games, glitches, and creativity
pic-345: games, glitches, and creativity (3 credits)
section: 1
time: tuesdays, 5-7:50 pm (est)
instructor: prof. luke degnan (ldegnan@pratt.edu)
office hours: by appointment, virtual
links
zoom:
https://pratt.zoom.us/j/99450950928
videos
course calendar/schedule
week 1: introductions
intros / syllabus.
Play Zork – Zork, a classic text-based adventure
game, introduces students to early interactive narratives, where
player choices shape the story. This activity aligns with the
course’s objective of exploring non-linear storytelling and the
relationship between technology and narrative creation, highlighting
how games can serve as a medium for complex narrative structures.
In class: story dice – Students use story dice to
spark creativity and build quick narratives, introducing them to
non-linear, chance-based storytelling. This relates to course
outcomes by encouraging connections between spontaneous creativity
and structured narrative techniques.
In class: transcription – Using Otter.ai for
transcription, students practice capturing dialogue and textual
analysis, fostering skills in technology-assisted writing. This
activity helps students integrate technology with creative
processes, reinforcing the interdependence of tech and composition.
week 2: narrative / html
Narrative theory – Introduces students to
theoretical concepts about how stories are structured and
understood. This underpins their ability to adapt these ideas across
media.
What stories do we tell ourselves? – Reflecting on
personal narratives encourages self-assessment and building
connections between personal experiences and academic theory.
Intro to HTML – Learning HTML begins to equip
students with tools for digital storytelling, aligning with the
outcome of integrating technological and creative skills.
week 3: outcomes / game
pic Outcomes.
In-class: PIC Outcomes Reflection / game jam – Students will reflect on the PIC outcomes by writing a short (100-150 word) personal reflection on how they expect these outcomes to impact their work. Then, in groups, students will share their writing and brainstorm a game that could teach these outcomes.
The Quiet Year – A collaborative storytelling game that teaches students how group interaction can shape narrative. This activity encourages interdisciplinary thinking by blending game mechanics with narrative theory, supporting adaptation across disciplines.
week 4: strategies / html
Oblique strategies – Students use prompts from the
Oblique Strategies deck to push through creative blocks. This
connects with course outcomes by encouraging flexibility in creative
problem-solving.
HTML / glitch – Students learn how HTML can be
glitched to create unique digital narratives, integrating technology
with writing practices.
In-class: autobiographical game character –
Students design a game character based on personal experience,
combining autobiography with game mechanics. This relates to
outcomes by blending storytelling, technology, and personal
reflection.
Assignment 1/6: short story – A foundational
exercise in traditional narrative writing that introduces students
to course skills in storytelling, to be further developed in
interactive formats. students are expected to use elements of their
The Quiet Year session to inform their story.
week 5: css / hypertext narratives
Quiz – Assesses basic understanding of HTML.
Hypertext narratives – Lecture on interactive,
non-linear storytelling in HTML.
CSS – Introduces students to styling web pages,
connecting visual design with storytelling. This activity supports
interdisciplinary learning by combining technical and creative
design skills.
Botnik predictive writer – Students explore
AI-assisted writing, understanding the role of evolving technologies
in creative processes.
In-class: game (title) jam – A collaborative
exercise where students create game titles and brief descriptions.
week 6: crowdsourcing / games
In-class: play Alone Among the Stars – A solo
role-playing game that encourages students to reflect on their
creativity in isolation, making connections between internal thought
processes and external expression.
Assignment 2/6: hypertext narrative – Builds on
hypertext narrative theory and application.
week 7: crowd sourcing / game jam
In-class: game jam, 200 word RPG – Students develop
short role-playing games, encouraging collaboration and creative
synthesis. This supports outcomes in making connections across
disciplines.
Crowdsourcing – Explores collective creation,
focusing on collaborative skills and interdisciplinary
contributions.
Assignment 3/6: crowdsourcing – Formalizes the
application of crowdsourced content in creative projects.
week 8: no class / fall break
week 9: algorithms / poetry / fairy tales
Glitch algorithms – Students manipulate algorithms
to create fiction and poetry, learning how disruptions in technology
can lead to creative breakthroughs, supporting the outcome of
integrating technology and creativity.
In-class: fairy tales – Students reinterpret
classic fairy tales through algorithmic transformations, blending
literary analysis and digital methods.
Charles Bernstein's "Experiments" – Exposure to
experimental poetic practices encourages students to think beyond
conventional writing methods.
week 10: bitsy
Bitsy – Introduces students to Bitsy, a simple
game-making tool, showing how minimalist tools can foster creativity
and narrative design.
