#1279: What’s In A Game? Framing Undergraduate Improvisers Contributions as Legitimate Participation in Improv’s Oral History

This work is a collection of improv forms (also known as games) developed by students in my undergraduate game-studies course, "Improv for Games." Students first learned games during class and by watching performances. Then, they modified the rules of those games. Finally, they all created games that they performed for each other. My students, few of whom considered themselves improvisers before taking my course, created brilliant new forms that demonstrate a deep understanding, and they deserve to have that recognized. I have tried to motivate my pedagogical approach with the idea of meaningful making. I want my students to feel that they have contributed something towards furthering an art form and that they have become better designers in the process. These improv games (demonstrated by members of Spicy Clamato, the University of Illinois' longest running improv troupe) are "good enough" to be performed, enjoyed, and modified for years to come.