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IMGD 1000: Critical Studies of Interactive Media and Games

IMGD 1000: Critical Studies of Interactive Media and Games. David Finkel Computer Science Department Interactive Media and Game Development. Purpose of this series of talks. To describe the contents of the IMGD courses: To get feedback on the course content

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IMGD 1000: Critical Studies of Interactive Media and Games

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  1. IMGD 1000: Critical Studies of Interactive Media and Games David Finkel Computer Science Department Interactive Media and Game Development

  2. Purpose of this series of talks To describe the contents of the IMGD courses: • To get feedback on the course content • So we’ll all know what’s in the courses • So new courses can be designed knowing what’s in the current courses • To have some general discussions about the IMGD curriculum

  3. Catalog Description for IMGD 1000 • This course introduces non-technical studies of computer-based interactive media and games. The course develops a vocabulary for discussing games and other interactive media, and tools for analyzing them. Students are expected to provide written critiques using the critical approaches presented in the course. The games and other interactive media critiqued may be commercially available or under development.

  4. Inspiration 1: IGDA Curriculum Framework: Critical Game Studies • This interdisciplinary Core Topic combines approaches from history, literature, media studies and design. A key goal of Critical Game Studies is to develop and refine a critical vocabulary for articulating the aesthetics of games.

  5. Inspiration 2: Courses in Film Studies • Topics covered in a film studies course: • The Film Industry (production, distribution, exhibition) • Film Form and Principles of Narrative • Types of Films (Genres) • Film Style • Critical Analysis of Film

  6. Show and Tell • Film Studies Text (Bordell and Thompson) • Game Design (Rollings and Adams – principal text for IMGD) • High Score (History of Electronic Games – history text) • Syllabus for IMGD 1000

  7. A Typical Class • Lecture on the topic of the day • General principles • Examples from specific games • Possibly video clips to illustrate points • Class discussion, with examples from games the students know

  8. Part I of IMGD 1000 • Elements of games: • Game World • Narrative • Character Development • User Experience • Gameplay

  9. Drill down into Part I • The User Experience • User Interface • The Visual Element • Audio • Haptics • Learning the game and help systems

  10. Part II & III of IMGD 1000 • Examine how these game elements are used in different genres • History of Games (High Score book) • I’m not entirely happy with either of these parts ….

  11. Evaluation in IMGD 1000 • What gets graded: • Midterm • Final exam • Term paper analyzing a game of the student’s choice

  12. Writing in IMGD 1000 • Day 1 in-class writing exercise (ungraded) • Set the topics for the course • Identify students with big-time writing problems. • Weekly short papers (ungraded) • Students choose a game for all their writing for the term • Topics of the week

  13. Writing in IMGD 1000 - 2 • Draft Paper (ungraded) • Based on weekly papers, responding to comments, with discussion of how the individual elements work together • Final Paper (graded)

  14. What I’d change in IMGD 1000 • Eliminate the history material • We end up with two or three days to discuss the history of video games – not enough. • Perhaps should be a complete course in history

  15. Changes - 2 • Do more papers • The purpose of the weekly papers is to teach the students how to write an analysis • The actually write only one paper for a grade • Find a way to fit a second paper into the course

  16. Changes - 3 • Have a common game they all play and they can all discuss • In class discussion, students describe games they have played related to the topic of the day • Might not be any common point of comparison • If this were a film course, they would all have watched some common set of films. • Practical difficulties

  17. Changes - 4 • Have readings from the critical literature • Lots of academic papers analyzing games • Opportunity to get beyond textbook-level reading • Maybe too advanced for first-year students

  18. IMGD 1000: Critical Studies of Interactive Media and Games David Finkel Computer Science Department Interactive Media and Game Development

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