UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON • COLLEGE OF LETTERS & SCIENCE SCHOOL OF LIBRARY & INFORMATION STUDIES
 

PROFESSOR GREG DOWNEY
Video games and mass communicaation

J 676
Mario

Summer 2008
2120 Vilas Hall
1:10pm-4:10pm Mon-Thu
June 16 - July 10

Far from the days of “Pac Man Fever,” video, computer, and internet games are now a significant mass communication industry — a $6 billion/year market involving the largest of computer and media companies, from Microsoft to Sony. Today’s games are enmeshed in controversial claims over their contributions to violence and stereotyping, lawlessness and addiction. But they are just as often hailed as tools for education and moral choices, community-building and artistic production. And even consumers who never play a video game are subject to a gaming aesthetic that permeates not only television advertising and cinematic entertainment, but even the nightly news of war and politics.

In this course, students critically examine the history, theory, and political economy of video, computer, and internet gaming in mass communication. The course involves both traditional lecture and discussion, reading and writing, as well as plenty of hands-on experimentation and even a little game playing itself. Students will be expected to read about six articles per week, write four short papers over the course of the term, contribute regularly to a class weblog, and perform four hands-on game-related assignments.

[icon]Grading

    SCALE
 
A
90 - 100
 
AB
85 - 89
 
B
75 - 84
 
BC
70 - 74
 
C
60 - 69
 
D
50 - 59
 
F
0 - 49

Your grade in this course is made up of 100 points as follows:

  • Attendance and participation. 10 points.
  • Four 1000-word writing assignments (10 points each).  40 points.
  • Four hands-on gaming assignments (5 points each). 20 points.
  • Weekly weblog comments of critical reactions to each reading (5 points each week).  20 points.
  • Two oral presentations on the readings (5 points each). 10 points.

There is no final exam for this class.

[icon]Texts to purchase

[icon]
ASM
StudentPrint

There is no textbook for this course. Instead, we will read key articles on video game studies.  We have produced a xeroxed (non-profit) "reader" for you to purchase from ASM Student Print containing most of these articles. The reader should cost about $30, which is 1/4 the cost of a standard textbook.   You can expect about 50 pages of reading (two articles) each day.

UW-Madison students may also download any of the required or optional readings as PDF files (you will need your standard UW NetID login and password to enter) by clicking on these icons: PDF

NB: These articles were not chosen to be “unbiased” texts or to be the final word on how games do (or should) function in society. Rather, I have picked these articles with three goals in mind: they are readable and interesting while still scholarly; they are relevant to current events; and, often, they are polemical in that they argue for a particular interpretation of the world which you may choose to agree with or to disagree with.

[icon]Special needs

Persons with disabilities are to be fully included in this course. Please let me know if you need any special accommodations to enable you to fully participate. I will try to maintain confidentiality of the information you share with me. To request academic accomodations, please register with the McBurney Disability Resource Center.

[icon]Academic honesty

Academic honesty requires that the course work a student presents to an instructor honestly and accurately indicates the student's own academic efforts. If you are unsure about what qualifies as academic dishonesty, please consult the Academic Misconduct Guide for Students.  Two points in particular to keep in mind:

  • copying or paraphrasing material from books, articles, or web pages without proper quotation and citation is plagiarism

  • copying or paraphrasing material from fellow students is plagiarism

Please remember that any plagiarism may be sufficient grounds for failing a student in the entire course.

US flagClassroom respect

Think.The UW-Madison is committed to creating a dynamic, diverse and welcoming learning environment for all students and has a non-discrimination policy that reflects this philosophy. Disrespectful behaviors or comments addressed towards any group or individual, regardless of race/ethnicity, sexuality, gender, religion, ability, or any other difference is deemed unacceptable in this class, and will be addressed publicly by the professor.

US flagMilitary call-ups

We recognize that those students serving in the armed forces may be called to active duty at any time.  The university has posted guidelines for students who are called to duty detailing options for withdrawing from, dropping, or completing courses.  In general, students called to military service may receive credit for this class if leaving after the midway point of the course, at the discretion of the instructor, based on the student's earned grade up to the time of departure.

[icon]About the instructor

Greg DowneyGreg Downey <gdowney @ wisc.edu> is an associate professor with a 50 percent appointment in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and a 50 percent appointment in the School of Library and Information Studies.  His teaching and research both center on the history and geography of information and communication technology and the often hidden human labor behind it.

Downey joined the UW faculty in 2001. He holds a B.S. and M.S. in computer science from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, an M.A. In liberal studies from Northwestern University, and a joint Ph.D. in history of technology and human geography from the Johns Hopkins University. Before coming to Madison, Downey spent a year as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Geography and the Humanities Institute at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

His industry experience as a computer analyst includes three years at the Leo Burnett advertising agency in Chicago, and three years at Roger Schank’s Institute for Learning Sciences at Northwestern University (where he did what would, today, be called "game design"). He has held short-term volunteer positions with both the Center for Neighborhood Technology in Chicago and the Community Information Exchange in Washington D.C. And he used to draw a daily comic strip when he was an undergraduate, believe it or not.

coverBook coverDowney's first book, Telegraph Messenger Boys: Labor, Technology, and Geography, 1850-1950, was published by Routledge in 2002.  His second book, Closed captioning: Subtitling, stenography, and the digital convergence of text with television, was published by Johns Hopkins in 2008.  He is currently working on his third book, a history and geography of library labor and technology in the US over the 20th century.

