IMGD 1000: Critical Studies of
Interactive Media and Games
David Finkel
Computer Science Department
Interactive Media and Game Development
Interactive Media and Game Development1
Purpose of this series of talks
To describe the contents of the IMGD courses:
1. To get feedback on the course content
2. So we’ll all know what’s in the courses
3. So new courses can be designed knowing what’s
in the current courses
4. To have some general discussions about the
IMGD curriculum
Interactive Media and Game Development2
Catalog Description for IMGD 1000
• This course introduces non-technical studies of
computer-based interactive media and games. The
course develops a vocabulary for discussing
games and other interactive media, and tools for
analyzing them. Students are expected to provide
written critiques using the critical approaches
presented in the course. The games and other
interactive media critiqued may be commercially
available or under development.
Interactive Media and Game Development3
Inspiration 1: IGDA Curriculum
Framework: Critical Game Studies
• This interdisciplinary Core Topic combines
approaches from history, literature, media
studies and design. A key goal of Critical
Game Studies is to develop and refine a
critical vocabulary for articulating the
aesthetics of games.
Interactive Media and Game Development4
Inspiration 2: Courses in Film Studies
• Topics covered in a film studies course:
– The Film Industry (production, distribution,
exhibition)
– Film Form and Principles of Narrative
– Types of Films (Genres)
– Film Style
– Critical Analysis of Film
Interactive Media and Game Development5
Show and Tell
• Film Studies Text (Bordell and Thompson)
• Game Design (Rollings and Adams –
principal text for IMGD)
• High Score (History of Electronic Games –
history text)
• Syllabus for IMGD 1000
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A Typical Class
• Lecture on the topic of the day
– General principles
– Examples from specific games
– Possibly video clips to illustrate points
• Class discussion, with examples from
games the students know
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Part I of IMGD 1000
• Elements of games:
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–
–
–
–
Game World
Narrative
Character Development
User Experience
Gameplay
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Drill down into Part I
• The User Experience
–
–
–
–
–
User Interface
The Visual Element
Audio
Haptics
Learning the game and help systems
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Part II & III of IMGD 1000
• Examine how these game elements are used
in different genres
• History of Games (High Score book)
• I’m not entirely happy with either of these
parts ….
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Evaluation in IMGD 1000
• What gets graded:
– Midterm
– Final exam
– Term paper analyzing a game of the student’s
choice
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Writing in IMGD 1000
• Day 1 in-class writing exercise (ungraded)
– Set the topics for the course
– Identify students with big-time writing
problems.
• Weekly short papers (ungraded)
– Students choose a game for all their writing for
the term
– Topics of the week
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Writing in IMGD 1000 - 2
• Draft Paper (ungraded)
– Based on weekly papers, responding to
comments, with discussion of how the
individual elements work together
• Final Paper (graded)
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What I’d change in IMGD 1000
• Eliminate the history material
– We end up with two or three days to discuss the
history of video games – not enough.
– Perhaps should be a complete course in history
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Changes - 2
• Do more papers
– The purpose of the weekly papers is to teach
the students how to write an analysis
– The actually write only one paper for a grade
– Find a way to fit a second paper into the course
Interactive Media and Game Development15
Changes - 3
• Have a common game they all play and
they can all discuss
– In class discussion, students describe games
they have played related to the topic of the day
– Might not be any common point of comparison
– If this were a film course, they would all have
watched some common set of films.
– Practical difficulties
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Changes - 4
• Have readings from the critical literature
– Lots of academic papers analyzing games
– Opportunity to get beyond textbook-level
reading
– Maybe too advanced for first-year students
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IMGD 1000: Critical Studies of
Interactive Media and Games
David Finkel
Computer Science Department
Interactive Media and Game Development
Interactive Media and Game Development18