Video Game Cultures
California College of the Arts
Visual & Critical Studies Program
Instructor: Matteo Bittanti
SOCSC-200-04
Location and time
San Francisco, Graduate Center, GC2
Thursdays, 7.15 - 10.15 pm
Table of contents
1. Course Description
1.1 Course Format & Requirements
1.2 Learning Outcomes
2. Required Texts & Class Blog
3. Written Assignments and Projects
3.1 Blog Entries
3.2 Mid-Term Project
3.3 Final Project
3.4 Final Project Proposal
3.5 Final Presentation
3.6 Deadlines & Important Dates
4. Evaluation
4.1 Measurement of Student Performance
5. Classroom Conduct & Attendance Guidelines
5.1 Academic Honesty
6. Schedule
1. Course Description
This course focuses on the artistic, social, and cultural impact of videogames. We will examine the design, production, consumption, and aesthetic implications of interactive entertainment.
The topics that we will investigate this semester include (but are not limited to):
- What is the role of gaming in society?
- What makes a videogame different or similar to existing forms of play?
- In what social contexts are games played?
- Can gaming have implications that extend beyond pure entertainment? If so, how?
- How do issues of gender, race and sexuality play out in gaming culture?
- Can games be considered art? What is the relationship between contemporary art and gaming?
Through a series of critical readings, case studies, and discussions, we will attempt to answer these questions and consider what role games play in our understanding of visual culture. In addition to essays included in books, edited anthologies, and online publications, the course content will be supplemented by in-class conversations on specific case studies. Students should come away from the course with an understanding of the evolution of this medium, as well as insights into design, and socio-cultural impacts of interactive entertainment. Students will develop the ability to recognize and suggest connections between the medium of the videogame and the broader field of visual and critical studies.
Video game Cultures is not...
- …A game design course, i.e. you will not learn how to become a game designer (although you will understand some of the features of game design);
- …a course on the history of digital games. Although historical developments will be discussed during the course of the semester, Video Game Cultures offers a thematic rather than chronological approach to videogames.
Power Ups
- Most of the essays will be made available via the class blog...
- …However, the course material is quite intense and heavy: please prepare for lectures by completing the reading assignments by the date listed in the schedule of lectures
- The reading load will soon become a burden if you do not keep up!
1.1 Course Format & Requirements
Classes will consist of lectures, screenings, in-class discussions, and student presentations. Our approach is thematic rather than historical. Students are expected to read and critically discuss books, essays, articles and watch audiovisual material, including videos, documentaries, and shorts. They are expected to come to class with several questions in mind for discussion. Readings, questions, extras will be posted on the password-protected class blog. Finally, students are required to write - and present to the class - a final paper of 10-12 pages, preceded by a 3 page proposal in addition to a Mid-term project.
1.2 Learning Outcomes
In addition to the key goals described in section 1, Video Games Cultures emphasizes the following learning outcomes:
- Methods of Critical Analysis: Students will learn to identify, actively engage with, and carry out exegeses of gaming artifacts and practices. Video Game Cultures invites the students to connect the dots between different, sometimes highly divergent interpretations of the same issues.
- Written and Verbal Communication: Students will continue to hone their communication skills by presenting their ideas in different types of writing assignments and within class discussions and oral presentations.
- Visual Literacy: Students will learn how to recognize and decode different kinds of gaming artifacts, texts, and practices, their conventions, and aesthetics.
- Interdisciplinarity: Students will understand various ways in which video games intersect with other areas of social and cultural history.
- Professional development: students will present their ideas in a manner that meets professional standards in class discussions and through their written submissions.
2. Required Textbook and Class Blog
Primary text:
James Newman, Playing With Videogames, London, Routledge, 2009. ISBN 78-0415385237 [Amazon]
Additional essays/articles – both required and optional – will be available on a weekly basis on a password-protected class blog.
3. Written Assignments and Projects
For Video Game Cultures, students are required to submit four kinds of written assignments:
- Written Responses to the Readings in the form of Blog Entries (1 page minimum)
- Mid-Term Project (5 page paper)
- Final Project proposal (3 page paper)
- Final Project (10-12 page paper)
3.1 Blog Entries
Students are required to contribute to the online discussion that supplements in-class participation. Such contribution will take the form of written entries to the Video Game Cultures blog.
