An introduction to the critical and analytical approaches to the subject of digital games. Though the history of video games spans roughly fifty years, and although more than half of the population plays them, video games have only recently emerged as a field of serious study.
This class introduces students to the theory of video games, and answers questions such as:
- How are video games structured?
- What types of experiences do video games give?
- Who plays video games, when and why?
In addition, a current topic relating to video game culture, design, or theory will be explored every semester. The class is thereby focused on allowing students to actively participate in the development of video game theory, with specific attention to how video game studies evolve as a theoretical field, and how it interacts with changes in the design and culture of video games. Students will be tasked with regular readings, and presentations with a strong emphasis on discussion.
- Defining the term digital games
- The history of games
- Digital games as text
- Digital games as a cultural industry
- Players and the psychology of games
- The social, ethical, and cultural aspects of games
- Multiplayer, casual and social games
- Games as cultural rhetoric
- Games as open culture
- Games as narrative play
Class time is split into a series of interactive “studio classroom” based lectures. students have access to a PC, with appropriate software and development kits, so that material and examples can be examined in a live environment. In addition, students will be expected to proactively and independently seek out resources on the internet and from the library to supplement their own learning.
A Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) will be employed to distribute all teaching materials and to support student interaction with other students and academic staff. Where new material is not presented in lectures, such material will be made available through the VLE and students will be expected to proactively use this resource.
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Other Assessment(s) | 100 |