BLACK GAMES STUDIES

Catalog description

This class explores the intersection of Black studies and game studies by studying Blackness in tabletop role-playing games (Steal Away Jordan, Harlem Unbound), erasure poetry (Zong!), video games (Dot’s Home, South of Midnight, Papers, Please), and other forms of play. Participants will learn to apply theory from these fields by Aaron Trammell, Saidiya Hartman, Fred Moten, and others to interpret Blackness in the content and mechanics of games. In a series of short assignments, participants will practice writing critical analyses of games, creating a multimedia game review, and experimenting with glitching/modding games. In a final assignment, participants will be given the option to significantly expand one of these short assignments with an eye toward publication, or they can independently develop a game aligned with the themes of the course (this class will not teach game design). No prior experience with games required; participants of all backgrounds are welcome. NOTE: access to a computer will be necessary for this course, and a few of the games in this class are only compatible with Windows. Participants without access to Windows will be asked to watch playthroughs of select games.