All right, here's my updated list of games to cover:
- Gauntlet (1985), Arcade
- Contra (1987), Arcade, NES
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992), Genesis*
- Quake/Team Fortress mod (1996), PC
- Diablo series (1997), PC, Mac*
- Ultima Online (1997), PC
- Animal Crossing (2003), Gamecube*
- The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure (2004), Gamecube*
- Super Mario Galaxy (2007), Wii
*these may not make it into the presentation
I'm not too concerned about having every game genre on my list. I'm just concerned with games that have done something different with co-op gameplay. It doesn't necessarily need to be a comprehensive history.
"Present a thorough overview of the current and previous research in an area of interactive multimedia.... What work is being done in this area?... Finally, consider what has yet to be figured out. End your presentation by posting a series of questions inspired by your research, questions you hope to investigate and answer over the course of the semester."
In addition to talking about these games, I need to extrapolate my own idea from it. (I've already done that, by the way. I'm kind of working backwards here.) The background on co-op games is just a means to convey my idea to the class and to try to get people to work on my project with me. It's an idea for a game that I've had for a while, and I've finally realized what I want to do with it.
Homer Simpson voice: Patent pending!