Gaming and Interactive Media

Catalog description

COMM 190 ( GAME 140 ) Gaming and Interactive Media (3) The course is an introduction to the digital interactive media industries for students who may consider seeking employment in that sector, which includes video games and simulations, products for education, training, medicine, business, government/military, and virtual environments for a range of applications. Students will learn about industry structures, basic economics, business models, work flow, types of enterprises, job descriptions, and opportunities. It examines both the national and global markets. It provides students with a factually and theoretically informed appreciation of these industries. The course will build on the students' personal and social experiences of these media, but it is not a course about playing or designing games or mastering individual applications. No special knowledge or experience in playing video games, using "serious games," or experiencing virtual worlds is required. It will provide students with the foundation to make a well-informed choice about careers in this sector and respond to their natural curiosity about this pervasive part of their lives. The course is divided into five segments. The first provides general context: history, scale and scope of the field, information on industry structure, business models and operations, and types of skills required. The second focuses on the video game industry, including social, regulatory and ethical issues. Video games are now a major media industry, having surpassed in U.S. revenue both the movie and recorded music industries. The third section looks at "serious games." A "serious game" is a game designed for a primary purpose other than pure entertainment, such as education, scientific exploration, health care, emergency management, city planning, military, engineering, religion, etc. The fourth segment looks at simulations and virtual worlds and their multiple models and uses (entertainment, learning, business, research, etc.), and the development of related online communities. The final section will examine the interrelationship of these industries with the other entertainment industries in terms of planning, marketing, finance, production, etc. It will conclude with a look ahead at new technologies, markets, business models, advancements in artificial intelligence and the convergence of virtual and material worlds. The course will employ presentations, class discussions, outside readings, demonstrations, videos, class exercises, online explorations, guest experts (in person and via technology), and experiences in virtual worlds.