And Downey has a Nintendo Wii of his own, upon which his two kids regularly thrash him at Godzilla: Final Wars.

[icon]Resources

Industry journals and associations

  • Computer Gaming World (1981-1992).  "[T]he first magazine specifically dedicated to computer games."
  • Consumer Electronics Show.  "The International CES remains a must for gaming technology retailers and buyers. "
  • Electronic Gaming Monthly.  "The 1UP Network's family of websites connects gamers to their peers and important gaming news and content at the speed of thought."  (A Ziff-Davis publication.)
  • Entertainment Consumers Association. A pro-gaming lobbyist group.
  • Entertainment Software Association (ESA).  "[T]he U.S. association exclusively dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of companies that publish video and computer games for video game consoles, personal computers, and the Internet."
  • Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).  A "non-profit, self-regulatory body established in 1994 by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA)" which "assigns computer and video game content ratings, enforces industry-adopted advertising guidelines and helps ensure responsible online privacy practices for the interactive entertainment software industry."
  • The 400 Project.  "[A]n ambitious attempt to collect 'The 400 Rules of Game Design.' These rules are being published in the column 'Better by Design' in Game Developer magazine."
  • Gamasutra.  "[T]he leading game development site since 1997, providing: Daily news about the game industry; Original features and technical articles written by industry professionals; The most comprehensive job board for game developers on the web, and free resume storage for members; Directory of game developers and companies providing services to game developers; Directory of schools and training programs relevant to game developers."
  • Game Developer Magazine.  "[B]y game developers, for game developers. No one in this industry can afford to develop in a vacuum. When we share our individual knowledge and experience, the whole industry benefits."
  • Game World Network (formerly Gamer's Depot).  "Gameworld Network is owned and run by gamers just like you. We don't have to worry about expressing exactly how we feel - we tell it like it is!"
  • International Game Developers Association (IGDA).  "[T]he largest non-profit membership organization serving individuals that create video games."
  • Tokyo Game Show.  "The Tokyo Game Show will act as a focal point for the latest information in computer entertainment, attracting attention from around the world."
  • Videotopia.  "[T]he only accurate exploration of the art, science, and history of video games in the world. The exhibit has become a resource for historians, educators, and television & print journalists from around the globe."

Academic journals and associations

  • Association for Computer Machinery (ACM) Special Interest Group on Simulation (SIGSIM).  "Its mission is to promote and disseminate the advancement of high quality state-of-the-art in modeling and simulation across a broad range of interests."
  • Center for Advanced Research in Technology for Education (CARTE).  "The mission of the Center for Advanced Research in Technology for Education (CARTE) is to develop new technologies for education and training, and evaluate their effectiveness. We seek to create learning experiences that are responsive to student needs, that are motivating and engaging, and that promote deep learning."
  • Convergence.  "[A]n international peer-reviewed academic journal which was set up in 1995 to address the creative, social, political and pedagogical issues raised by the advent of new media technologies."
  • Cracking the Maze. "Game plug-ins and patches as hacker art."
  • Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA).  "[T]he association for academics and professionals who research digital games and associated phenomena. It encourages high-quality research on games, and promotes collaboration and dissemination of work by its members."
  • Epistemic Games (UW-Madison).  "The epistemic games group is made up of researchers, educators, and game designers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. We are part of the Learning Sciences area within the Department of Educational Psychology."
  • First Monday.  "[O]ne of the first free, openly accessible, peer–reviewed journals on the Internet, solely devoted to the Internet."
  • Game Studies.  "[A] crossdisciplinary journal dedicated to games research, web-published several times a year".
  • Gameology.  "[O]ur attempt to interface our project with the growing group of scholars, academic programs and websites that focus on Game Studies."
  • Games + Learning + Society (UW-Madison).  "[A] collection of academic researchers, interactive media (or game) developers, and government and industry leaders who investigate how this medium operates, how it can be used to transform how we learn, and what this means for society."  See also their wiki on educational gaming resources.
  • Games and Culture.  "[A] new, quarterly international journal that publishes innovative theoretical and empirical research about games and culture within interactive media."
  • International Journal of Computer Games Technology.  "The focus will be on three research and development frontiers: first, to expand the technology frontier in terms of both hardware and software for games, second, to validate innovative procedures including algorithms and architectures for games, and finally, to explore novel applications of games technology both for entertainment and serious games."
  • International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations.  "[A] peer-reviewed, international journal devoted to the theoretical and empirical understanding of electronic games and computer-mediated simulations."
  • International Simulation and Gaming Association (ISAGA).  "[A] virtual international organization for scientists and practitioners developing and using gaming, simulations and related methodologies (computerized simulation, policy exercises, role-play, experiential exercises, play, case studies, structured experiences, game theory, operational gaming)."
  • Journal of Virtual Worlds Research.  "[A] transdisciplinary journal that engages a wide spectrum of scholarship and welcomes contributions from the many disciplines and approaches that intersect virtual worlds research."
  • Joystick 101.  "[A] blog dedicated to studying games and gaming culture with a particular emphasis on learning. It combines a great authoring community with a core of authors from UW Madison’s Games, Learning, & Society Program with an open community structure to allow broad particpiation."
  • Ludology.org.  "Ludology is the discipline that studies games, play, toys and videogames. This blog has been published since May, 2001."
  • Media Education Foundation.   A political activist and academic group, started by media scholar Sut Jhally, concerned with corporate media effects on youth.
  • Simulation and Gaming.  "[T]he world's foremost scientific review devoted to academic and applied issues in the fast-expanding field of simulation/gaming."
  • Social Impact Games.  "The goal of this site is to catalog the growing number of video and computer games whose primary purpose is something other than to entertain. These are also known as 'serious games.'"

