Arcade Speak: The Language of Video Games

Catalog description

This course explores the evolving relationship between language and video games through the lens of applied linguistics. The course invites students to examine how language is used within video games, how people talk about games across different platforms, and how gaming discourse influences broader communication practices. Students will analyze a wide range of language use connected to gaming, including but not limited to in-game communication (e.g., in massively multiplayer online games), the rhetorical techniques used in video game marketing, discussions and debates from podcasters and streamers, and the fast-paced speech of e-sports announcers. Topics also include how scholars in other fields, such as sociology, media studies, and cultural studies, investigate the ways the language of gaming shapes identity, belonging, and community. The course explores how the rules and norms of video game language have developed over time, tracing influences from early gaming forms, internet culture, and online social spaces. The course also examines how language associated with video games moves beyond digital spaces, influencing everyday conversations - such as how friends talk to each other in casual settings - and reshaping linguistic norms in other discourse communities. The course is built around active discussions and hands-on workshops. Students will complete a series of focused analytical assignments, leading up to a multi-part final project in which they conduct original discourse analysis on a topic of their choosing related to language and gaming. This course is open to undergraduate students of all backgrounds and does not require prior experience in linguistics or gaming. Designed for all students who are gamers, language enthusiasts, or curious about the intersections between digital culture and communication, the course offers tools and space to critically explore one of the most dynamic and influential forms of contemporary media.