COMM 3740U – Video Games, Media and Culture

From Atari to PS5, Ms. Pac-man to Pokémon GO, small apps on smartphones to massive open online worlds, video games are today a significant part of contemporary culture and society. They are developed and published by a leading global creative industry, shaped by laws, politics and policies, designed, written, and played, and interwoven with how we communicate, learn, relax, work, play, socialize, and understand the world around us. What roles do video games play in our lives, and what impacts might they be having on our whole way of life? In this course, students learn about the cultural and social implications, roles, uses, and meanings of video games from the expansive interdisciplinary field of video game studies. Core issues in video game studies, such as industry, interactive storytelling and genre, power, identity and representation, play, fun and pleasure, equity, diversity, and inclusivity, and impact will be examined through case studies of popular games in their cultural and social contexts. By the end of the course, students will have a depth and breadth of understanding of how video games shape and are shaped by the cultures and societies in which they exist.