Key books on game studies

  • Van Burnham, Supercade: A visual history of the videogame age, 1971-1984 (MIT Press, 2001). 
  • Diane Carr et al., Computer games: Text, narrative and play (Polity, 2006).
  • Edward Castronova, Synthetic worlds: The business and culture of online games (Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 2005).
  • Heather Chaplin and Aaron Ruby, Smartbomb: The quest for art, entertainment, and big bucks in the videogame revolution (Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books, 2005).
  • Julian Dibbell, My tiny life: Crime and passion in a virtual world (New York: Holt, 1998).  Entire book available as a free download.
  • Gary A. Fine, Shared fantasy: Role-playing games as social worlds (Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 1983).
  • Tracy Fullerton, Game design workshop: A playcentric approach to creating innovative games, 2nd ed. (Elsevier, 2008).
  • Patricia Marks Greenfield, Mind and media: The effects of television, video games, and computers (Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press, 1984).
  • J.C. Herz, Joystick nation: How videogames ate our quarters, won our hearts, and rewired our minds (Boston: Little, Brown & Co, 1997).
  • Stephen Kline, Nick Dyer-Witheford, and Greig de Peuter, Digital play: The interaction of technology, culture, and marketing (Montreal: McGill-Queen's Univ. Press, 2003).
  • Janet Murray, Hamlet on the holodeck: The future of narrative in cyberspace (New York: The Free Press, 1997).
  • Lisa Nakamura, Cybertypes: Race, ethnicity, and identity on the Internet (New York: Routledge, 2002).
  • Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman, Rules of play: Game design fundamentals (MIT Press, 2004).
  • T.L. Taylor, Play between worlds: Exploring online game culture (Cambridge: MIT Press, 2006).
  • Sherry Turkle, Life on the screen: Identity in the age of the Internet (1997)

Key edited volumes on game studies

  • Jack M. Balkin and Beth Simone Noveck, eds., The State of Play: Law, Games, and Virtual Worlds (New York University Press, 2006).
  • Justine Cassell and Henry Jenkins, eds., From Barbie to Mortal Combat: Gender and computer games (MIT Press, 1998).
  • Pat Harrigan and Noah Wardrip-Fruin, eds., Second Person: Role-Playing and Story in Games and Playable Media (Cambridge: MIT Press, 2007).
  • Lucien King, ed., Game on: The history and culture of videogames (New York: Universe, 2002).  Based on a museum exhibition.
  • Bill Moggridge, Designing interactions (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2006).  Includes interviews with many game and interface pioneers.
  • Joost Raessens and Jeffrey Goldstein, eds., Handbook of computer game studies (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2005).
  • Katie Salen, ed., The ecology of games: Connecting youth, games, and learning (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2008).  Freely downloadable in an open access edition.
  • Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman, eds. The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology (Cambridge: MIT Press, 2006).
  • Peter Vorderer and Jennings Bryant, eds., Playing video games: Motives, responses, and consequences (Lawrence Erlbaum, 2006).
  • Noah Wardrip-Fruin and Nick Montfort, eds., The new media reader (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2003).  Comes with a CD-ROM of legacy software.
  • Noah Wardrip-Fruin and Pat Harrigan, eds., First Person: New Media as Story, Performance, and Game (Cabridge, MA: MIT Press, 2004).
  • Mark J.P. Wolf and Bernard Perron, eds., The video game theory reader (New York: Routledge, 2003).

Students who know of further resources should post them to the class weblog, where the professor will consider them for inclusion on this page.

You might also try searching for interesting gaming resources through the usual suspects like Google and Wikipedia.

 
   

News

  

Schools out!

Thanks for a great class, everybody. I'll leave the weblog active for a few months in case anybody ever wants to post some more video game goodness here. Hopefully we'll get to run this course again at UW-Madison sometime! Cheers,

GREG

(Click here to comment.)

Previous news from our course blog ...
  • Second Life
  • All Bow Before the Accordion Thief

    • Click here to post something new to the whole class.
       
       

    Calendar Summer 2008

    		  

    Week 1: History and theory of video games
    MON JUN 16

    Why study video games? 

    Introduction to the class.  Meet the professor and students.