In-class: game jam, Bitsy – A hands-on creative
exercise where students rapidly prototype games using Bitsy,
reinforcing technological and narrative integration.
Assignment 4/6: bitsy game – Formalizes students’
understanding of narrative and game design through Bitsy.
week 11: loss
Generation loss – Explores the concept of loss in
digital media (e.g., degradation of files over time) to examine how
destruction and transformation can affect creative work.
I Am Sitting in a Room /
The Disintegration Loops – Examples of creative
works built on repetition and degradation, helping students
understand how media loss can be a powerful narrative tool.
1:1 meetings – Individual feedback sessions to help
students reflect on and assess their creative progress.
In-class: Bitsy game – Students continue refining
their Bitsy projects.
week 12: where are we? / twine
Psychogeography / Situationist International –
Students explore the relationship between space, place, and
narrative. This exercise enhances their ability to transfer
theoretical concepts to creative practice.
Assignment 5/6: psychogeographies – A formal
application of psychogeography theory in a creative project.
Introduction to Twine – Introduces the Twine tool
for creating interactive, non-linear stories, combining narrative
theory with technology.
In-class: Twine jam – A rapid prototyping session
where students create interactive stories in Twine, integrating
narrative and technology.
week 13: game / twine continued
In-class: play The School Year – Students engage
with a Twine game to see how narrative design choices shape
interactive experiences.
Assignment 6/6: twine game – Formalizes their
understanding of interactive storytelling by creating a complete
Twine game.
week 14: mods
In-class: modify an existing game (e.g., Chess 2) – Students remix existing games to understand how rules and structure affect narrative and gameplay. This supports the course outcome of adapting skills to new contexts and encouraging innovative thinking.
week 15: final presentations
****final portfolio due****
student presentations day 1.
week 16: final presentations
student presentations day 2.
course requirements
textbooks, readings, and materials:
all readings and materials will be provided.
readings and materials:
Basinski, William, "dlp 1.1", The Disintegration Loops, 2062,
2001
Bernstein, Charles. “Experiments.” University of Pennsylvania,
http://www.writing.upenn.edu/bernstein/experiments.html.
jackson, shelly. my body. web.
http://www.altx.com/thebody.
koblin, aaron, and daniel massey. bicycle built for two thousand.
web.
http://www.bicyclebuiltfortwothousand.com.
lindsey, patrick; schankler, issac; quinn, zoe. depression quest.
web.
http://www.depressionquest.com.
Lucier, Alvin, “I am sitting in a room”, I am sitting in a room,
Lovely Music, Ltd., 1981, YouTube
magnuson, jordan. game poems: videogame design as lyric practice.
amherst college press, 2023.
malloy, judy. l0ve0ne. web.
http://www.eastgate.com/malloy.
mohammad, k. silem. sonnagrams 1-20. slack buddha press, 2009.
obadike, mendi lewis. "keeping up appearances." blacknetart.com,
2001. web.
http://www.blacknetart.com/keepingupappearances.html.
queneau, raymond. exercises in style. translated by barbara wright,
alma classics limited, 2019.
russell, legacy. glitch feminism. verso books. 2020.
in class assignments / final project:
in class assignments: Students will complete multiple creative tasks
during each class session, such as creating work or responding to
readings. These tasks foster immediate application of the
interdisciplinary skills discussed, supporting course outcomes like
making connections across disciplines, adapting skills to new
contexts, and self-assessing. They allow students to engage in
different media and methodologies that directly link academic
knowledge with creative practices.
final portfolio:
The final portfolio compiles all six homework assignments and
demonstrates a holistic grasp of the interdisciplinary nature of the
course. It reflects the integration of learned techniques from
various assignments, such as narrative construction, interactive
design, and technology-enhanced creativity, into a cohesive body of
work. This portfolio supports course objectives by encouraging
students to adapt and apply skills across media (writing, coding,
game design), assess their learning process, and transfer knowledge
to create a unique, integrative project. The use of HTML, CSS,
Twine, and Bitsy fosters the connection between stylistic knowledge
and evolving writing technologies, aligning with the goal of
demonstrating creative fluency in both visual and verbal modes of
communication.
Assignment 1: Short Story.
This assignment hones foundational writing skills by exploring
narrative and storytelling. It begins to engage students with the
course outcome of integrating different forms of communication
(written narrative) and applying core writing techniques in a
creative context.
Assignment 2: Hypertext Narrative.
This task introduces students to non-linear narratives, directly
engaging them in the intersection of writing and technology. By
constructing a hypertext narrative, students are asked to adapt
traditional storytelling methods to digital formats, fulfilling
outcomes related to making connections across disciplines and
applying new methodologies to creative work.
