Jan 28 2009
Get your Ph.D in Starcraft
. . . well, okay. You can’t get your Ph.D in Starcraft. But there is a course at UC Berkeley which is focused purely on StarCraft. (Thanks to 1up for the feed on this one, it’s grand.)The Starcraft course (website here) is part of the DeCal program. According to the DeCal website:
The DeCal Program is based on the idea that students should manage and direct their own learning with the hope that they can be more engaged with and pursue the questions that they find most intriguing and relevant.
. . .DeCAL continues to flourish today as an outlet for serious and creative students who wish to add to the campus offerings. Each semester some 30 to 40 student-initiated courses are offered for credit. Almost all of them rapidly fill to their maximum enrollment. I frequently hear students say that their DeCAL class was the best course they ever took at Berkeley. Many courses initiated by students through DeCAL have gone on to become regular courses offered by faculty in various departments on campus.
Obviously, this course has gotten a lot of publicity. The text is available from the course website for a printing fee plus shipping. What can we find out about the course though? Well, the syllabus gives us this:
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.
Almost sounds scary, but a look just a little farther down in the syllabus gives us this:
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.
So… it’s a lot more about being awesome at StarCraft than advanced Calculus and physics. I loved looking at the homework though, in which questions such as the following were found:
Find the (or at least one) nicknames for the following progamers, and what unit (if any) they were known for using the most: a. Boxer b. Reach c. Oov d. Savior e. Xellos f. Bisu g. Nal Ra h. Anytime i. Garimto j. Jaedong
You started with a mass Hydra strat, which the enemy Protoss scouts and ends up with a mass of zealots with leg enhancements. How effective are your Hydralisks against this incoming horde? If your Hydralisks are not effective, how can you make your Hydralisks more effective?
Why is it so important have enough Mutalisks to pass the threshold to kill enemy units (marines, scv’s or medics) in one volley?
Well, cheers to any of you taking this course, auditing it, or planning on taking it in the future. Hope it, umm, helps your education, kids.
