Course Description
This course explores the evolution of games as expressive media, tracing their development from early analog and digital forms to contemporary interactive experiences. Students will engage with games as texts, systems, and experiences, developing a nuanced understanding of their place in media history and theory. Prerequisite: VES 230.
Syllabus
Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:
Students successfully completing this course will be able to:
- Analyze historical trajectories and theoretical frameworks that have shaped game design and game studies.
- Interpret games as cultural texts, identifying embedded aesthetics and narrative structures.
- Apply theory to gameplay and game design, including concepts from media studies, semiotics, and cultural studies.
- Analyze written texts to understand how they relate to particular audiences, purposes, and contexts as a way to inform one's own writing.
- Create and revise written texts for particular audiences, purposes, and contexts.
- Demonstrate awareness of one's writing choices as well as how one's own writing contributes to ongoing conversations in the relevant discipline.
Course Grading Information:
| Activity/Performance Measure | Percentage/Points |
|---|---|
| Participation/Attendance | 10% |
| Weekly Checkpoint | 10% |
| Midterm Exam | 15% |
| Final Exam | 20% |
| Research Topic | 10% |
| Abstract + Presentation | 15% |
| Research Paper | 20% |
Punctual attendance, remaining in class for the whole period allotted, and refraining from using electronic devices towards distraction is part of ensuring a respectful learning environment. Students should notify the instructor as soon as possible about any anticipated absences during the semester and may be required to provide written documentation before an excused absence is recorded. Students will forfeit five (5) of their ten (10) participation points if they accrue more than four unexcused absences. Per UNCG policy, absences beyond the allowed number mean that the student has not completed the same work as other students in the class and will receive a grade reflecting that.
Grading Scale
| Percentage | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 94 to 100% | A |
| 90 to < 94% | A- |
| 87 to < 90% | B+ |
| 83 to < 87% | B |
| 80 to < 83% | B- |
| 77 to < 80% | C+ |
| 73 to < 77% | C |
| 70 to < 73% | C- |
| 67 to < 70% | D+ |
| 63 to < 67% | D |
| 60 to < 63% | D- |
| 0 to < 60% | F |
Attendance/Participation:
Punctual attendance, remaining in class for the whole period allotted, and refraining from using electronic devices towards distraction is part of ensuring a respectful learning environment. Students should notify the instructor as soon as possible about any anticipated absences during the semester and may be required to provide written documentation before an excused absence is recorded. Students will forfeit five (5) of their ten (10) participation points if they accrue more than four unexcused absences. Per UNCG policy, absences beyond the allowed number mean that the student has not completed the same work as other students in the class and will receive a grade reflecting that.
Course Materials Purchased by the Students:
No course materials are required.
Scholarly Perspectives
This course engages diverse scholarly perspectives to develop critical thinking, analysis, and debate and inclusion of a reading does not imply endorsement.