| SES # | TOPICS | READINGS |
|---|---|---|
| L1 | Introduction to the Course, Brainstorm Game Ideas, Introduce Key Concepts | |
| Lab1 | Looking at a Few Sample Games, Start to Talk About What Games to Play for Class | |
| L2-L3 | Histories and Definitions | Juul, Jesper. "The Game, the Player, the World." Wolf, Mark J. P. "Genre and the Video Game." Caillois, R. "The Definition of Play; The Classification of Games." In S&Z. 1962. Malliet, and deMeyer. "The History of the Video Game." The Dot Eaters: Videogame History 101. Costikyan, Greg. "I Have No Words." In S&Z. 1994. |
| Lab2 | Lab | |
| L4-L5 | Narratology and Ludology | Frasca, Gonzalo. "Simulation versus Narrative: Introduction to Ludology." In Video/Game/Theory. Edited by Mark J. P. Wolf and Bernard Perron. New York, NY: Routledge, 2003. (PDF)# Juul, Jesper. "Games Telling Stories?" Mateas, M., and A. Stern. "Interaction and Narrative." In S&Z. 2000 / 2005. Jenkins, Henry. "Game Design as Narrative Architecture." In S&Z. 2004. Notes The topics range from the relationship between story and game to the relationship between developers and academics, with discussion of the institutional situation of game studies programs as well. Henry has some great comments about spatial story and the relationship of games to other narrative-evoking environments; Espen's discussion of the need for a diversity of approaches - not just "narratology" and "ludology" - is also quite good to hear. Espen even explains how game studies should take literary studies as a model! You'll have to watch the video yourself to find out what the context is for this suggestion - it's about 49 minutes in. |
| L6-L7 | MMOGs | Taylor, T. L. "Gaming Lifeworlds: Social Play in Persistent Environments." Yee, Nick. "The Psychology of MMORPGs: Emotional Investment, Motivations, Relationship Formation, and Problematic Usage." (PDF)# Ducheneaut, N., N. Yee, E. Nickell, and R. J. Moore. "Building an MMO With Mass Appeal: A Look at Gameplay in World of Warcraft." Games and Culture 1, no. 4 (October 2006): 281-317. Steinkuehler, C. A. "Massively Multiplayer Online Videogaming as Participation in a Discourse." Mind, Culture, and Activity 13, no. 1 (2006): 38-52. (PDF)# Castronova, Edward. "Virtual Worlds: A First-Hand Account of Market and Society on the Cyberian Frontier." In S&Z. 2001. |
| Lab3 | Lab | |
| L8 | Space and Place | Wright, Talmadge. "Themed Spaces." Steinkuehler, C., and D. Williams. "Where Everybody Knows Your (Screen) Name: Online Games as "Third Places"." Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 11, no. 4 (2006): article 1.
|
| Lab4 | Lab | |
| L9-L10 | Player Perspectives | Castronova, Edward. "The User." Taylor, T. L. "Whose Game is this Anyway?" Bartle, Richard. "Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades: Players Who Suit MUDs." Koster, Raph. "Declaring the Rights of Players." In S&Z. 2004. Taylor, T. L., and Beth Kolko. "Boundary Spaces: Majestic and the Uncertain Status of Knowledge, Community, and Self in a Digital Age." Information, Communication and Society 6, no. 4 (2003): 497-522. |
| Lab5 | Lab | |
| L11-L12 | Designer Perspectives | Birdwell, Ken. "The Cabal: Valve's Design Process for Creating Half-Life." In S&Z. 1999. Church, Doug. "Formal Abstract Design Tools." In S&Z. 1999. LeBlanc, Marc. "Tools for Creating Dramatic Game Dynamics." In S&Z. 2005. Crawford, Chris. "Eastern Front (1941)." In S&Z. 2003. Zimmerman, Eric. "Play as Research: The Interative Design Process."