Each contribution will consist of a weekly posting of 1 page minimum (at least 400 words) reflecting thoughtfully and critically upon the weekly assignment. That is: students' responses should make full use of the concepts and ideas expressed in the readings. In other words, mere evaluative comments (e.g. “I like this”, “I think it’s boring”) based on personal opinion are highly discouraged.
Moreover, the posting should not be a summary of the reading. Rather you should use this opportunity to construct a solid, convincing argument closely related to the topics explored and discussed in class.
Written assignments must be submitted as .DOC or .RFT attachments (no .PDF) via email to the instructor each Wednesday by noon in typed, double-spaced, and spell-checked with complete references (footnotes, bibliography, and illustrations, if available) formatted according to a writing manual of style. Late submission will receive a lower score. All contributions will be posted and the blog to encourage transparency and to foster dialogue and exchange of ideas.
Evaluation: Your weekly written contributions will not receive individual letter grades. Each submission will be given one of the following grades:
- √+ [above average]
- √ [average]
- √- [below average]
- I [incomplete/late/missing]
At the end of the semester, each student receives one letter grade for their entries as a whole.
Any student who receives an "I" grade for more than three submissions (and has no legitimate medical excuse) fails this assignment for the entire semester.
3.2 Mid-Term Project: "My Gaming Life" Presentation & Paper
Each student is required to produce a 5 page paper and a presentation on their gaming experiences. Written in first-person and with a personal style, this self-portrait should include aspects of gaming culture (artworks, images, videos etc.) that define(d) your personal gaming history. Your paper/project should answer these three key questions:
- Who are you, as a gamer?
- How do games define your sense of identity?
- What role do games play in your life?
This self-portrait can be complemented by a collage, painting, webpage, video, animation, infographics, or whatever else you can create and present in class.
Instructions:
- 1. Each student will bring in their "Gaming Life" mini-essay and a give a 5-minute presentation of it in class. If the work is complemented by a collage of digital images, video, or photographs, students must email the image or website link to the professor at least 24 hours before class presentation. No make-up presentations. The in-class presentations will take place on October 20 2011.
- Students will submit a printed hard copy of paper and presentation AND electronic copies of the paper and presentation (via email or burned on disc - CD-ROM or DVD - if the size of the file is too large for delivery - Dropbox/YouSendit and similar online services are a good replacement for a disc). The mid-term paper is due October 20 2011 @ 7.15 pm. Late submissions will be penalized per day.
3.3 Final Project
Over the course of the semester, students will complete a research paper of 10-12 pages, excluding bibliography and footnotes. The essay is designed to help you reflect, analyze, and discuss core themes and ideas encountered in Video Game Cultures, practice dealing with primary and secondary materials, and develop a background in the area that will allow you to pursue more in-depth research projects in the future, e.g. a thesis or a dissertation. The final essay could be related to any topic discussed during the course of the semester. This essay should include aspects of gaming culture (performance, hacking, Game Art, fandom, etc.) that you find compelling, exciting, frustrating or provocative—aspects that you feel help inform, constitute, or dispute your values and ideas on gaming, art, and culture.
It is required that you provide a bibliography of print and electronic materials and cite them appropriately. Include URLs and titles for websites. Note any interviews or other sources. In other words, be sure to treat this as a research paper. FYI, here is some guidance on "Using Primary Sources on the Web": http://www.lib.washington.edu/subject/History/RUSA/. Important note: Without getting into a big discussion, I would discourage you generally from using Wikipedia or any other encyclopedia articles without authorship attribution; however, Wikipedia serves a purpose by addressing many neglected topics in areas such as cutting-edge technology or popular culture (i.e., videogames) and, in particular, often provides good guidance to sources for further investigation of these topics. Also, you may find Wikipedia -- or any websites for that matter -- useful as primary sources or as a source of data such as publication dates or the like. When in doubt, look for corroborating sources.
A few hints for the paper:
1. Identify your topic clearly in the introduction. Briefly sketch your topic and inform the reader how you intend to organize your presentation and exposition.
