| Course Subject: | Video Game Design |
| Student Level: | Undergraduate |
| Number of Students: | 20 |
| Developed by: | Derek Curry, Associate Professor, College of Arts, Media and Design |
What Students Did
Generated images for video game characters to be leveraged in the video games they were developing.
Learning Goals and Purpose
Learning how to use generative AI tools to speed up the process of generating ideas (instead of or as a supplement to hand drawing). Specifically, students learned about the differences in features and style of output across tools along with the limitations of the tools.
Assessment
Students submitted up to three video game characters along with a brief explanation of a scenario and the roles and actions of the characters. They were assessed on level of effort. In addition, they gave and received peer feedback. Through the peer feedback process, they gained additional ideas for generating characters, and gained practice in explaining their ideas and rationale.
Faculty Reflections
The activity has gone really well, based on observed engagement and anecdotal student feedback. If you haven’t used generative AI to make images, try it out yourself first to get a sense of the process, including engineering the prompts to get what you want. You can be very descriptive in what you ask for, including type of lens, or style, or look and feel based on a specific film or film director. Experience with the process can help you develop the critical eye necessary to determine the quality of student work.
Step-by-Step Student Instructions
| Step 1 | Set up accounts and experiment with each of the following tools to become familiar with their capabilities and limitations: |
| Step 2 | Define a video game scenario where the character you have in mind will be active. |
| Step 3 | Generate multiple versions of the character in various styles by entering carefully constructed, descriptive prompts in the tools. Document your process, tool selections, design decisions, and prompts. |
| Step 4 | Select your top three outputs to submit and share with peers, along with an explanation of the scenario and the role of the character. Prepare to discuss your process and lessons learned. |
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