    Get your Blogger account. In this class each student will use the Blogger service to create a class weblog which students can contribute to as a sort of reading diary.  For each required reading, a different student will be assigned to summarize the key points of that reading on the weblog.  Then, all the rest of the students will post short critical reactions as "comments" under each of these weblog entries. Thus each student will comment on each reading over the course of the week.  You might consider: what arguments does the article make? what questions does it raise? what do you think of the article? Critical reactions only need to be a paragraph or two long; however, you should write enough to demonstrate to the professor that you have grappled with each reading. Each week's reactions, for each article, are due on the weblog on Friday by 5pm.

    Assign students to present the readings to the class. Each day that there are readings due, one student will be assigned to summarize each article on the main course weblog, and present that article to the class in a 10-minute speech.   Your presentation to the class should not only highlight the main claims of each article, but also make a claim of its own; do you agree with the author's arguments?  do you trust the author's evidence?  why or why not?  In other words, these need to be critical summaries that can launch us into an interesting class discussion.

    frameHands-on assignment for this week.   Download the "Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator" (MAME) for your own computer (Windows or Mac), install a classic game ROM, and play this game. Write a 250 word comment (one page, double-spaced) on the course weblog about your experiences playing this game on MAME, including a link to where you found the ROM.   (Alternatively, you may use the Stella Atari 2600 emulator and download a classic Atari 2600 ROM, or the Virtual Apple site and play a classic Apple II computer game.)  Due Friday by 5pm.

    Writing assignment for this week.   Using at least two primary sources from the period 1975-1985, write a 1,000 word essay (four pages, double-spaced) discussing how the first video games were portrayed in the US media. You may use reports from newspapers (New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times), articles from news magazines (Time, Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report), or articles from other professional magazines (education, library, gaming, electronics, or computer magazines). Many of these primary sources are available in full-text versions online.  Due Friday by 5pm.

    framePlay time. Make a Mii on our Nintendo Wii!

    Optional reading.

    • Henry Jenkins and Kurt Squire, "The art of contested spaces," in Lucien King, ed., Game on: The history and culture of videogames (2002).PDF
    • Dmitri Williams, "The video game lightning rod: Constructions of a new media technology, 1970-2000," Information, Communication, and Society (2003).PDF
    • David Buckingham, "Studying computer games" in Diane Carr et al., Computer games: Text, narrative and play (Polity, 2006).PDF
    • Constance A. Steinkuehler, "Why Game (Culture) Studies Now?" Games and Culture (2006).PDF

    Explore further on your own.
    TUE JUN 17

    The rise and fall of video arcades

    frameFilm. The Video Game Revolution (PBS).  Part 1 - 60 min.  "This is the story of how a whimsical invention of the 1960s helped spawn the computer industry as we know it. Video games have influenced the way children live and play, forever altered the entertainment industry, and even affected the way wars are fought. See how it all began and find out what it means for the future."  Discuss afterward.

    Reading. 

    • Patricia Marks Greenfield, "Video games," in Mind and media: The effects of television, video games, and computers (Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press, 1984), 97-125 (~30 pages). PDF  Ryan
    • J.C. Herz, "A la recherche du arcades perdu [In search of the lost arcades]," in Joystick nation: How videogames ate our quarters, won our hearts, and rewired our minds (Boston: Little, Brown & Co, 1997), 43-59 (~15 pages). PDF  Jo

    Play time.  Try out some classic arcade games.

    Optional reading.

    • Liz McGuinness, "Cities ponder what's in a game," Los Angeles Times (1981-08-16). PDF
    • Gary Washburn, "Arcades win hearts of shopping mall operators," Chicago Tribune (1983-03-20).PDF
    • Steven Malliet and Gust de Meyer, "The history of the video game," in Joost Raessens and Jeffrey Goldstein, eds., Handbook of computer game studies (2005).PDF

    Explore further on your own.
    WED JUN 18

    The rise and fall (and rise) of home video games

    logoGuest lecture.  Greg Tracy, President, Sharendipity.  "Sharendipity makes it easy for everyone to create new interactive media and share it with the world. Through our fun drag & drop tools, individual content elements can be shared Sharendipity's point & click environment makes building games with your friends fun and easy and reused throughout the community to build games and other multimedia experiences without the need to program."

    Reading.

    • Stephen Kline, Nick Dyer-Witheford, and Greig de Peuter, "Origins of an industry: Cold warriors, hackers, and suits 1960-1984," in Digital play: The interaction of technology, culture, and marketing (Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2003), 84-108 (~25 pages). PDF Sarah
    • Heather Chaplin and Aaron Ruby, "The legend of the last toy maker," in Smart bomb: The quest for art, entertainment, and big bucks in the videogame revolution (Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books, 2005), pp. 67-88 (~20 pages). PDF  Adrian

    Play time.  Try out some classic console games.

    Optional reading.

    • Ralph H. Baer, "Foreword" in Mark J.P. Wolf, ed., The medium of the video game (2002). PDF
    • Henry Lowood, "A brief biography of computer games," in Peter Vorderer and Jennings Bryant, eds., Playing video games: Motives, responses, and consequences (2006). PDF
    • Warren Robinett, "Adventure as a video game: Adventure for the Atari 2600," in Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman, eds., The game design reader: A rules of play anthology (2006). PDF
    • Stephen Kline, Nick Dyer-Witheford, and Greig de Peuter, "Electronic frontiers: Branding the 'Nintendo Generation,' 1985-1990," in Digital play: The interaction of technology, culture, and marketing (Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2003). PDF

    Explore further on your own.
    THU JUN 19

    Rules, narrative, and simulation in computer games

    Film. The Video Game Revolution (PBS).  Part 2 - 60 min

    Reading.