2. Why is this topic significant? How is it related to readings, discussions or class sessions in this course.
3. The conclusion should reiterate the significance of your topic. It also provides an opportunity to speculate a little; how might what you learned lead to further work, a revision of previous research by others, a new theoretical take, or whatever you have in mind.
Your final project requires a proposal. It is essential to discuss your ideas with the instructor before developing a full proposal. It is also a very good idea to look ahead in the syllabus and get started early.
The written component of the projects must be handed in typed, double-spaced, and spell-checked with complete references (footnotes or endnotes, full bibliography, illustrations) formatted according to the CCA writing manual of style. For additional information about the assessment criteria, please consult the Visual Studies Assessment Guideline on the blog. Both the mid-term paper and the final project will be evaluated on the following criteria: thorough research; clear, logical, and original arguments; critical and creative analysis of visual material supported by visual examples; serious effort, preparation, and engagement in the subject matter.
3.4 Final Project Proposal
Students must submit a 3-page proposal that provides a detailed description of the final project and outlines plans for research as well as relevant questions and concerns. Like any solid proposal (for a grant or exhibition), this document should be persuasive and demonstrate why this project is innovative, compelling and worth pursuing. There is a “no-delay policy” for the submission of the proposal.
Such proposal must be submitted by November 10 2011 by 7.15 PM. The proposal should include:
1. A title, subtitle, and description of your object of study, its significance, and the key issues or questions you want to address in your research. Do you have a novel approach or hypothesis? If so, describe it.
2. A concise, tightly-focused review of the scholarly literature on your topic. What are the most significant scholarly contributions in your area of investigation? Is there any important research on your topic carried out in contiguous fields? You must explain how your work will relate to the works you cite.
3. A brief discussion of research methods. What kind of research methods will you use to answer the questions you have posed or to test your hypothesis? Textual analysis? Archival research? Interviews? Why are those the best methods for this case? What will they allow you to discover? Do you need any special resources to complete your research? And are they available locally?
4. A timetable. What are the key parts of your project (research, writing, etc.) and by when will you have them completed? What are the milestones?
3.5 Final Presentation
In addition to the final paper, students are required to give one oral presentation based on their research. Depending on the number of students enrolled, the duration of the presentation will range from 10 to 15 minutes and will take place on December 8th and December 15th 2011(that means that you might have to give a presentation a week before the deadline for the final paper - be prepared).
Students are strongly encouraged to make full use of audio-visual resources for their presentation (film clips, slide-show of still images, Powerpoint, Prezi, video etc.). Finally, all students are expected to skillfully critique their peers' presentations. The oral/visual presentation will be evaluated on the basis of the students' ability to look critically and express her or his own ideas in oral and visual form. NO make-up presentations.
3.6 Deadlines and Important Dates
The goal is for you all to work in towards the final paper over the last 3-4 weeks of the quarter. Bottom line: No last-minute papers, no all-nighters! Remember that the topic of the paper should be cleared with the instructor in advance.
- Written entries for the blog are due each Wednesday by noon.
- November 10 2011 by 7.15 pm: Deadline for final paper proposal that provides a detailed description of the project and outlines plans for research as well as relevant questions and concerns.
- December 1 2011, 7.15.-10.15 pm: On this date, we will have an in-class Final Project Workshop and Individual Meetings. Please, bring drafts of final project for in-class discussion, workshop, meetings, and exchange. Students will present their rough drafts in seminar and get critical feedback from the instructor and the class.
- December 8 and 15 2011, 7.15 - 10.15 pm: Final project: in class presentations.
- December 15 2011 @ 7.15 pm: this is the deadline for the final project. The essay should be submitted as a .DOC or .RTF file (no .PDF, please) and on printed paper, brevi manu. Late submissions will be penalized with a lower grade.
4. Evaluation
The final grade for the course will be determined by evaluation in the following areas:
1. Attendance and Participation 20%
2. Weekly Assignment 20%
3. Mid-Term Presentation + Paper 25%
4. Project Proposals 5%
5. Final Research Paper/Creative Project 30%
Students are expected to read all assigned texts and be prepared to discuss them in class. All papers, assignments, presentations, and final projects must be completed on time and in full. Written assignments must be submitted by email the instructor no later than each Monday at noon in typed, double-spaced, and spell-checked with complete references (footnotes, bibliography, and illustrations) formatted according to a writing manual of style. There will be no make-up presentations.
