On the Case: Designing an interdisciplinary learning game with Neuromancer

Computer games are increasingly being considered as a means of promoting learning, especially the use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) games in the classroom. This article extends this idea by proposing an innovative method of fostering interdisciplinary collaboration through the design of computer games. The game to be developed, On the Case, is based on William Gibson's seminal Neuromancer, and will be used to augment and enhance the learning experiences of literary studies students studying this text. However, these users will also assist in the design process before a prototype version of the game is developed by peers on game-design degree programmes. The article offers an overview of the design considerations behind the game, primarily in terms of the intellectual engagement such a game will promote, the learning it is designed to foster, and the mechanisms - game-play, environment, and learning design - through which it will do so.