World Building Pre-production & Production

GAM20X

Wilbraham, Che ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6626-0672, Phillips, Tim ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7762-9742, Howard, Jeff ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9077-1025, Greer, Terry ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8510-1577, Pellicone, Tony ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9774-2953, Mitchell, Alexander, Walton-Rivers, Joseph, McDonald, Brian ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0611-6499, Scott, Michael ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6803-1490 and Brown, Douglas ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6662-6629 (2026) World Building Pre-production & Production. In: Teaching the Game (2nd Edition) Volume II. Teaching the Game . Play Story Press, Pittsburgh, PA, pp. 575-595. ISBN 978-0-557-91719-8

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Abstract / Summary

This chapter examines a game development curriculum designed to transition undergraduate students from individual discipline-specific craft to complex, transdisciplinary studio collaboration. Framed around a module where multi-skilled teams conceptualise, develop, and deliver a comprehensive digital "world creation" project, the work functions as a deep, autoethnographic inquiry into large-scale peer learning. Over a decade of delivery spanning more than 1,000 students, it investigates how an engineered learning ecosystem can successfully mirror the workflows, roles, and socio-technical realities of contemporary game studios.

The uniqueness of this curricular investigation lies in how it synthesises traditional studio pedagogy with agile, iterative methodologies to nurture an inclusive, constructive, and ethically informed working culture. Rather than siloing technical disciplines, the course structures development around the sensitive integration of diverse fictional, historic, and cultural sources, turning research and ethical representation into shared team activities.

A reflective review identifies strengths in educational theory including Evidence-Centred Design and Constructive Alignment. The curriculum is devised to coordinate diverse inputs including industry-grade version control data, enterprise project management tools, and regular self- and peer-evaluations to systematically evaluate individual contribution alongside the game the team collectively producess. By navigating a full production pipeline from exploratory concept work and initial prototyping through to an early alpha and a vertical slice, students receive continuous formative feedback regarding the cultural and commercial potential of their concept.

The broader value of this work rests in how it articulates refined, operational solutions for scaling collaborative project-based learning. In sharing concrete best practices such as appointing a studio manager, separating peer feedback from grading, and enforcing strict scoping parameters, the chapter provides a transferable blueprint for interactive media pedagogy. Ultimately, it demonstrates how a student world, fully realised as a game and exhibited to a public audience, can serve as a powerful mechanism for nurturing professional identity.

Item Type:	Book Section
ISBN:	978-0-557-91719-8
Subjects:	Education Computing & Data Science > Game Design
Department:	Games Academy
Depositing User:	Michael Scott
Date Deposited:	26 Oct 2026 11:37
Last Modified:	26 Oct 2026 11:37
URI:	https://repository.falmouth.ac.uk/id/eprint/6643

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