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September 10 and 12, 2012

September 10 and 12, 2012. Methodologies for the Study of Video Games Theory of Games (non-videogame-specific). Article Report, due Wed. 9/19. Email to me (Word doc or PDF) before midnight on Wed. AND post to the blog

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September 10 and 12, 2012

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  1. September 10 and 12, 2012 Methodologies for the Study of Video Games Theory of Games (non-videogame-specific)

  2. Article Report, due Wed. 9/19 • Email to me (Word doc or PDF) before midnight on Wed. AND post to the blog • ASSIGNMENT: Find an article (not a review) from an academic or journalistic source that deals with video games. Write a brief summary of the article and relate it to topics discussed in class. • You will be graded on: clarity and quality of writing, quality of analysis of the selected article, expression of point of view (your own evaluation of the article), ability to connect the article to issues relevant to this class

  3. WHY STUDY VIDEO GAMES? • Economic value • Cultural value • Aesthetic value • Educational value • <3 / hate (personal value)

  4. HOW TO STUDY VIDEO GAMES Situationist approaches (1/2) • PLAY • Human experience of the game; the player • Ethnography, interviews, observation • Player interactions • Communication/Sociology

  5. HOW TO STUDY VIDEO GAMES Situationist approaches (1/2) • CULTURE • Culture of gaming, culture at large • Media ecology (multiple uses of games, relation to other cultural objects and practices) • Sociology/cultural studies

  6. HOW TO STUDY VIDEO GAMES Formalist approaches (1/2) • RULES • The structure/form of the game itself • Narrative vs. gameplay • Narratology vs. ludology • Textual analysis/“close reading” • Meaning • Film studies/literary study

  7. HOW TO STUDY VIDEO GAMES Formalist approaches (2/2) • 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.

  8. WHAT IS A GAME? • Johan Huizinga, 1938, Homo Ludens: “magic circle” • Roger Caillois, 1958, Man, Play, and Games: • Agon (competition), alea (chance), mimicry (imitation), ilinx (vertigo) • paidiavs. ludus (playfulness vs. rule-based game) • Marshall McLuhan, 1964, Understanding Media: popular games reveal core values of a culture, games release tension

  9. Theories of Play • Playing at, not doing (meta-communication) • Play instinct (Jung) • “make-believe” and the genesis of the self, integration of individual in society • “expressive amplification” (Henry Jenkins)—pleasure of control, impact of actions exaggerated for increased pleasure

  10. “MDA model” • Mechanics • Game engine, algorithm, code and rules • Dynamics • How game actually plays • Aesthetics • Emotional responses of player (sensation, fantasy, narrative, challenge, fellowship, discovery, expression, submission)

  11. JesperJuul’s “Classic Game Model” • Fixed rules • Negotiable consequences • Variable outcome • Player attachment to outcome • Player effort • Valorization of outcome

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