University of Essex

LT399-6-AU-CO:
Video Game Theory

The details

Year: 2024/25

Department: Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies

Campus: Colchester Campus

Term: Autumn

Level: Undergraduate: Level 6

Status: Current

Start date: Thursday 03 October 2024

End date: Friday 13 December 2024

Credits: 15

Last updated: 27 August 2024

Requisites for this module

Pre-requisites: (none)

Co-requisites: (none)

Pre and / or co-requisites: (none)

Prohibited modules: (none)

Key module (requisite for): (none)

Key module for

(none)

Module description

This module aims to consider the significance, history, culture and impact of video games. It fosters critical thinking by inviting students to consider issues central to the historical, theoretical and aesthetical dimensions of computer games and computer game theory.

In this digital age of Web 2.0 gaming and interactive media is ubiquitous and consistently redefines our relationship to games and other external players. Gaming is constantly evolving, and as new consoles emerge other platforms and experiences of gaming become obsolete. How do we keep up with this constant change and where does this leave older games and players? Why is gaming and rule-based environments significant to culture? – chess for example dates back to the 15th century and is still widely enjoyed today, reformed in gaming apps bringing together global players to a rule-based environment played out on a screen.

This module explores different historical and contemporary ideas of gaming from debates about interactive fiction and storytelling to phenomenological ideas of the game’s controller and avatar and how they extend players into virtual spaces. It will consider a range of topics including: gender, ethnicity, violence, capital, contemporary art, while turning a critical eye inwards to discussions on ludology, immersion, procedural rhetoric, cyber-individualism, embodiment, avatars and ludonarrative dissonance. Through a close consideration of video game theory, students will reflect on how gaming has evolved to become an even larger industry than that of film.

Module aims

The aims of this module are:

To foster students’ critical thinking by inviting them to consider what game theory is and how it has changed through developments in media.

To reflect on how game studies have evolved.

Please note, this a theoretical course and not a practical one. It focuses on game theory rather than the mechanics of game design.

Module learning outcomes

By th end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:

Display a detailed knowledge of game theory.

Recognise key ideas, debates and authors in the emerging field of game theory.

Consider the impact of games studies through specific media (games, cinema and social media).

Demonstrate the knowledge and skills required to engage in intellectual debates around the issues of game studies.

Module information

Indicative syllabus:

Gaming as a contemporary and cultural practice

Serious games and games as an art form

Gaming and obsolescence

Gaming and storytelling

Gaming and gender

Gaming and phenomenology

Gaming and currency

Gaming and mental wellbeing

Mobile and locative gaming

Gaming and its relation to cinema

Learning and teaching methods

The module will be taught via:

Weekly two-hour seminars.

Each week, students will watch/experience suggested games via YouTube/Twitch and other accessible platforms. Students will consider the texts on the syllabus in relation to the issues they address, the historical contexts in which they were created, and their bearing on our own historical moment. Information about the module will be provided on Moodle.