|
| Lab6 | Lab | |
| L13-L14 | Games and Learning | Squire, Kurt. "Game-Based Learning: Present and Future State of the Field." Report to the Masie Consortium. (January 31, 2005). ———. "Video Games in Education." International Journal of Intelligent Simulations and Gaming 2, no. 1 (2003). (DOC) Gee, Jim. "Semiotic Domains: Is Playing Video Games a "Waste of Time?"." In S&Z. 2003. Steinkuehler, C. A. "Cognition and Literacy in Massively Multiplayer Online Games." (PDF)# |
| Lab7 | Lab | |
| L15-L16 | Gender | Taylor, T. L. "Where the Women Are." Kennedy, Helen. "On the Limits of Textual Analysis." (An analysis of Lara Croft.) Jenkins, Henry. ""Complete Freedom of Movement": Video Games as Gendered Play Spaces." In S&Z. 1998. Hayes, Elisabeth. "Women and Video Gaming: Gendered Identities at Play." (PDF)# Consalvo, Mia. "It's a Queer World After All: Studying The Sims and Sexuality." (PDF - 4.4 MB)# Consalvo, Mia, et al. "Women and Games: Technologies of the Gendered Self." New Media and Society. (forthcoming publication) |
| Lab8 | Lab | |
| L17-L18 | Race and Representation | Always_Black. "Bow, Nigger." In S&Z. 2004. Gee, Jim. "Cultural Models: Do You Want to be the Blue Sonic or the Dark Sonic?" In S&Z. 2003. Adams, Ernest. "Not Just Rappers and Athletes." Leonard, D. J. "Not a Hater, Just Keepin' It Real: The Importance of Race- and Gender-Based Game Studies." Games and Culture 1, no. 1 (January 2006): 83-88. Au, Wagner James. "The Freeform Identity Bebop of Eboni Khan." (Wagner James Au's discussion of blackness in Second Life.) Everett, and Watkins. "Now Representing: Games and the Learning Space of Race." |
| Lab9 | Lab | |
| L19 | Game Cultures and Identities | Raessens, Joost. "Computer Games as Participatory Media Culture." McGonigal, Jane. "'This Is Not a Game': Immersive Aesthetics and Collective Play." Presented at MelbourneDAC (Digital Arts and Culture) 2003. (PDF)# Turkle, Sherry. "Computer Games as Evocative Objects." (Materials) |
| Lab10 | Lab | |
| L20-L21 | Videogame Criticism |
Rouse, Richard. "Game Analysis: Centipede." In S&Z. 2001. Squire, Kurt. "Educating the Fighter: Buttonmashing, Seeing, Being." On the Horizon 13, no. 2 (2005): 75-88. (PDF)# Gingold, Chaim. "What WarioWare Can Teach Us About Game Design." (PDF)# Bogost, Ian. "Comparative Video Game Criticism." Games and Culture 1, no. 1 (January 2006): 41-46. Krzywinska, Tanya. "The Pleasures and Dangers of the Game: Up Close and Personal." Games and Culture 1, no. 1 (January 2006): 119-122. VERIFY: THIS SESSION?
|
| Lab11 | Lab | |
| L22-L23 | Student Presentations | |
| Lab12 | Lab | |
| L24 | Student Presentations (cont.) |
Table of Contents
Study Materials
Readings
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This section contains documents that could not be made accessible to screen reader software. A "#" symbol is used to denote such documents.
This page presents the required readings, plus links to some supplemental material.
Textbooks
Required
[S&Z] - Salen, K., and E. Zimmerman, eds. The Game Design Reader. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2005. ISBN: 9780262195362.
Gee, J. P. Why Videogames Are Good For Your Soul. New York, NY: Common Ground, 2005. ISBN: 9781863355742.
Readings in these texts will be supplemented by other reading assignments for each class session. In addition, you should keep up with readings associated with your game: magazine/online reviews, bulletin board discussions and forums, fan-produced media and texts, online chats, etc.
Recommended
Raessens, J., and J. Goldstein, eds. The Handbook of Computer Game Studies. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2005. ISBN: 9780262182409.
Wardrip - Fruin, N., and P. Harrigan. First Person: New Media as Story, Performance, and Game. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2004. ISBN: 9780262232326.
Reading by Sessions