Jan. 13 |
Week One |
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Course overview |
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Jan. 18 + 20 |
Week Two |
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Setting up web log // Introduction to video games |
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Chick, T. (2003) Massively multiplayer on-line games.
Week 1 and Week 5 in Gamespy’s series of articles about virtual environments.
Available on-line at: http://archive.gamespy.com/amdmmog/ |
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Virtual worlds: Multi-player games |
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Bartle, R. (2003) Introduction to virtual worlds.
Chapter 1 (pp. 1-79) in Designing Virtual Worlds. |
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Jan. 25 + 27 |
Week Three |
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Virtual worlds: True Names |
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Vinge, V. (1981). “True Names.” The author’s
infamous novella in True Names: And the Opening of the Cyberspace Frontier.
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Virtual worlds: Psychological dimensions |
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Yee, N. (2004). The Psychology of MMORPGs:
Emotional Investment, Motivations, Relationship Formation, and Problematic
Usage. In R. Schroeder & A. Axelsson (Eds.), Social Life of Avatars
II.
London: Springer-Verlag. (in press). [PACKET]
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Feb. 1 + 3 |
Week Four |
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Virtual worlds: Players |
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Bartle, R. (2003) Players. Chapter 2 (pp. 125-174) in
Designing Virtual Worlds. |
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Virtual worlds: Players |
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Bartle, R. (2003) Players. Chapter 2 (pp.
174-245) in Designing Virtual Worlds.
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Feb. 8 + 10 |
Week Five |
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Virtual worlds: Economics |
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Castranova, E. (2001) Virtual
worlds: A first-hand account of market and society on the Cyberian frontier. CESifo Working Paper
No. 618. (39 pages) [PACKET]
Doctorow, C. (2004) Anda’s game. Short story from Salon.Com. November
15, 2004. [PACKET]
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Virtual worlds: Characters |
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Bartle, R. (2003) Life in the virtual world.
Chapter 5 (pp. 351-398) in Designing Virtual Worlds. |
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Feb. 15 + 17 |
Week Six |
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Virtual worlds: Characters |
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Bartle, R. (2003) Life in the virtual world. Chapter
5 (pp. 398-471) in Designing Virtual Worlds. |
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Women and games: Players |
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Taylor, T.L. (2003). Multiple
Pleasures: Women and Online Gaming. Convergence, Vol. 9, No.1, 21-46, Spring 2003. [PACKET] |
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Feb. 22 + 24 |
Week Seven |
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Women and games: Characters |
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Kennedy, H. (2002). Lara
Croft: Feminist icon or cyberbimbo? On the limits of textual analysis. Game Studies Journal, 2(2), December 2002. |
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Ethnography: Overview of ethnographic methods |
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Fetterman, D. (1989) Walking in rhythm: Anthropological
concepts. Chapter 2 (pp. 16-30) in Ethnography: Step by step. London: Sage.
[PACKET]
Fetterman, D. (1989) A wilderness guide: Methods and techniques.
Chapter 3 (pp. 31-62) in Ethnography: Step by step. London: Sage. [PACKET] |
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Mar. 1 + 3 |
Week Eight |
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Ethnography: Pursuing indigenous meanings
Emerson, R., Fretz, R., and Shaw, L. (1995). Pursuing members’ meanings.
Chapter 5 (pp. 108-141) in Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes. Chicago: University
of Chicago Press. [PACKET] |
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Ethnography: Research ethics
Fetterman, D. (1989) Walking softly through the wilderness: Ethics. Chapter
7 (pp. 29-146) in Ethnography: Step by step. London: Sage. [PACKET]
Distributed: Exam #1 |
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Mar. 8 + 10 |
Week Nine |
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Movie: eXistenZ
Directed by David
Cronenberg.
Note: Class will run 22 minutes late today. Please let me know in advance
if you will need to leave before the end of the movie. |
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Game mechanics: Play |
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Salen, K. and Zimmerman, E. (2004) Defining
play. Excerpt from Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals (pp. 301-11).
[PACKET]
Due: Exam #1 |
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SPRING BREAK |
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Mar. 22 + 24 |
Week Ten |
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Game mechanics: Rules |
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Salen, K. and Zimmerman, E. (2004) Defining rules. Excerpt
from Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals (pp. 117-125). [PACKET] |
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Game mechanics: Cheating |
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Salen, K. and Zimmerman, E. (2004) Breaking the
rules. Excerpt from Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals (pp. 267-285).
[PACKET] |
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Mar. 29 + 31 |
Week Eleven |
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Videogame aesthetics: Space |
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Wolf, M. J. P. (2001). Space in the video game (Chapter
3). In M. J. P. Wolf (Ed.), The medium of the videogame (pp. 51-75). Austin,
TX: University of Texas Press. [PACKET]
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Videogame aesthetics: Time |
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Wolf, M. J. P. (2001). Time in the video game
(Chapter 4). In M. J. P. Wolf (Ed.), The medium of the videogame (pp. 77-91).
Austin, TX: University of Texas Press. [PACKET]
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Apr. 5 + 7 |
Week Twelve |
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Videogame aesthetics: Narrative |
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Poole, S. (2000). Never-ending stories (Chapter 5).
In Trigger happy: Videogames and the entertainment revolution (pp. 90-111).
New York: Arcade Publishing. [PACKET]
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Videogame aesthetics: Immersion |
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McMahan, A. (2003). Immersion, engagement
and presence: A method for analyzing 3-D videogames Chapter 3 in The
Video Game Theory Reader, edited by Mark Wolf and Bernard Perron, Routledge, 2003,
pp. 67-86. [PACKET]
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Apr. 12 + 14 |
Week Thirteen |
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Videogame aesthetics: Flow |
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Chou, T.J. and Ting, C. C. (2003). The role of flow
experience in cyber-game addiction. Cyberpsychology and Behavior, 6(6)
663-676.[PACKET]
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Social aspects: Violence
Piot, C. (2003). Heat on the street: video violence in America’s teen
culture. Postcolonial Studies, 6(3), 351-366.
Distributed: Exam #2 |
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Apr. 19 + 21 |
Week Fourteen |
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Social aspects: Warfare
Robins, K. (1994). The haunted screen. In G. Bender & T. Druckrey (Eds.),
Culture on the brink: Ideologies of technology (pp. 305-315). Seattle: Bay
Press. [PACKET] |
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Work on presentations
Due Exam #2 |
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Apr. 26 + 28 |
Week Fifteen |
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Research presentation and critique |
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Research presentation and critique |
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Final project due by
8:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 7th
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