Starcraft Course opened for College – earn credits
January 27, 2009 by itsamyxp
Students in UC – Berkeley can take up StarCraft studies for college credits. Something we’ve never imagined would happen. I figure World of Warcraft would’ve been the first to be opened for classes but Starcraft did come out much earlier than WoW. Maybe another 2-3 years?
Course Description:
UC Berkeley students with an interest in real-time strategy games and the competitive gaming landscape are encouraged to participate in this class.This course will go in-depth in the theory of how war is conducted within the confines of the game Starcraft. There will be lecture on various aspects of the game, from the viewpoint of pure theory to the more computational aspects of how exactly battles are conducted. Calculus and Differential Equations are highly recommended for full understanding of the course. Furthermore, the class will take the theoretical into the practical world by analyzing games and replays to reinforce decision-making skills and advanced Starcraft theory.
Class will start with lecture and usually include a special discussion topic having to do with the day’s lecture to inspire new and original thought. At the end of lecture, there may be time to analyze student-submitted replays to illustrate a point or to improve analysis. Homework will be assigned at the end of each class and is due at the beginning of each lecture.
Course Learning Objectives and Goals:
What may look like complex topics are just ways we want you to think more deeply about the game to derive a greater satisfaction from playing. Furthermore, this understanding should have applications in real life, to further synthesize new information from limited inferences. The primary goal is for students to learn, enjoy the art of competitive StarCraft, and have fun. Overall, students will be applying critical thinking, quick decision-making, and game theory skills throughout the sessions. Students will also learn what to look for in a replay or game to learn most effectively.
This is a gamers dream come true, something they’ve always fantasized about other than a porn course (which has came true as well). Some of the prerequisites for the course is that students “should be familiar with all units and some basic StarCraft strategy”. Anyone interested in the course needs to enter the class with “an open and analytic mind”. Oh, and you need to have StarCraft: Brood War, doh!
An interesting point for us in the StarCraft Community with all of this is all the final projects that students will make. A lot of new, interesting points of view will emerge by the end of this course? The only thing the students could want in addition to this is a Blizzard sponsorship and playing around in StarCraft II!
Further details of the course can be found in a Facebook group as well as their official site. Starcraft Wire was also priveleged enough to have an interview with the professor which they will be posting shortly.
Related posts:
My roommate and I taught a class called “Starcraft Strategies” when we were in college. We taught the course during our junior year in 1999-2000. It was a 1 credit elective as part of the ExCo program. ExCo is “Experimental College”, where students design and submit plans for classes they would like to teach. Students submit their designs to an adviser for approval.
We met twice a week for two hours in the evening in a computer lab, and had about 20 participants. We spent 30-45 minutes teaching theory, sometimes with custom triggered maps, then had organized play, such as 2v2 islands, or 1v1 small maps, depending on what the lecture was that week.
Holy crap. I may have to go back to college again!
My best friend took a WoW class at Rice University two years ago.
UCB has DeCal classes taught by students on pretty much every topic imaginable. Unfortunately this isn’t as unique as it sounds. You can find a list of current and past DeCals here: http://www.decal.org/courses/index.php
There have definitely been World of Warcraft courses available at some schools for a while now. I know there is currently one at a college near here which is eligible for transfer credits to the University of Minnesota.
wo shi le , jiu wo ~!
You said:
“I’m Dead, teach me~!”
wtf?
“teach” is jiao.
Shimei is saying, “I’m dead, save me!”
He actually meant,’I'm wet,help me’ XD
omg.,.. i love starcraft.. dropship goliath with tanks at the minerals rock!!
That’s nothing Leop. My friends set up a class on the quantum mechanics of pong on 1953 tube machines during the summer of ‘54. We used to have a jolly time talking about great things.
We were truly unique. First in time and in right.
wo she le!
zao bu zhu !
Man, i sure want to go back to college again:)
Thanks for the linky! =)
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I don’t think this is a course where you just spend your class playing games. Looking at the course description, this looks more like a game theory class that uses starcraft as an example, rather than a bona fide starcraft class. You know, practical applications and what have you.
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My college (western washington university) has a course that involves WoW.
One of the assignments is an extensive ethnography of the main races that you can choose for a character. Another example is studying group interaction within a quest/raid group.
They also investigate board role playing games, Spore, and other games.
Seemed like a pretty interesting class, but it was outside of my major (poli sci) and I’m on a tight schedule to graduate.
this course has been offered at uc irvine. the best part is that you get writing credit for taking it. the blizzard building is pretty much on our campus.
They moved to a building on Alton
Yeah, as one of the posters says above, this is just a “DeCal,” which are more like clubs than classes. They’re “facilitated” by undergrads (not “taught”).
However, you don’t need to look nearly so far as Taiwan for porn classes. Berkeley also has one of the world’s foremost porn scholars among its faculty, and she has taught many classes on porn at the graduate and undergraduate level for almost two decades.
Khan thinks he would pass with flying colors
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The complex economic balances in Starcraft alone have had several book written about them. I’d hardly see a semester of studying said economies as a waste of money. With the suggestion to have Calculus and Differential Equations suggest that it’s definitely about maximizing the economy in the game. I doubt you’d need calculus for a class that “lolz I click the guy and he sez stuff lol”
I’m taking this course I’ll write a review after the semester is over.
I am taking a course of StarCraft recently and so glad to hear this news. So great the SC
The thing is this class will be taught by a student who’s is in Pro Leagues maybe once ranked in the top 10 in the WORLD and he maybe Korean… lol
He may have even won every single SC LAN tourney at Berkeley.
Haha, so many of my friends are taking this class. I’m disappointed there isn’t a WoW DeCal yet.
Also, hi Jomar.
LOL
OMG!!! O.o
I don’t think this is a course where you just spend your class playing games. Looking at the course description, this looks more like a game theory class that uses starcraft as an example, rather than a bona fide starcraft class. You know, practical applications and what have you..
our country is soooo screwed
http://www.cracked.com/article_16558_smash-bros-theory-6-absurd-classes-taught-at-actual-colleges.html
Smash was the first game to have a college course offered around it (in terms of theory about playing the game, not about designing and the like).
cool “`
My best friend took a WoW class at Rice University two years ago..
FUCK YOU,FUCK YOU,FUCK YOU FUCK YOU
???????????????????????????
SC Course? Funny…
Needs fighting game course.
The trailers shows that sequel will be at least as good as original was. But this delaying of game launch seems to be more matter of monetization strategy, not development issues.