    • Gonzalo Frasca, "Simulation versus narrative: Introduction to ludology," in Mark J.P. Wolf and Bernard Perron, eds., The video game theory reader (New York: Routledge, 2003), 221-235 (~15 pages). PDF 
    • Celia Pearce, "Sims, BattleBots, Cellular Automata God and Go: A conversation with Will Wright," Game Studies (July 2002), ~15 pages. PDF  Eric

    Discuss assignments (due tomorrow 5pm).

    Play time.  Try out some classic simulation games.

    Optional reading.

    • Mark J.P. Wolf, "Abstraction in the video game," in Mark J.P. Wolf and Bernard Perron, eds., The video game theory reader (2003). PDF
    • Jesper Juul, "A new definition: Six game features," in Half-real: Video games betwen real rules and fictional worlds (2005). PDF
    • Will Wright, "[interview with Will Wright]" in Bill Moggridge, Designing interactions (2006). PDF
    • Ian Bogost, "Cellular automata and simulation," in Unit operations: An approach to videogame criticism (2006). PDF

    Explore further on your own.
    THU JUN 20

    NO CLASS

    Writing assignment due (5pm)

    Hands-on assignment due (5pm)

    Weblog reading entries due (5pm)

     

    Week 2: Social and psychological effects of gaming
    MON JUN 23

    The effects of video games

    headshotGuest lecture.  Rich Halverson, School of Education, UW-Madison.  "Dr. Halverson has developed his interests in the role of technology in education and leadership by pioneering research and design methods to communicate representations of expert instructional leadership through web-based media. Recently, his collaboration with the Games and Professional Practice and Simulations (GAPPS) research group has enabled him to investigate how video games point to the next generation of multimedia environments for professional learning."

    Reading. 

    • Barrie Gunter, "Psychological effects of video games," in Joost Raessens and Jeffrey Goldstein, eds., Handbook of computer game studies (Cambridge: MIT Press, 2005), 145-160 (~15 pages). PDF  TBA
    • Kurt Squire, "Open-ended video games: A model for developing learning for the interactive age," in Katie Salen, ed., The ecology of games: Connecting youth, games, and learning (Cambridge: MIT Press, 2008), 167-198 (~30 pages). PDF  Jon

    Hands-on assignment for this week.   Personalize, modify, or build a Sharendipity game. Write a 250 word comment on the weblog about your experiences creating this game, including a link to your game so we may try it out.  Due Friday by 5pm.

    Writing assignment for this week.   Pick any video game you like and write a 1,000 word essay analyzing the game in terms of its violent, educational, or other "media effects" content. Please use at least two authoritative scholarly articles to support your analysis (articles from the reader are OK). Due Friday by 5pm.

    Play time.  Wii would like to play.

    Optional reading.

    • Rob Cover, "Gaming (ad)diction: Discourse, identity, time and play in the production of the gamer addiction myth," Game Studies 6:1 (2006). PDF
    • Johannes Fromme, "Computer games as a part of children's culture," Game Studies 3:1 (2003). PDF
    • Kwan Min Lee and Wei Peng, "What do we know about social and psychological effects of computer games?  A comprehensive review of the current literature," in Peter Vorderer and Jennings Bryant, eds., Playing video games: Motives, responses, and consequences (Lawrence Erlbaum, 2006). PDF
    • Celia Pearce, "The truth about baby boomer gamers: A study of over-forty computer game players," Games and Culture 3:2 (2008). PDF

    Explore further on your own.
    TUE JUN 24

    Fears of video game violence

    coverFilm.  Game over: Gender, race & violence in video games (2000) 41 min.  "Video and computer games represent a $6 billion a year industry. One out of every ten households in American owns a Sony Playstation. Children who own video game equipment play an average of ten hours per week. And yet, despite capturing the attention of millions of children worldwide, video games remain one of the least scrutinized cultural industries.  Game Over is the first educational documentary to address the fastest growing segment of the media through engaging questions of gender, race and violence."  Discuss afterward.

    Reading. 

    • Jeffrey Goldstein, "Violent video games," in Joost Raessens and Jeffrey Goldstein, eds., Handbook of computer game studies (Cambridge: MIT Press, 2005), 341-357 (~15 pages). PDF  Nick
    • U.S. Congress, "What's in a game? Regulation of violent video games and the first amendment," Hearing before the Committee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights of the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, One Hundred Ninth Congress, Second Session (March 29, 2006), ~35 pages. PDF Ryan

    Play time. Try out some violent video games.

    Optional reading.