There will be a penalty that may be equivalent to one-half letter grade per day for any work submitted late.
4.1 Measurement of Student Performance
A 93-100 => Clearly stands out as excellent performance
A- 90-92
B+ 87-89
B 83-86 => Grasps subject matter at a level considered to be good to very good
B- 80-82
C+ 77-79
C 73-76 => Demonstrates a satisfactory comprehension of the subject matter
C- 70-72
D+ 67-69
D 60-66 => Quality and quantity of work is below average, marginally acceptable
Failing 59- => Quality and quantity of work is below average and not acceptable
5. Classroom Conduct & Attendance Guidelines
1. Attendance is mandatory. Students are required to attend the full length of all classes, turn in all assignments, and participate in weekly discussions. Students are responsible for obtaining all hand-outs, information, and notes provided in class.
2. Promptness is a basic requirement. Persistent lateness lowers your class participation grade considerably.
3. The use electronic devices - including smartphones - during class is not permitted. Note-taking on a laptop is not allowed. Please wait for the break to make phone calls or use the internet. Computers may only be used for in-class presentations.
4. Sleeping, chatting in the back of the room, reading external materials, working on external projects during the class session - any of these can result in immediate ejection from the class.
5. If more than one class is missed due to illness you must submit written verification from a physician and notify professor via e-mail or in writing immediately. Written medical documents must be submitted within two weeks of an absence. Any student with more than two unexcused absences during the semester will find that each additional absence, after the second, lowers his or her class participation grade by one full letter. In other words, the third unexcused absence would lower a B+ to a C+; the fourth would result in an F.
6. Students are not allowed to eat during class.
7. There are no make-up presentations or assignments.
8. Students who miss a class must collect the material discussed in class. In most cases, such material will be available on the class blog. At any rate, always make sure to contact me via email about the availability of such materials.
Thank you for your cooperation!
5.1 Academic Honesty
The reputation of a university and the value of its degrees rest upon the study and research carried on at that institution. The policy for maintaining academic honesty is:
A. Each student is responsible for performing academic tasks in such a way that honesty is not in question.
B. Unless an exception is specifically defined by an instructor, students are expected to maintain the following standards of integrity:
1. All tests, term papers, oral and written assignments are to be the work of the student presenting the material for course credit.
2. Any paraphrase, quotation, or summary (that is, any use of words, ideas, or findings of other persons, writers, or researchers) requires explicit citation of the source.
3. Deliberately supplying material to another student for purposes of plagiarism (to take and pass off as one's own ideas, writings, or work of another) is dishonest.
C. Each instructor is responsible for a learning environment supportive of academic honesty.
1. If a faculty member has reason to suspect academic dishonesty in or out of class, the faculty member should require additional and/or revised work that is unquestionably the work of the student.
2. A faculty member who has proof that academic honesty has been violated should take appropriate disciplinary action, which may include refusal of course credit.
3. A faculty member shall bring to the attention of the Vice President, Academic Affairs, all violations of academic honesty. The Vice President may place on probation, suspend, or expel any student who violates the policy on academic honesty.
6. Schedule
This schedule is tentative and may change as needed
Links, audiovisual material, and additional texts will be added after the
ADD/DROP PERIOD has ended (September 16 2011)
WEEK #1 September 8, 2011
What is Video Game Cultures? A Tutorial
Course overview and requirements
Screening: Second Skin
WEEK #2 September 15, 2011
How do we talk about videogames?
Required Reading:
- James Newman, "Talking About Videogames" in Playing With Videogames, London: Routledge, 2009. Pp. 21-46.
- Erik Van Pelt, “How Killing People With My Dad Improved Our Relationship”, GamaSutra, 2004. Web.
- Clive Thompson "You Grew Up Playing Shoot'em-Up Games. Why Can't Your Kids?",Wired, April 2007.
- Kieron Gillen, "The New Games Journalism", March 23, 2004 + "Bow, Nigger", by Always Black, 2004. Web.
- Jim Rossignol, "How Games Makes Gamers" in This Gaming Life. Travels in Three Cities, Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. 2008. Pp. 3-33.