Assignment 3: Crowdsourcing.
Students explore collaborative methods of content creation,
fostering skills in teamwork and collective creativity. This
assignment aligns with the course’s focus on interdisciplinary
connections, as students learn to blend different voices and
perspectives into a unified piece of work, reflecting the course
outcome of adapting knowledge to new contexts.
Assignment 4: Bitsy Game.
Students use the Bitsy tool to create a simple game, introducing
them to interactive storytelling and game design. This assignment
fuses visual and verbal modes of communication and helps students
grasp the relationship between technology and creative expression,
meeting the objective of understanding how evolving technologies
impact the creation of work.
Assignment 5: Psychogeographies.
This project explores how physical environments influence creative
practice, blending design, writing, and spatial exploration.
Students apply theoretical concepts to new contexts, meeting course
outcomes related to interdisciplinary thinking and integrating
various media into a single piece.
Assignment 6: Twine Game.
Creating a Twine game solidifies students' understanding of
non-linear narrative and interactive storytelling. This assignment
pushes students to synthesize writing, design, and technical skills
to create an immersive digital experience, fulfilling objectives
related to the transfer of knowledge across disciplines and the
application of stylistic and technological expertise.
Final Presentation.
Through the portfolio and final presentation, students demonstrate
self-assessment and reflect on how they've integrated prior
knowledge to respond to new challenges, ultimately building on their
evolving understanding of interdisciplinary creative practices.
assessment and grading
in-class assignments: 50%
final portfolio: 50%
a = sustained level of superior performance demonstrated in all
areas of course requirements
b = consistent level of performance that is above average in a
majority of the course requirements
c = performance that is generally average and course requirements
are achieved
d = below average performance and achievement of the course
requirements
f = accomplishment of the course requirements is not sufficient to
receive a passing grade
course description
bulletin description
the pratt integrated courses are designed as interdisciplinary
explorations of a wide range of possible content, putting into
practice multiple ways of thinking and ways of making. the courses
will employ and integrate skills students have acquired in both
studio and general education classes, recombining them in novel and
unexpected ways that test, challenge, and expand the student’s
creative capacities.
these interdisciplinary courses allow students to explore themes and
topics outside their majors, to delve deeply into areas of research
that cross disciplinary boundaries, and to work with students in
other departments on creative/critical and collaborative projects.
they are taken by students during the period of their career when
they have completed their foundation courses and their general
education core work, and are delving more deeply into the
specialized training of their major disciplines and the post-core
courses in liberal arts.
the overall objective of these courses is to provide a unifying
moment in the educational experience of pratt undergraduates and
opportunities for them to work on integrative assignments and a
culminating project.
detailed description
how can technology impact creativity? how can we gamify our creative
practice? what happens when we amplify our mistakes or magnify our
missteps? in this course we will examine different technologies and
how they affect creativity in practice, through games, visual art,
writing, and other processes. students will create work that is
disrupted, enhanced, glitched, flipped, or obfuscated by technology
and explore concepts and tools such as augmented realities,
chatbots, electronic literature, non-linear narrative, and writing
for video games.
course goals
general
pratt integrative course goals:
- to build integrative capacities;
- to prepare students to solve unscripted and complex problems both in teams and individually;
- to engage students in practices of making, thinking and doing that integrate multiple disciplinary knowledges and skills in ways that enhance collaborative work and self-knowledge;
- to instill a sense of agency in production of knowledge and creative work;
- to provide a platform for reflection and self-definition that spans majors and academic coursework;
other goals
- to develop an understanding of electronic literature, digital art, and the language of the web
- to compose a series of works that address diverse audiences and rhetorical contexts.
student learning objectives:
pratt integrative course outcomes:
students will be able to connect relevant experiences gained outside
the classroom and academic knowledge.
students will be able to make connections across disciplines and
perspectives.
students will be able to adapt and apply skills, abilities, theories
and methodologies gained in one situation to new contexts and
situations.
students will be able to integrate modes of communication in ways
that enhance meaning, making clear the interdependence of
language—both visual and verbal—form, thought and expression.
students will be able to self assess, track learning process, and
demonstrate a developing sense of self as learner, building on prior
experiences to respond to new and challenging contexts.
other objectives/outcomes
students will be able to understand the impact evolving technologies
have on the creation of creative pieces and will be able to apply
this knowledge to create pieces of their own.
students will be able to show a working knowledge of the evolving,
interdependent relationships among composing practices, stylistic
knowledge, and writing/art technologies.
policies
pratt institute-wide information
academic integrity policy
at pratt, students, faculty, and staff do creative and original
work. this is one of our community values. for pratt to be a space
where everyone can freely create, our community must adhere to the
highest standards of academic integrity.
