Game Design Admissions Requirements

Game Design Challenge

At the heart of a good game is a set of mechanics—the rules by which the game is played. These rules and the player's imagination define the majority of the experience. Art, sound, story, and characters are important components, but without good gameplay, your game will fail.

Nothing demonstrates this better than a good board game. And truly great board games of the past often had very simple rules and game pieces. Think of chess, backgammon, or some of your childhood favorites, like Chutes and Ladders or Candy Land. Games like chess and backgammon have stood the test of time because of their great mechanics and the emergent play that comes from those mechanics.

To demonstrate your abilities as a game designer, we would like you to design and document a simple board game as part of your application for admission. Your documentation will be evaluated; please do not send all the board materials.