WEEK #3 September 22, 2011
Games, Stories, Spaces
Required Reading:
- James Newman, "Videogames and/as stories" in Playing With Videogames, London, Routledge, 2009. Pp. 46-69.
- Mary Fuller and Henry Jenkins, “Nintendo and New World Travel Writing: A Dialogue”, in Cybersociety: Computer-Mediated Communication and Community, ed. Steven G. Jones. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 1995. Pp 57-72.
- Michael Nitsche, "Story Maps", in Video Game Spaces. Image, Play, and Structure in 3D Worlds, Cambridge: MIT Press, 2008. Pp. 227-232.
- Quentin Stevens, "Play and the Urban Realm" in The Ludic City. Exploting the Potential of Public Spaces, London: Routledge. 2007. Pp. 26-54.
Optional reading
Geoff King & Tanya Krzywinska, "Gamescapes: Exploration and Virtual Presence in Game-Worlds", in Tomb Raiders & Space Invaders. Videogame Forms & Contexts, New York: I.B. Tauris. 2006. Pp. 76-122.
WEEK #4 September 29, 2011
Learning, Making, and Sharing in Games
Required Reading:
- James Newman, "Things to make and do: fanart, music, and cosplay" in Playing With Videogames, London: Routledge. 2009. Pp. 69-89.
- William Sims Bainbridge, "Learning" in The Warcraft Civilization. Social Science in a Virtual World, Cambridge: MIT Press. 2011. Pp. 81-111.
- Nick Dyer-Whirteford & Greg de Peuter, "Immaterial Labor: A Workers' History of Videogames", in Games of Empire. Global Capitalism and Video Games. Ann Arbor: University of Minnesota Press. 2009. Pp. 3-35
WEEK #5 October 6, 2011
Things You Can Do With Gaming
Required Readings
- James Newman, "Game guides, walkthroughs and FAQs" in Playing With Videogames, London: Routledge. 2009. Pp. 89-122
- "To Cheat or not to Cheat. Is that even a question?" in Mia Consalvo, Cheating: Gaining Advantage in Videogames, Cambridge: MIT Press. 2007. Pp. 1-13.
- Dal Yong Jin, "Professional Online Game Players as New Media Workers", in Korea's Online Gaming Empire, Cambridge: MA: MIT Press. 2011. Pp. 81-101.
- Henry Lowood, "High-Performance Play: The Making of Machinima". In Clarke, Andy; Mitchell, Grethe. Videogames and Art. University of Chicago Press. 2007. Pp. 59.
WEEK #6 October 13, 2011
Ways of Playing
Required Reading:
- James Newman, "Superplay, sequence breaking and speedrunning" in Playing With Videogames, London: Routledge, 2009. Pp. 123 -148.
- Gillian Andrews "Land of a Couple of Dances: Global and Local Influences on Freestyle Play in Dance Dance Revolution", Fibreculture, no. 8, 2006. Web.
- Bryan G. Behrenshausen, Toward a (Kin)Aesthetic of Video Gaming: The Case of Dance Dance Revolution, Games and Culture, 2007. Pp. 335-354.
WEEK #7 October 20, 2011
My Gaming Life: Presentations
Mid-Term Paper Due at noon: My Gaming Life
No assignment
WEEK #8 October 27, 2011
Hacking, Modding, Creating
Required Reading:
- James Newman, "Codemining, modding and gamemaking" in Playing With Videogames, London: Routledge. 2009. Pp. 149-179
- Jon Dovey and Helen W. Kennedy, "Interventions and Recuperations?" in Game Cultures. Computer Games as New Media". New York: McGraw-Hill. 2006. Pp. 123-143
- Tanjia Sihvonen, "Cultural and Commercial Appropriation", in Players Unleashed! Modding The Sims & The Culture of Gaming, Amsterdam University Press. 2011. Pp. 37-75.
WEEK #9 November 03, 2011
Game Art/Art Games/The Art of Games
Required Reading
- Matteo Bittanti, “Game Art. This is not a Manifesto. This is a Disclaimer”, in GameScenes. Art in the Age of Videogames. Milan: Johan & Levi, 2006. Pp. 1-17 (Revised and expanded).
