Video games are one of the most widespread, profitable, and influential cultural forms in the U.S. Their rise to cultural dominance comes about at the same time as changing notions of race and gender in the U.S., such as liberal multiculturalism, the feminist movement, post-racialism, post-feminism, and a growing multiracial population. This course will avoid categorizing games as having positive or negative social effects, instead focusing on how race and racism have been expressed in a variety of types and styles of video games; how video games function as a window into U.S. race relations. We will look at the history, theory, and practice of video games in the U.S. with particular attention to racial stereotyping, user demographics, racial conflict in shared world and social games. The class will end with an examination of “serious” games and the potential of game texts, environments, and communities to help remediate social inequality.

Students will find new ways to understand video games and what they imagined to be true about “Digital Culture.” They will become critical of the notion that video games can be dismissed as trivial or as quaint pop culture artifacts that need not be taken seriously. Students, instead, will consider the emerging scholarly literature on virtual environments as they grapple with the ways that racial and gender ideologies inform game play. This class has an innovative of notion of “critical game play” that requires students to actively engage the very video games under scholarly critique. Students will exit this class, in other words, with “real world” applications for humanities scholarship. They will become informed participants in gaming culture. A few, we also hope, will become involved in the production side of the industry.

Course Requirements:

Three short papers, participation in on-line forums, a take-home midterm and final exam, as well as active class participation. Students may also be required to log gameplay time on assigned digital games.

Intended Audience:

American Culture majors, Ethnic Studies majors (APIA, DAAS, Latina/o, Native American), Screen Arts & Cultures majors, Womens Studies majors, digital environments students, as well as a general audience.

Class Format:

Lecture/seminar