by Clara Fernandez-Vara

This course offers an introduction to the interdisciplinary study of videogames as texts through an examination of their cultural, educational, and social functions in contemporary settings.

Course Summary

This course is an introduction to the interdisciplinary study of videogames as texts through an examination of their cultural, educational, and social functions in contemporary settings. Students will play and analyze videogames while reading current research and theory from a variety of sources in the sciences, social sciences, humanities, and industry. The course requires regular reading, writing, and presentation exercises. It is open to students from all disciplines and levels of experience. Students taking the graduate version will complete additional assignments.

Course Strategies

The goal of the course is to foster critical thinking with respect to videogames and their context. Through the discussion of a variety of theoretical approaches, in the context of a variety of videogames, students will gain insight on the properties and potential of the medium and its socio-­cultural implications. Another goal is to expose students to games that they may not be familiar with, to extend and challenge their perceptions of what videogames are. The lecture sessions will be devoted to discussion of the assigned readings; the lab sessions will be dedicated to communal game playing and presentations.