pietro Polsinelli

PHOTOS: BEN BABBITT'S SOUND DESIGN WORKSHOP AT IULM UNIVERSITY

On February 15 2019, Ben Babbitt shared his insights on sound design in a compelling lecture open to the general public.

The talk was followed by a hands-on workshop.

It looked like this:

Ben Babbitt is an artist and musician based in Los Angeles. Since 2013, he has provided the music and sound design for the award-winning episodic videogame Kentucky Route Zero, and recently completed the score to Amanda Kramer’s debut feature film Paris Window. As one third of the game studio Cardboard Computer, his work has been exhibited at the V&A Museum in London, the Museum of the Moving Image in NYC, the EMP Museum in Seattle, and the Art Institute of Chicago. His approach to composition and sound design embraces both naturalistic acoustic sound sources and heavily processed digital synthesis as the two ends of a spectrum of possibility.

EVENT: BEN BABBITT'S HOW TO LISTEN TO A CAVE

We are delighted to invite you to a free workshop on sound design led by acclaimed artist Ben Babbitt at IULM University.

The three hour workshop will take place on February 15 2019 in Aula Seminari (IULM 1, sixth floor) from 2 till 5 pm. Free and open to the public (please RSVP), the event is titled How to Listen to a Cave, The Sound and Music of Kentucky Route Zero.

DESCRIPTION

This extended workshop will focus on exploring and reflecting on the process of creating music and sound design for the recently completed episodic game Kentucky Route Zero. I will explore the ways in which my approach evolved across the nearly seven year development period and identify some of the inevitable challenges encountered throughout, while also highlighting some technical and creative strategies that evolved over the course of working on it while placing an emphasis on autodidactic learning and exploration through experimentation and trial and error. In addition, I will attempt to contextualize my approach to sound and music in KRZ within a broader cultural and historical framework that includes sound in film and other media.

BEN BABBITT

Ben Babbitt is an artist and musician based in Los Angeles. Since 2013, he has provided the music and sound design for the award-winning episodic videogame Kentucky Route Zero, and recently completed the score to Amanda Kramer’s debut feature film Paris Window. As one third of the game studio Cardboard Computer, his work has been exhibited at the V&A Museum in London, the Museum of the Moving Image in NYC, the EMP Museum in Seattle, and the Art Institute of Chicago. His approach to composition and sound design embraces both naturalistic acoustic sound sources and heavily processed digital synthesis as the two ends of a spectrum of possibility.

PLEASE RSVP

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Siamo felici di invitarvi a un workshop sul sound design videoludico curato dall’acclamato musicista Ben Babbitt che si terrà all’Università IULM.

Il workshop si terrà il 15 febbraio 2019 in Aula Seminari (IULM 1, sesto piano) dalle ore 14:00 alle 17:00. Gratuito e aperto al pubblico (previa registrazione), l’evento è intitolato How to Listen to a Cave, The Sound and Music of Kentucky Route Zero. Il workshop è in lingua inglese.

DESCRIZIONE

Hai mai sognato di creare la colonna sonora del tuo videogioco? Grazie a Ben Babbitt potrai finalmente apprendere tutte le tecniche necessarie per apprendere l'arte del sound design. Questo workshop intensivo guida gli studenti attraverso i processi di creazione e sviluppo della colonna sonora dei videogiochi, concentrandosi su uno studio di caso d'eccezione, l’acclamato capolavoro indie Kentucky Route Zero, attualmente esposto nell'ambito della mostra DESIGN/PLAY/DISRUPT del Victoria & Albert Museum di Londra. Ben Babbitt illustrerà le tecniche e le sfide creative legate al processo di sviluppo di ogni componente audio di un progetto di design, seguendo una logica comparativa che mette a confronto il videogioco ad altri media, come il cinema e la televisione.

BEN BABBITT

Ben Babbitt è artista e musicista. È l’autore della colonna sonora dell’acclamato videogioco episodico Kentucky Route Zero e del soundtrack del film di debutto di Amanda Kramer, Paris Window. Ben si è laureato alla School of the Art Institute di Chicago, dove ha incontrato Jake Elliott e Tamas Kemenczy, i fondatori dello studio indie Cardboard Computer. Le sue produzioni musicali, di genere ambient ed elettronica, hanno ottenuto numerosi premi e riconoscimenti e sono state presentate al Victoria & Albert Museum di Londra, il Museum of the Moving Image di New York, l’EMP Museum di Seattle e l’Art Institute of Chicago. Il suo approccio alla composizione musicale e al sound design privilegia tanto le sorgenti audio naturali quanto quelle elettroniche: questi due estremi caratterizzano la sua estetica sonora. Ben vive e lavora a Los Angeles, in California.