academic integrity at pratt means using your own and original ideas
in creating academic work. it also means that if you use the ideas
or influence of others in your work, you must acknowledge them.
at pratt,
we do our own work,
we are creative, and
we give credit where it is due.
based on our value of academic integrity, pratt has an academic
integrity standing committee (aisc) that is charged with educating
faculty, staff, and students about academic integrity practices.
whenever possible, we strive to resolve alleged infractions at the
most local level possible, such as between student and professor, or
within a department or school. when necessary, members of this
committee will form an academic integrity hearing board. such boards
may hear cases regarding cheating, plagiarism, and other infractions
described below; these infractions can be grounds for citation,
sanction, or dismissal.
When students submit any work for academic credit, they make an
implicit claim that the work is wholly their own, completed without
the assistance of any unauthorized person. These works include, but
are not limited to exams, quizzes, presentations, papers, projects,
studio work, and other assignments and assessments. In addition, no
student shall prevent another student from making their work.
Students may study, collaborate, and work together on assignments at
the discretion of the instructor.
Examples of infractions include but are not limited to:
- Plagiarism, defined as using the exact language or a close paraphrase of someone else’s ideas without citation.
- Violations of fair use, including the unauthorized and uncited use of another’s artworks, images, designs, etc.
- The supplying or receiving of completed work including papers, projects, outlines, artworks, designs, prototypes, models, or research for submission by any person other than the author.
- The unauthorized submission of the same or essentially the same piece of work for credit in two different classes.
- The unauthorized supplying or receiving of information about the form or content of an examination.
- The supplying or receiving of partial or complete answers, or suggestions for answers; or the supplying or receiving of assistance in interpretation of questions on any examination from any source not explicitly authorized. (This includes copying or reading of another student’s work or consultation of notes or other sources during an examination.)
- The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to produce or to improve work, whether visual or textual, except when called for by an assignment or instructor and acknowledged transparently as one tool among others in the creative process.
attendance policy
general pratt attendance policy pratt institute understands that
students’ engagement in their program of study is central to their
success. while no attendance policy can assure that, regular class
attendance is key to this engagement and signals the commitment
pratt students make to participate fully in their education.
faculty are responsible for including a reasonable attendance policy
on the syllabus for each course they teach, consistent with
department-specific guidelines, if applicable, and with institute
policy regarding reasonable accommodation of students with
documented disabilities. students are responsible for knowing the
attendance policy in each of their classes; for understanding
whether a class absence has been excused or not; for obtaining
material covered during an absence (note: instructors may request
that a student obtain the material from peers); and for determining,
in consultation with the instructor and ahead of time if possible,
whether make-up work will be permitted.
consistent attendance is essential for the completion of any course
or program. attending class does not earn students any specific
portion of their grade, but is the pre-condition for passing the
course, while missing class may seriously harm a student’s grade.
grades may be lowered a letter grade for each unexcused absence, at
the discretion of the instructor. even as few as three unexcused
absences in some courses (especially those that meet only once per
week) may result in an automatic “f” for the course. (note: students
shall not be penalized for class absences prior to adding a course
at the beginning of a semester, though faculty may expect students
to make up any missed assignments.)
faculty are encouraged to give consideration to students who have
documentation from the office of health and counseling. reasonable
accommodations for students with disabilities will continue to be
provided, as appropriate.
refer to the pratt website for information on attendance.
students with disabilities
the instructor will make every effort to accommodate students with
both visible and invisible disabilities. while it is advisable that
students with disabilities speak to the instructor at the start of
the semester if they feel this condition might make it difficult to
partake in aspects of the course, students should feel free to
discuss issues pertaining to disabilities with the instructor at any
time. depending on the nature of the disability, and the extent to
which it may require deviations from standard course policy,
documentation of a specific condition may be required, in compliance
with conditions established by the campus learning access center,
and in compliance with the americans with disabilities act. students
who require special accommodations for disabilities must obtain
clearance from the office of disability services at the beginning of
the semester. they should contact elisabeth sullivan, director of
the learning access center, 718.636.3711.
religious policies
in line with pratt’s attendance policy, pratt institute respects
students’ requirements to observe days of cultural significance,
including religious holy days, and recognizes that some students
might need to miss class to do so. in this, or other similar,
circumstance, students are responsible for consulting with faculty
ahead of time about how and when they can make up work they will
miss.
additional space for departmental or course policies
for this particular course, students are expected to attend all classes, arriving in a timely manner. students with extensive absences (three or more for any reason) may be required to drop the course or may receive a failing grade at the discretion of the instructor.