    • Henry Jenkins, "Professor Jenkins goes to Washington," Harpers (1999). PDF
    • Gonzolo Frasca, "Sim sin city: Some thoughts about Grand Theft Auto 3" Game Studies (2003). PDF
    • Alexander R. Galloway, "Origins of the first-person shooter," in Gaming: Essays on algorithmic culture (2006). PDF
    • Craig A. Anderson et al., "Effects of exposure to violent entertainment media," in Violent video game effects on children and adolescents: Theory, research, and public policy (2007). PDF

    Explore further on your own.
    WED JUN 25

    Hopes for video game education

    Guest lecture.  Sara Steffes Hansen, Ph.D. student, School of Journalism & Mass Communication, UW-Madison.  Dissertation topic: "Brand experiences in virtual worlds: Social interaction and identity expression." 

    Reading. 

    • Mizuko Ito, "Education vs. entertainment: A cultural history of children's software," in Katie Salen, ed., The ecology of games: Connecting youth, games, and learning (Cambridge: MIT Press, 2008), 89-116 (~25 pages). PDF  Sarah
    • David Williamson Shaffer and James Paul Gee, "Before every child is left behind: How epistemic games can solve the coming crisis in education," Wisconsin Center for Education Research working paper no. 2005-7 (September 2005), ~15 pages. PDF  Marlon

    Play time.  Try out some educational video games.

    Optional reading.

    • Kurt Squire and Henry Jenkins, "Harnessing the power of games in education," Insight 3:5 (2003). PDF
    • David Williamson Shaffer, Kurt R. Squire, Richard Halverson, and James P. Gee, "Video games and the future of learning," Phi Delta Kappan (2005).
    • Mark Prensky, "Computer games and learning: Digital game-based learning," in Joost Raessens and Jeffrey Goldstein, Handbook of computer game studies (2005). PDF
    • James Paul Gee, "Good video games, the human mind, and good learning," in Good video games + good learning: Collected essays on video games, learning and literacy (2007). PDF

    Explore further on your own.
    THU JUN 26

    Video games in advertising and activism

    Guest lecture.  Jasun Carr, Ph.D. student, School of Journalism & Mass Communication, UW-Madison, and member of the DoIT Engage team.

    Reading. 

    • Ian Bogost, "Playing politics: Videogames for politics, activism, and advocacy," First Monday (2006), ~10 pages. PDF  TBA
    • Stephen Kline, Nick Dyer-Witheford, and Greig de Peuter, "Pocket monsters: Marketing in the perpetual upgrade marketplace," in Digital play: The interaction of technology, culture, and marketing (Montreal: McGill-Queen's Univ. Press, 2003), 218-245 (~25 pages). PDF  Jasun

    Discuss assignments (due tomorrow 5pm).

    Play time.  Try out some marketing and activist video games.

    Optional reading.

    • Sherry Turkle, "Video games and computer holding power," in The second self: Computers and the human spirit (1983).PDF
    • Beth Simone Noveck, "Democracy - the video game: Virtual worlds and the future of collective action," in Jack M. Balkin and Beth Simone Noveck, eds., The state of play: Law, games, and virtual worlds (2006).PDF
    • Ian Bogost and Gonzalo Frasca, "Video games go to Washington: The story behind The Howard Dean for Iowa Game," in Pat Harrigan and Noah Wardrip-Fruin, eds., Second Person: Role-Playing and Story in Games and Playable Media (Cambridge: MIT Press, 2007).PDF
    • Raymond Williams, “Programming as sequence or flow,” in Television: Technology and cultural form (1974), 86-96. PDF

    Explore further on your own.
    THU JUN 27

    NO CLASS

    Writing assignment due (5pm)

    Hands-on assignment due (5pm)

    Weblog reading entries due (5pm)

    Week 3: Politics, economics, and culture of gaming
    MON JUN 30

    Video games and the culture industries

    coverFilm.  The King of Kong: A fistful of quarters (2007); part one (45 min).   "[A] documentary that follows Steve Wiebe as he tries to take the world high score for the arcade game Donkey Kong from reigning champion Billy Mitchell."  Discuss afterward.

    Reading. 

    • Stephen Kline, Nick Dyer-Witheford, and Greig de Peuter, "Media analysis in the high-intensity marketplace: The three circuits of interactivity," in Digital play: The interaction of technology, culture, and marketing (Montreal: McGill-Queen's Univ. Press, 2003), 30-59 (~30 pages). PDF  Eric
    • Barry Ip, "Technological, content, and market convergence in the games industry," Games and Culture 3:2 (2008), 199-224 (~25 pages). PDF  TBA

    Hands-on assignment for this week.   Visit a local public library and do an inventory of the computer games available on the shelves for check-out.  Are they entertainment games?  Educational games?  Do they seem pitched to a particular age, gender, class, or race/ethnicity group? Write a 250 word comment on the weblog about your findings.  (Alternatively, you may visit a local video arcade and do an inventory of the games present in this space — and the people playing these games — with an eye to the same factors.)   Due Friday by 5pm.

    Writing assignment for this week.   Pick any video game you like and write a 1,000 word essay analyzing the game in terms of race, ethnicity, and/or gender. Please use at least two authoritative scholarly articles to support your analysis (articles from the reader are OK).  Due Friday by 5pm.

    Play time.  A Donkey Kong tournament, of course.

    Optional reading.