REGISTRATI GRATUITAMENTE PER PARTECIPARE

EVENT: AFFINITY PROJECT AT IULM

Today, Affinity Project's Creative Director Diego Ricchiuti and Gameplay Programmer Carlo Simetti gave a lecture for the students of the Master of Arts in Game Design. Based in Bergamo, Italy, Affinity Project is currently developing the "first ever donation game". Due for a Fall 2018 release, Don-Ay is an endless runner in which players guide cartoon animal characters through courses littered with hurdles, obstacles, and hazards, with a Tamagotchi-style mode allowing them to nurture for and customize their creature. The more the players engage with the game, the more they can raise money for charity through non-invasive, disruptive ways.

Affinity project, Don-Ay, 2018 (expected)

In the second part of the workshop, Diego and Carlo provided great feedback to the students who are now in crunch mode - their final projects are due by the end of July. Before launching Affinity Project, Diego worked at Techland and Ubisoft. Affinity Project was founded by Ivan Paris and now features a team of 10+ members. Their HQ is located in Bergamo.

Don-Ay

PHOTOS: GAME DESIGN WORKSHOP

The game design workshop organized by Claudia Molinari and Matteo Pozzi (aka We Are Muesli) on March 15, 2018 as part of the first MILANO DIGITAL WEEK 2018 has been a resounding success. Thirty-two aspiring game designers joined the duo at Cascina Moncucco, our official GAME FARM, to share ideas and create innovative ludic experiences.

Game Concept Workshop: Drawing from your identity to make unique games

Our own identity is inevitably reflected into the games we make. Personal life and anecdotes, 'zeitgeist', culture, country and family of origin, all these diverse elements of identity are getting more and more visible as themes for story-driven games, either autobiographical or historically-set.But what if we try to apply the notion of our identity as gamemakers not only to the aesthetics/semantics of a game concept but to its very mechanics? Goal of the workshop is to collectively experiment such a different approach by taking a two-hour 'round trip' through concept generation. First, analysing conventional game genres and mechanics and finding narrative elements that connect them to our identity; then, moving backwards elaborating and enriching different game mechanics by drawing from these narrative elements and from our own identity.

Game Concept Workshop: un viaggio nell’identità per progettare videogiochi unici

L’identità di un creativo si riflette inevitabilmente nei suoi progetti. Vita personale, aneddoti, cultura, paese e famiglia d'origine: cosa succede quando proviamo ad applicare questi diversi elementi di identità alla progettazione delle meccaniche di un videogioco (game design)? L'obiettivo del workshop è di sperimentare collettivamente questo approccio, attingendo ai nostri ricordi ed esperienze per generare idee di meccaniche di gioco alternative, e concept unici e non convenzionali. Concepito come un "viaggio di andata e ritorno", il workshop è strutturato in due fasi: prima, l'analisi di generi e meccaniche di gioco consolidate per individuarne gli elementi narrativi che li possono collegare alla nostra identità; poi, la loro rielaborazione creativa sotto forma di nuovi concept di gioco.

EVENT: GAME DESIGN WORKSHOP (MARCH 15, 2018)

March 15, 2018

2-4 pm

Sala Cascina Moncucco

Cascina Moncucco, IULM

Via Moncucco 29/31 , 20142 Milano, Italy

A Game Design Workshop organized by We Are Muesli (Claudia Molinari and Matteo Pozzi)

An official event of MILANO DIGITAL WEEK 2018

FREE REGISTRATION

Game Concept Workshop: Drawing from your identity to make unique games

Our own identity is inevitably reflected into the games we make. Personal life and anecdotes, 'zeitgeist', culture, country and family of origin, all these diverse elements of identity are getting more and more visible as themes for story-driven games, either autobiographical or historically-set.But what if we try to apply the notion of our identity as gamemakers not only to the aesthetics/semantics of a game concept but to its very mechanics? Goal of the workshop is to collectively experiment such a different approach by taking a two-hour 'round trip' through concept generation. First, analysing conventional game genres and mechanics and finding narrative elements that connect them to our identity; then, moving backwards elaborating and enriching different game mechanics by drawing from these narrative elements and from our own identity.

Game Concept Workshop: un viaggio nell’identità per progettare videogiochi unici

L’identità di un creativo si riflette inevitabilmente nei suoi progetti. Vita personale, aneddoti, cultura, paese e famiglia d'origine: cosa succede quando proviamo ad applicare questi diversi elementi di identità alla progettazione delle meccaniche di un videogioco (game design)? L'obiettivo del workshop è di sperimentare collettivamente questo approccio, attingendo ai nostri ricordi ed esperienze per generare idee di meccaniche di gioco alternative, e concept unici e non convenzionali. Concepito come un "viaggio di andata e ritorno", il workshop è strutturato in due fasi: prima, l'analisi di generi e meccaniche di gioco consolidate per individuarne gli elementi narrativi che li possono collegare alla nostra identità; poi, la loro rielaborazione creativa sotto forma di nuovi concept di gioco.

FREE REGISTRATION/REGISTRAZIONE GRATUITA