Game Studies

Catalog description

This course offers an exploration of games as media and investigates methods by which game authors extend the visual traditions and conceptual ideals of contemporary media theory and visual communication into the gaming medium. Games represent a rapidly emerging medium, the history of which must be analyzed through the lenses of art history, representation, new media studies, and game studies in order to be fully contextualized. Students will explore different game genres while analyzing and playing games in order to gain an understanding of their frameworks and programmatic strategies. The readings and lectures in this course are intended to incite an active and critical perspective on contemporary game practices in art, digital interfaces, game culture, and the game industry. There will be a focus more on independent game designers and artists and different strategies for gaming, such as VR, internet-based games, personal narratives, and machinima. No coding experience is required for this class.