    • Masuyama, "Pokemon as Japanese culture?" in Lucien King, ed., Game on: The history and culture of videogames (2002).PDF
    • Thomas Malaby, "Parlaying value: Capital in and beyond virtual worlds," Games and Culture (2006).PDF
    • Tracy Fullerton, "Understanding the game industry," in Game design workshop: A playcentric approach to creating innovative games (2008).PDF

    Explore further on your own.
    TUE JUL 01

    Game stereotypes of sex and gender

    headshotGuest lecture.  Kurt Squire, School of Education, UW-Madison.  "Kurt Squire is an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Educational Communications and Technology division of Curriculum and Instruction and a research scientist a the Academic Advanced Distributed Learning Co-Lab. Squire is also a co-founder and current director of the Games, Learning, & Society Initiative, a group of over 50 faculty and students investigating game-based learning. Squire's research investigates the potential of video game-based technologies for systemic change in education. Squire's work integrates research and theory on digital media (particularly games) with theories of situated cognition in order to understand how to design educational environments in a digital age."

    Reading. 

    • Justine Cassell and Henry Jenkins, "Chess for girls? Feminism and computer games," in From Barbie to Mortal Combat: Gender and computer games (MIT Press, 1998), 2-45 (~40 pages). PDF Jon
    • Diane Carr, "Games and gender," in Computer games: Text, narrative and play (Polity, 2006), 162-178 (~15 pages). PDF  Nick

    Play time.  Games with gendered aspects.

    Optional reading.

    • Jo Bryce and Jason Rutter, "Gendered gaming in gendered space," in Joost Raessens and Jeffrey Goldstein, eds., Handbook of computer game studies (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2005).PDF
    • Sherry Turkle, "Tinysex and gender trouble," in Life on the screen: Identity in the age of the Internet (1997).PDF
    • Berrin Beasley and Tracy Collins Standley, "Shirts vs. skins: Clothing as an indicator of gender stereotyping in video games" Mass Communication and Society (2002).PDF
    • James D. Ivory, "Still a man's game: Gender representation in online reviews of video games," Mass Communication and Society (2006).PDF

    Explore further on your own.
    WED JUL 02

    Game stereotypes of race and ethnicity

    headshotGuest lecture.  Constance Steinkuehler, School of Education, UW-Madison.  "Massively multiplayer videogames (MMOs) function as naturally occurring online learning environments, recruiting complex and sophisticated forms of (always situated, always distributed) cognition in the course of successful play. My research investigates the intellectual work that goes on within such games and the cultures of participation that emerge both within their virtual worlds (between login & logoff) and beyond (in the online fandom spaces around them). The goals of this work are (a) to empirically document and analyze the intellectual practices that constitute gameplay in online spaces, (b) to analyze and assess how those practices align (or fail to align) with other activities valued outside the game (such as scientific reasoning or collaborative problem solving), and then (c) to develop bridging third places (such as after school gaming clubs for boys) based on what we learn that leverages online games for learning in productive ways."

    Reading. 

    • Lisa Nakamura, "Head-hunting on the Internet: Identity tourism, avatars, and racial passing in textual and graphic chat spaces," in Cybertypes: Race, ethnicity, and identity on the Internet (New York: Routledge, 2002), 31-60 (~30 pages). PDF  TBA
    • Anna Everett and 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: MIT Press, 2008), 141-164 (~20 pages). PDF  Marlon

    Play time.  Games with racialized aspects.

    Optional reading.

    • Beverly Ray and George E. Marsh, "Recruitment by extremist groups on the Internet," First Monday (2001).PDF
    • Betsy James DiSalvo et al, "Learning in context: Digital games and young black men," Games and Culture (2008).PDF
    • Douglas Thomas, "KPK, Inc.: Race, nation, and emergent culture in online games," in Anna Everett, ed., Learning race and ethnicity: Youth and digital media (2008).PDF

    Explore further on your own.
    THU JUL 03

    Games and the military-academic-industrial complex

    Film.  The King of Kong: A fistful of quarters (2007); part two (45 min). 

    Reading. 

    • J.C. Herz, "The military-entertainment complex," Joystick nation: How videogames ate our quarters, won our hearts, and rewired our minds (Boston: Little, Brown & Co, 1997), 197-213 (~15 pages). PDF  Sarah
    • Heather Chaplin and Aaron Ruby, "Smartbomb," in Smartbomb: The quest for art, entertainment, and big bucks in the videogame revolution (Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books, 2005), 192-221 (~25 pages). PDF  Adrian

    Discuss assignments (due tomorrow 5pm).

    Play time.  Games with militarized aspects.

    Optional reading.

    • Bosah Ebo, "War as popular culture: The Gulf Conflict and the technology of illusionary entertainment," Journal of American Culture (1995).PDF
    • Nathan McKenzie, "PEO STRI Research Game Engine Initiative: Investigation into Open Source and commercial game options for the military" (2006).PDF
    • Roger Stahl, "Have you played the war on terror?" Critical Studies in Media Communication 23:2 (2006).
    • Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game (1985), selections.  Also see the original 1977 short story which grew into Ender's Game.

    Explore further on your own.
    THU JUL 04

    NO CLASS

    Writing assignment due (5pm)

    Hands-on assignment due (5pm)

    Weblog reading entries due (5pm)

    Because of the July 4 holiday, you may have an automatic three-day extension on these assignments (meaning they are due on Monday).