- Auriea Harvey & Michaël Samyn, “Realtime Art Manifesto”, 2006. Web.
- Mary Flanagan, "Critical Computer Games" in Critical Play. Radical Game Design, Cambridge: MIT Press. 2009. Pp. 223-249 (+ Introduction).
- Tom Bissell, "Braided" in Extra Lives. Why Videogames Matter, New York: Pantheon Books, 2010: Pp. 91-105.
- Matt Johnson, "Playing God". Hemispheres, July 2011. Web.
- Jason Fagone, "Chain World Was Supposed to be a Religion Not a Holy War", WIRED, August 2011.
WEEK #10 November 10, 2011
Games of War/WarGames
Required Reading
- Dean Chan, "Dead-in-Iraq: The Spatial Politics of Digital Game Art Activism and the In-game protest" in Nina B. Huntemann (Ed.), Matthew Thomas Payne (Ed.), Joystick Soldiers. The Politics of Play in Military Video Games, New York: Routledge. 2009. Pp. 272-287.
- Ed Halter, "On the Home Front. Commercial Games and Artistic Interventions", in From Sun Tzu to Xbox: War and Video Games; New York: Thunder' Mouth Press, 2004. Pp. 239-287.
- Roger Stahl, "All Consuming War: From Spectacle to Interactivity" in Militainment, Inc. War, Media, and Popular Culture, London: Routledge. 2010. Pp. 20-49.
Optional reading
- Eva Kingsepp, "Fighting Hyperreality With Hyperreality: History and Death in World War II Digital Games", Games and Culture. 2007, 2: Pp. 366-375.
- Mark L. Sample, "Virtual Torture: Videogames and the War on Terror", GameStudies. volume 8 issue 2. December 2008. Web.
Final paper proposal due by 7.15 pm
WEEK #11 November 17, 2011
"Only a Game?" Race, Gender, Politics in Digital Games
Required Reading
- Samantha Blackmon with Daniel J. Terrell "Racing toward Representation: An Understanding of Racial Representation in Video Games". In Cynthia L. Selfe and Gail E. Hawisher, Gaming Lives in the Twenty-First Century, New York: Palgrave McMillian. 2007. Pp. 203-215.
- T.L.Taylor, "Where the Women Are" in Play Between Worlds. Exploring Online Game Culture. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. 2006. Pp. 93-126.
- Anna Everett, S. Craig Watkins, "The Power of Play: The Portrayal and Performance of Race in Video Games", in Katie Salen (Ed.), The Ecology of Games. Connecting Youth, Games, and Learning, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. 2008. Pp. 141-165.
- Phi, Thien-bao Thuc. "Game over: Asian Americans and video game representation".Transformative Works and Cultures, 2009. no. 2. Web.
Optional Reading
- Tanner Higgin, Blackless Fantasy: The Disappearance of Race in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games, Games and Culture, 2009 4. Pp. 3-26.
- Ben DeVane and Kurt D. Squire, The Meaning of Race and Violence in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas , Games and Culture, 2008 3: Pp. 264-285.
WEEK #13 November 24, 2011
No class: Thanksgiving Day
WEEK #14 December 1, 2011
In-Class Final Project Workshop and Individual Meetings
Due: Bring drafts of final project for in-class discussion, workshop, meetings, and exchange
+ Gamification and its discontents
Optional Reading
- Steven Poole, Nil Point, EDGE, March 2011.
- Heather Chaplin, "I Don't Want To Be a Superhero. Ditching reality for a game isn't as fun as it sounds.", SLATE, March 29 2011. Web.
- Alfie Kohn, "Introduction", "Chapter 4: The Trouble With Carrots: Four Reasons Why Rewards Fail" in Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A’s, Praise, and Other Bribes, New York: Mariner Books, 1993.
No assignment
WEEK #14 December 8, 2011
Final Project Presentations (1 of 2)
Students are required to attend all final presentations
WEEK #15 December 15, 2011
Final Project Presentations (2 of 2)
Students are required to attend all final presentations
Due: All Final Projects and Papers (email and/or hardcopies with CD-ROM) on Tuesday December 15 2011 at 7.15 pm.
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