Videogames: Culture, Theory and Criticism

This course is designed to apply communication theory and practices to a specific global communication industry; videogames. This course is a comparative introduction to the history and theory of videogames as cultural artifacts and provides a deeper understanding of the historical, political, cultural factors that come into play in the complexity of a seemingly simply activity of game playing. This course aims to introduce students to academic discussions on a creative work in new digital forms, including: gamification; narratology and ludology; fandom; game law and the industry; the new gaming economy and game journalism and criticism.