01. An Individual (A.I.)

Introduction

For this project we will collectively, as a class, explore making a game or games without code. For this project, I will generate the code myself (without the assistance of AI in any way) and you will "prompt" me via detailed instructions.

Objectives

• gain greater facility describing and translating complex concepts into working software.
• gain greater facility collaborating over a wide variety of assets and concepts through a sustained period.
• discuss other games and create work to explore how, and in what ways (video) games are intricate interactive experiences.
• discuss and explore in what ways LLM tools might effect cognition and creation.

Rules (me as "A.I." and "facilitator")

I will communicate with you in the following ways:

• The A.I. → I will be clear when I am entering this mode. In this mode I will attempt to ingest your instructions literally, and without being sycophantic, be encouraging about finding technical solutions. I will not interrogate your ideas, but their implementation.
• The Facilitator → Before we give prompts officially, we'll discuss ideas, and in this mode of communication, I will attempt to discuss potential pitfalls and strengths of your ideas, as well as suggest other games, programs, or artwork to consider looking at, or modelling your project on. I will also discuss what the relative difficulty level of your ideas will be in terms of implementation.

Rules (for Games)

We'll need to set up some ground rules for our games in order to maximize how fun the final games are, and also to make the collective experience more generative.

• Don't do a "generic board game" (i.e. roll dice, move along a path from beginning to end). Just don't. It is a weird structure for a game that innoculates itself against criticality in an insidious way that I don't yet fully understand.

• Don't hesitate to try and explore certain complex potential concepts, but discuss them with me before fully comitting to them. Complex ideas might include:

  • A fully 3D game → This is doable, within reason, but you'll also need to consider how you want to create assets and allow for time for me to understand your idea to find the best implementation (three.js for example).
  • A complex 2D sidescrolling game → This is also doable, within reason, but will require you to be clear about relative sizes of your assets (i.e. platforms, obstacles, buildings and their relationship to your player character(s)) and clear about mecahnisms, like jump "feel", running, dashing, inertia, hanging on platforms, etc.
  • Physics-system-based games → This should actually be more doable but I will probably need to learn/expand my experience with a library like matter.js or box2D or similar. This would be something like Angry Birds or World of Goo
  • Games that involve some kind of an external API → First we'd just need to make sure this data actually exists. For example you might want to make an RPG that has some relationship to the Metro North train times from White Plains. That data, I know exists, but I'd need to figure out the most efficacious way to pull it in.

• Programming bottlenecks should not prevent you from moving forward with your game. You should be able to prototype on paper, continue asset creation, etc.

• I will not create a separate game for each person individually. The only way I will do this is if we all agree to some kind of WarioWare type minigames. If that's the case there has to be something idiosyncraticor interesting about the overall approach. In general, the number of groups will effect the relative complexity of the games that can be programmed.

• You may be asked to expand your game aesthetically or conceptually relative to the semester. An example might be something like Flappy Bird while this is an elegant game in and of itself, if you proposed this game or similar for this class, you might be asked to add more areas or new graphics, or consider how power-ups might change the game.

• Your game should be unique in some non-superficial way. You might think about it like a mash-up of several games, or distill your idea to a single sentence elevator pitch. Alternatively you might try this to generate initial ideas:

  • "Mario but with cards"
  • "Magic: the Gathering but everything is a frog"
  • "A rogue-like golf game"

• The games have to be browser-based. This is mostly to limit the language(s) I am using (javascript + canvas). I'm willing to output an electron app to make it an executable. If you have another specific idea that prevents this from happening, we can talk about what you're trying to achieve.

Process

• You (as a class, and as an individual) will be responsible for creating writing that you give to me when I function as the "A.I." to generate your code. I will review your ideas with you as the "the teacher/facilitator" to make sure what you're describing makes sense, though I will try to make a clear delineation between when I am in these modes.
• You will receive the result of the generated code and you will review it. You will refine your prompt(s) and provide those to me again.
• As this is happening you will generate assets. You will receive feedback as to how to maximize the efficacy of your work. You may be asked to create spritesheets, or reduce the size of your assets for the web.
• Additionally, as the game comes to fruition, if your idea supports it you should attempt to create a paper prototype in order make sure your idea is actually fun. This may also be helpful for getting the perspective of people outside of the class. If that is not attainable for you, we may work toward a very basic "programmer graphics" or version with debug controls.

Final Submission

• A folder containing the following, clearly labeled with your specific contribution(s):

  • all "prompt" writing
  • prototype documentation
  • documentation of your group or group(s) meeting
  • research (other games you looked at, sketches, drawings etc.)
  • a design document / series of wireframes or flowcharts tracking all states of your game.
  • all assets and designed screens, menus, for your game

Examples from last semester (Fall 2025)

I conceived of this project last semester, toward the end of the semester, so there was less time for all steps. Here are the projects:

• Apophenia → Joseph Almodovar, Diego Vivar
• Peril → Brandon Meyers, Jack Coffey
• Open the game launcher

Relevant Dates

(please note this is subject to change but should end up relatively close to this)

Week 02 (08/31/2026)

• Introduction!

• HW →

  • (Start to) decide (independently or together) what kinds of games you'd like to do
  • Create groups and/or group chat/discord type mechanism (this will not be checked or graded, just do this in order to facilitate communication).

Week 04 (09/14/2026)

• Discussion of games && initial ideas

• HW →

  • Formalize ideas && groups!

Week 05 (09/21/2026)

• Finalize initial ideas && groups!

Week 06 (09/28/2026)

• Initial Big Prompts && Initial Asset Review

Week 07 (10/05/2026)

• Prototypes && Feedback

Week 08 (10/12/2026)

• Prototype Playtesting && Feedback

Week 09 (10/19/2026)

• Revisions && New Prompts && Feedback

Week 10 (10/26/2026)

• Revisions && New Prompts && Feedback

Week 11 (11/02/2026)

• Revisions && New Prompts && Feedback

Week 12 (11/09/2026)

• Class Showcase

Week 13 (11/16/2026)

• Class show in Rectangle Gallery