This course provides an overview of contemporary video game culture, with a focus on the history of gaming, important industry trends, video game scholarship, and popular gaming discourse. Students are introduced to key debates and issues, including #Gamergate, video games as art, the media’s role in perpetuating negative gamer stereotypes, and diversity and representation in games. The course explores topics such as the arcade boom, casual games, gaming conventions, serious games, machinima and mods, the rise of esports, video game adaptations, and representations of gaming in pop culture. The course material will be of interest to gamers, but it is designed to be accessible to students with little to no gaming experience. All assignments will have an optional play component, but can be completed without gaming.

There is no required textbook or equipment for this course.

Course Requirements:

Students will be assessed based on attendance and participation, a reflection piece, a paper, and a final project.

Intended Audience:

Undergraduates interested in video games and gamer culture, regardless of major. Gaming experience or ownership of gaming hardware not required.

Class Format:

The course sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays will happen synchronously over Zoom. Office hours will take place over Google Chat. Readings and assignment instructions will be uploaded to Canvas. Completed assignments should be emailed to the instructor.

Instruction Mode
All aspects of this course will be fully compatible with remote online learning.
Learning Mode:
Lectures and office hours will take place synchronously during the allotted time slots. Any online videos/TV episodes/podcast episodes assigned together with the reading will be made available for students to watch/listen to at their own convenience.
Course Testing/Assessment
The course features no exam or time-based tests/quizzes. All written assignments will be asynchronous and should be emailed to the instructor by the due date designated on the syllabus.