     

    Week 4: Virtual collaborative interactive worlds
    MON JUL 07

    Creating fantasy worlds

    coverFilm.  "Computer game film festival." Clips from Tron (1982), War Games (1983), and The Last Starfighter (1984); 1 hour.  How do these films represent gaming culture?  How do these films represent the world within the computer?  How do these films represent class, consumption, and labor?  Discuss afterward.

    Reading. 

    • Gary Fine, "Introduction: FRP," in Shared fantasy: Role-playing games as social worlds (Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 1983), 1-38 (~35 pages). PDF  Jasun
    • Hector Briceno et al., "Down from the top of its game: The story of Infocom, Inc." (2000), pp. 4-27 (~20 pages). PDF  Eric

    Hands-on assignment for this week.   Create a character for either Kingdom of Loathing, Second Life, or World of Warcraft, and spend at least one hour roaming around in one of these virtual environments. Write a 250 word comment on the weblog about your experiences playing in this environment. Try to include an image (or textual description) of your character (for example, by using screen-capture software to grab an image of the character and then uploading that to the weblog).   Due Friday by 5pm.

    Writing assignment for this week.   Write a 1,000 word essay on how you think gaming will change in the next ten years, and why this matters to society. Be creative, but support your arguments using at least two authoritative scholarly articles (articles from the reader or the course web site are OK). Due Friday by 5pm.

    Play time.  Zork, the Great Underground Empire.

    Optional reading.

    • Barry Atkins, "The computer game as fictional form," in More than a game: The computer game as fictional form (2003).PDF
    • Erik Mona, "From the basement to the basic set: The early years of Dungeons & Dragons," in Pat Harrigan and Noah Wardrip-Fruin, eds., Second Person: Role-playing and story in games and playable media (2007).PDF
    • Richard Garfield, "The design evolution of Magic: The gathering," in Tracy Fullerton, Game design workshop: A playcentric approach to creating innovative games (2008).PDF
    • Janet H. Murray, "Harbingers of the holodeck," in Hamlet on the holodeck: The future of narrative in cyberspace (1997). PDF

    Explore further on your own.
    TUE JUL 08

    Virtual reality and virtual community

    Guest lecture. Amy Pikalek, Ph.D. student, School of Journalism & Mass Communication, UW-Madison.  Dissertation topic: "Race and ethnicity in video games: A comparison of the stereotypes found in video games and films"

    Reading. 

    • Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash [selections on Hiro Protagonist entering the "metaverse"], ~20 pages. PDF  TBA
    • Julian Dibbell, "A rape in cyberspace; or, TINYSOCIETY, and how to make one," in My tiny life: Crime and passion in a virtual world (New York: Holt, 1998), 11-30 (~20 pages). PDF NB: Entire book available as a free download as well.   Jon

    Play time.  Second Life.

    Optional reading.

    • Molly W. Berger, "Manon of Second Life: Teaching in a virtual world," Technology & Culture (2008).PDF
    • Torill Elvira Mortensen, "WoW is the new MUD: Social gaming from text to video," Games and Culture (2006).PDF
    • Nicholas DiGiuseppe and Bonnie Nardi, "Real genders choose fantasy characters: Class choice in World of Warcraft," First Monday (2007).PDF
    • Ray Oldenberg, The Great Good Place [selections]

    Explore further on your own.
    WED JUL 09

    From MUDs to MMOGs

    Guest lecture.  Nathan McKenzie, founder, Ice Cream Breakfast game development studio.  "Launching a career in game development a decade ago, Nathan has worked in senior game programming and game design positions at both Raven Software and Rainbow Studios, on titles including Soldier of Fortune, Quake 4, Heretic 2, and Take No Prisoners, amongst others. He has focused especially on special effects, artificial intelligence, weapon systems, player controls, shader programming, and game balancing."

    Reading. 

    • Edward Castronova, "Daily life on a synthetic earth," in Synthetic worlds: The business and culture of online games (Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 2005), 29-50 (~20 pages). PDF  Nick
    • T.L. Taylor, "Whose game is this anyway?" in Play between worlds: Exploring online game culture (Cambridge: MIT Press, 2006), 125-150 (~25 pages). PDF  Marlon

    Play time.  World of Warcraft.

    Optional reading.

    • Mathias Klang, "Avatar: From deity to corporate property," Information, Communication, and Society (2004).PDF
    • Ralph Koster, "Declaring the rights of players," in Jack M. Balkin and Beth Simone Noveck, The state of play: Law, games, and virtual worlds (2006).PDF
    • Cory Ondrejka, "Education unleashed: Participatory culture, education, and innovation in Second Life," in Katie Salen, ed., The ecology of games: Connecting youth, games, and learning (2008).PDF

    Explore further on your own.
    THU JUL 10

    What have we learned?

    logoField trip.   Meet at 1:30 in front of Monona Terrace to attend an afternoon of the Games+Learning+Society Conference 2008.

     
    THU JUL 11

    NO CLASS

    Writing assignment due (5pm)

    Hands-on assignment due (5pm)

    Weblog reading entries due (5pm)

    Have a great summer!
       

     

     

     

     

    LAST UPDATED June 3, 2009 by gdowney @ wisc.edu