CMLIT 191
(GH;US;IL)
Introduction to Video Game Culture (3) A comparative, international look at the nature and history of video games as cultural artifacts, from Pong to online role-playing.
CMLIT 191 Introduction to Video Game Studies (3)
This course is a comparative introduction to the nature and history of video games as cultural artifacts, from Pong to online role-playing. It introduces students to academic discussion on and creative work in new digital forms including hypertexts, video games, cell phone novels, machinima, and more. Students will survey major debates over the meaning and value of video games, and study some of the major theoretical terms and perspectives developed to elaborate the cultural and sociological value of video games.
The course extends students' skills in literary interpretation to a variety of new objects, and makes them aware of the role medium plays in aesthetic development and production. Students will leave with a far sharper understanding of how the interpretive tools used in the humanities can be extended to include new media, and with a sense of the historical role video games have played and will continue to play in global cultural production.
Because the course is historically focused, it will spend significant time looking at the differential development of video games in three major regions: the United States, Europe, and East Asia (especially Japan).
Assignments may include short-answer and essay exams, postings to class discussion forums on ANGEL, and group presentations.
General Education: GH
Diversity: US;IL
Bachelor of Arts: None
Effective: Summer 2012
Note : Class size, frequency of offering, and evaluation methods will vary by location and instructor. For these details check the specific course syllabus.