Understanding Video Games

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来源：www.coursera.org

11个序列

等级：入门

数字媒体

语言：英语

264分

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33小时总数

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An 11-lesson course teaching a comprehensive overview of analytical theory pertaining to video game media. Topics covered: play and game, emergence versus progression, game mechanics, story, interpretive theory, the culture of games, violence, sex and race in games, and finally, serious games. Estimated workload: 3-5 hrs/wk for non-credit; 7-10 hrs/wk for credit.

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课程大纲

Lesson 1: Introduction

In this short lesson, students will learn what to expect from the course, and will be introduced to our avatar creation module.

Lesson 2: Play and Games

Here, students will gain an appreciation for the differences between play and games. Game taxonomy and a definition of rules will be covered.

Lesson 3: Emergent and Progressive Gameplay

This lesson focuses on the difference between two major gameplay types, and how they impact our experience of video games.

Lesson 4: Game Mechanics

Students are introduced to the concepts of ludology, structuralism and the mechanics-dynamics-aesthetics approach to game analysis

Lesson 5: Story and Games

We explore the concept of games as stories, as well as the importance of narrative in video game presentation. Campbell's monomyth theory is thoroughly explained and applied to game stories.

Lesson 6: Interpreting Games

How can structuralist and post-structuralist analysis lead us to a better understanding of "how games mean?" This lesson will introduce students to a number of theoretical frameworks for analyzing games.

Lesson 7: Gaming Culture

Here students will be introduced to the concept of semiotics and how language is used in inclusionary and exclusionary game community practices. Indie game producers and modding groups are also discussed during this lesson.

Lesson 8: Violence and Games

Discussions around violence and games seem to go hand-in-hand. Why is this? What purposes are served by violence and its portrayal in video games? These are some of the questions engaged by this lesson.

Lesson 9: Sex and Games

In this lesson, the subjects of sexuality, gender and the portrayal of sex are discussed. In addition, there is a module on women in the game industry.

Lesson 10: Race and Games

The subjects of race and racial stereotypes are explored in this lesson. The student will discover that race and racial conflict drive gameplay and narrative in numerous game genres, yet is a subject seldom broached in scholarly discussions.

Lesson 11: Serious Games

Games can be used for teaching and training, and this genre is called serious games. Here, students will learn about industry's co-opting of game theory and practice as they endeavour to engage their workforce. Methods of player retention are explored in this lesson.

教师

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Sean Gouglas - Humanities Computing
Leah Hackman - Computing Science

内容设计师

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UAlberta is considered among the world’s leading public research- and teaching-intensive universities. As one of Canada’s top universities, we’re known for excellence across the humanities, sciences, creative arts, business, engineering and health sciences.