Teacher: Alf Inge Wang (alfw@ntnu.no)

The course is taught in English

The module is delivered through a series of lectures on selected topics, supplemented by an individual assignment and a team-based project.
This module is intended for students conducting a master’s thesis in a game technology–related field and is offered exclusively in conjunction with the course TDT73 – ExerGames and Game-Based Learning. Students seeking additional information or wishing to enroll must contact the course instructor directly.

Workload: 3.75 SP

Start-up: 19/8/2025

Learning Goals

This course explores two core themes: game design theories and gamification. Students will examine key concepts in game design, including intrinsic motivation, gameflow, reward systems, player types, and self-determination theory. The course also covers the foundations of gamification, empirical research on its effectiveness, and the Octalysis framework for gamification and behavior design.

Syllabus

In BlackBoard

Teaching Approach

The course is delivered through lectures, an individual assignment, and a group project. Detailed information, including the reading list and course articles, will be provided during the first lecture.

FAQ

• Register to the module here: https://www.idi.ntnu.no/education/mine_teorimoduler.php
• Computer Science (CS) students must get an approval from their supervisor to register for the theory modules.
• Non-CS students can choose "Informatics" in the dropdown.
• For students who are not in computer science, please consult your own department whether they have the same format of specialization courses. Otherwise, we may not grant credits to you.
• Make sure you register at least one day before the first lecture.
• We will mainly use BlackBoard for organizing the course (online teaching, course materials, discussions, etc.).