HOW TO STUDY VIDEO GAMES
Major Themes to be Explored in this Course:
• Art vs. Industry
• Narrative vs. Gameplay
• Sensitivity vs. Insensitivity
• Fun vs. Analysis
• Body vs. Machine
• Authorship vs. Freedom
• Structure vs. Meaning
WHY STUDY VIDEO GAMES?
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Economic value
Cultural value
Aesthetic value
Educational value
HOW TO STUDY VIDEO GAMES
• RULES
– The structure/form of the game itself
– Narrative vs. gameplay
• Narratology vs. ludology
– Textual analysis/“close reading”
– Meaning
– Film studies/literary study
– Formalist
HOW TO STUDY VIDEO GAMES
• PLAY
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Human experience of the game; the player
Ethnography, interviews, observation
Player interactions
Communication/Sociology
Situationist
• CULTURE
– Culture of gaming, culture at large
– Media ecology (multiple uses of games, relation to
other cultural objects and practices)
– Sociology/cultural studies
– Situationist
HOW TO STUDY VIDEO GAMES
• ONTOLOGY
– Philosophical conception of games and gaming
– Definition: What is a video game?
– Relation between video games and other
media/art
– Film studies/philosophy/literature/game design,
etc.
– Formalist
WHAT IS A VIDEO GAME?
• Graphics
• Interface
– Screen, speakers, input devices/controllers
• Player activity
– Ergotic (physical)
– Diegetic activity, nondiegetic activity
• Algorithm
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Representation
Responses
Rules
Randomness
Agenda 1/25/12
• King of Kong
• Discuss Presentations
• Review of last class material
• Video game theory/What is a video game?
• Discussion of “Theory By Design”
REMINDERS
• Please return Video Game Theory Reader 2 and get The
Video Game Theory Reader when it arrives in the
bookstore (or order online)
• No lab this week
• Class cancelled on Monday 1/30
• Wed 2/1: Discuss Video Game Industry and History,
Game Theory