Bibliography

Simon Egenfeldt-Nielsen, Jonas Heide Smith, and Susana Pajares Tosca (2019) Understanding Video Games. Taylor & Francis Group. Available at: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429431791.
Johan Huizinga (2013) Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play-Element in Culture. 1st edn. London: Routledge. Available at: https://doi-org.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/10.4324/9781315824161.
Huizinga, J. (no date) ‘Nature and Significance of Play as a Cultural Phenomenon’, in K.S. Tekinbas and E. Zimmerman (eds) The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology, pp. 96–120.
Roger Caillois (2001) Man, play, and games. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
Ebert, R. (2010b) ‘Video games can never be art’. Available at: https://www.rogerebert.com/roger-ebert/video-games-can-never-be-art.
C. Thi, N. (2020) ‘Agency as Art’, in Games: Agency As Art. Oxford University Press, pp. 1–28. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190052089.001.0001.
Ebert, R. (2010a) ‘Okay, kids, play on my lawn’. Available at: https://www.rogerebert.com/roger-ebert/okay-kids-play-on-my-lawn.
Grant Tavinor (2009) ‘Videogames as Art’, in The Art of Videogames. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, pp. 172–196. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444310177.
Bogost, I. (2007) ‘Procedural Rhetoric’, in Persuasive games: the expressive power of videogames. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, pp. 28–34. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/reader.action?docID=3338706&ppg=14.
Newman, J. (2012) Best before: videogames, supersession and obsolescence. Abingdon: Routledge. Available at: https://doi-org.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/10.4324/9780203144268.
T.L. Taylor (no date) ‘Home Studios: Transforming Private Play into Public Entertainment’, in Watch Me Play. Princeton University Press, pp. 66–135. Available at: https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvc77jqw.6.
Paterson, E., Cordner, W. and Simpson-Williams, T. (2020) Once upon a pixel: storytelling and worldbuilding in video games. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5981949.
Aarseth, E. (2012b) ‘A narrative theory of games’, in Proceedings of the International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games. ACM, pp. 129–133. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1145/2282338.2282365.
Janet H. Murray (2017) ‘Harbingers of the Holodeck’, in Hamlet on the Holodeck. The MIT Press, pp. 35–62.
Wardrip-Fruin, N. and Harrigan, P. (2004) First Person: New Media As Story, Performance, And Game. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.
Soraya Murray (2021) ‘GamerGate, Games Criticism and Gender problems’, in On Video Games. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, pp. 35–42. Available at: https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781350987401.
From Barbie to Mortal Kombat (2000). Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5966314.
Bonnie Ruberg (no date) ‘Between Paddles: Pong, Between Men, and Queer Intimacy in Video Games’, in Video Games Have Always Been Queer. NYU Press, pp. 31–56. Available at: https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9781479893904.003.0004.
Jennifer Malkowski and TreaAndrea M. Russworm (2017) ‘Representing Race and Disability: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas’, in Gaming Representation. Indiana University Press, pp. 164–179. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt2005rgq.14.
Marcus Schulzke (2020) Simulating Good and Evil. Rutgers University Press. Available at: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=2364468.
Tom Tyler (2022) ‘Playing like a Loser’, in Game: Animals, Video Games, and Humanity. University of Minnesota Press, pp. 83–98. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5749/j.ctv2h6vkgr.9.
Christopher Bartel (2020) Video Games, Violence, and the Ethics of Fantasy. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=6276158.
Rachel Kowert and Thorsten Quandt (2020) Video Game Debate 2: Revisiting the Physical, Social, and Psychological Effects of Video Games. Taylor & Francis Group. Available at: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429351815.
By Julian Dibbell (2007) ‘The Life of the Chinese Gold Farmer’, The New York Times [Preprint]. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/17/magazine/17lootfarmers-t.html.
Jesper Juul (2013) The art of failure. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=3339573.
Lehdonvirta, V. and Castronova, E. (2014) Virtual economies: design and analysis. Cambridge: MIT Press. Available at: https://doi-org.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/10.7551/mitpress/9525.001.0001.
McGonigal, J. (2012) Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World. Vintage. Available at: https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/2139816.
Brookey, R.A. (2010) Hollywood gamers: digital convergence in the film and video game industries. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Available at: https://muse-jhu-edu.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/book/205.
Klevjer, R. (no date) ‘In Defence of Cutscenes’, Computer Games and Digital Cultures Conference Proceedings. Tampere University Press. Available at: http://www.digra.org/digital-library/publications/in-defense-of-cutscenes/.
Lukas, S.A. (2009) ‘Behind the Barrel: Reading the Video Game Gun’, in Joystick Soldiers. Taylor & Francis Group. Available at: https://www-taylorfrancis-com.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780203884461-14/behind-barrel-reading-video-game-gun-scott-lukas?context=ubx&refId=5a2265b9-8cee-46c2-bbc6-ca047d7dd9fd.
Robertson Allen (2017) America’s Digital Army: Games at Work and War. U of Nebraska Press, 2017. Available at: https://www-jstor-org.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/stable/10.2307/j.ctt1pv89gc.
Huntemann PhD, N.B. (2010) ‘Joystick Soldiers: The History of Video Games, Popular Culture, and the Military - YouTube’. YouTube: Worcester State University. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQPOW8sv82E.
Swink, S. (2017) ‘Defining Game Feel’, in Game feel: a game designer’s guide to virtual sensation. Taylor & Francis Group, pp. 1–33. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1201/9781482267334.
Gordon Calleja (2011) In-game. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=3339299.
Jesper Juul (2012) Casual Revolution. MIT Press. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=3339093.

The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam	Description	Deadline	Coursework weighting
Coursework	Participation		5%
Coursework	Video Essay (5-7mins) with 1000 word supporting statement	03/01/2025	95%

Exam format definitions

Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework	Exam
100%	0%

Reassessment

Coursework	Exam
100%	0%

Module supervisor and teaching staff

Supervisor: Dr Daniel O'Brien, email: d.obrien@essex.ac.uk.

Teaching staff: Dr Dan O’Brien

Contact details: LiFTS General Office, email liftstt@essex.ac.uk Telephone 01206 872626

Availability

Available to incoming Essex Abroad / Exchange students: No

Available to Outside Option: No

Available to Audit: No

External examiner

Name: Dr Andrew Birtwistle

Institution: Canterbury Christ Church University

Academic role: Reader in Film and Sound

Resources

Teaching materials: Available via Moodle

Lecture recording: Of 20 hours, 20 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.

Further information

Department website: Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies

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The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.

Module Directory

LT399-6-AU-CO:Video Game Theory