University of St. Michael’s College University of Toronto SMC430H1F Advanced Topics in Book and Media Studies: Games and Culture Fall 2018 Tuesdays, 10am—12pm Alumni Hall (AH) 302
Instructor: Dr. Felan Parker E-mail: [email protected] Office: PIMS 30 (59 Queen’s Park Crescent East, third floor right next to the stairs) Office hours: Thursdays, 3pm—5pm (or by appointment)
“Games are popular art, collective, social reactions to the main drive or action of any culture.” – Marshall McLuhan
From playgrounds, arenas, and tabletops to computers, mobile devices, and video game consoles, games and play are a vibrant and diverse cultural form and a fundamental part of human society. Why do we make and play games? How do games produce experiences, make meaning, and reflect or refract ideology, and what impact do they have on players? Who gets to make, play, and find representation in games and who is left out? What role do games play in the contemporary media ecosystem? This seminar-style class will explore issues around games both analog and digital from a variety of critical perspectives, including history, industry, technology, culture, politics, and aesthetics.
Marking scheme Attendance and participation – 20% Gaming autobiography (500 words, due Thursday, September 20) – 10% Game commentary presentation (5-6 minutes, in class October 30 or December 5) – 20% Final research project proposal + bibliography (500 words, due Thursday, October 18) – 15% Final research project (2500-3000 words, due Wednesday, December 5) – 35%
Required readings: All course readings are available digitally via the Quercus portal. All readings are mandatory unless otherwise indicated, and must be completed before class.
Access to games: This course is about games, and so students are expected to play games of various kinds during the course in preparation for class discussions and as part of assignments. The games listed on the syllabus are generally downloadable for cheap or free and will run on most computers and/or mobile devices. If you don’t have access to game consoles at home, Media Commons at Robarts has two gaming rooms (Xbox One and PlayStation 4) and a collection of recent games for a variety of platforms available for student use.
Students in SMC430 can book the gaming rooms in advance by using the "Program/Screening Room request" form on the Media Commons homepage: https://mediacommons.library.utoronto.ca/av- request-form – you must include the course code and specify which room you want (Xbox One or PlayStation 4), and you can also reserve specific games using the same form. (You can also access the rooms without booking by visiting the Media Commons service desk, on a first-come first-served basis). A list of games in the collection can be found here: https://mediacommons.library.utoronto.ca/were- game
Course announcements: All course announcements will be posted to the Quercus portal and forwarded to your @utoronto.ca e-mail address. Students are responsible for making sure they are not missing announcements.
Assignment submission: All assignments should be submitted in PDF format digitally via the Quercus portal, in the appropriate section. The file name should include your last name, the course, and the assignment (i.e. lastname_smc430_essay.pdf) for my reference. All assignments are due at 11:59pm on Thursday night, except the final essay. Late assignments will be penalized one letter grade increment (B+ becomes B, etc.) per day of lateness, starting at 12:00am, including weekends. Extension requests or excuses should be made in advance whenever possible and require proper documentation.
Formatting and citation style: All assignments should be double-spaced in 12pt Times New Roman font with 2.54cm margins. Always cite your sources properly and include a Works Cited page! You may use any citation style (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.) as long as your citations are correct and consistent.
Writing, library, and research help: The St. Michael’s College Writing Centre, the Academic Success Centre, and the UofT Writing website are excellent resources available to all students hoping to improve their academic skills. The Book & Media Studies liaison librarian is James Roussain. He is available to help you with any issues related to research and the library. [email protected]
Attendance and participation – 20% This is intended to be a seminar-style class, so participation is very important. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class and students will be evaluated both on their attendance and on their contributions to discussions and other in-class activities (including gameplay), questions and responses to student presentations, as well as extracurricular activities such as visiting my office hours and sharing relevant links or events. Students should come to class having done the readings, ready to share thoughtful questions, comments, and examples. Lateness and absences will have a negative effect on this grade. If you have a disability or any other issue that makes in-class participation difficult, please bring this to my attention as soon as possible.
Gaming autobiography (500 words, due Thursday, September 20) – 10% Write a short reflection on your personal history with games, and your current relationship to gaming culture. Some questions to think about: What preconceptions do you have about games and gaming culture going into this course? When did you first encounter digital games? What kinds of games do you play (analog or digital), on what platforms? How did you form these preferences? Do you consider yourself a “gamer” or a gaming enthusiast? Why or why not? If you don’t play games at all, write about why that is. If you reference external sources, cite them properly and include a Works Cited page. Submit as a PDF (double-spaced, 12pt Times New Roman, 2.54cm margins) via the Quercus portal.
Game commentary presentation (5-6 minutes, in class October 30 or December 5) – 20% Choose any game not listed on the syllabus that you want to talk about, and play it through (or in the case of very long/never-ending games, play for at least 8-10 hours). Using YouTube, Twitch, or your own tools, find or record five minutes of video footage that illustrates why you think the game is interesting, such as a particular moment, level, or mechanic. Prepare a “live” commentary to be presented orally in class – think of it as an academic version of what streamers and YouTubers do. The specific topic of your commentary is up to you, but it should incorporate concepts from the readings and class discussions, and relate directly to the video you’re showing. Some questions to consider: How does this game work? What is it about? What values does it embody? What is the role of the player in the meaning-making process? What does it tell us about gaming culture more generally? You will be graded on the substance of your commentary and the relevance of the video, your effective use of course concepts, and the overall confidence of your presentation. Students will sign up for one of the two dates in the first few weeks of class.
OPTIONAL: If you are familiar with video editing, you may produce a 5-6-minute commentary video using the game footage to be screened in class, instead of giving a “live” presentation.
Research project proposal + bibliography (500 words, due Thursday, October 18) – 15% Final research project (2500-3000 words, due Wednesday, December 5) – 35% Come up with your own research project for the final assignment! Topics can be related to any aspect of games, play, and gaming culture or related issues, expanding on the material covered in class. Your essay proposal should describe what you plan to write about in depth, including a thesis statement or research question, the methodological approach you plan to take, and some possible key points or examples. It is important to have a clear argument or question guiding your project – for example, “The representation of women in mobile games reinforces cultural stereotypes,” or “How is competitive esports changing the design of fighting games?” If you have trouble thinking of a topic, feel free to contact me.
As you prepare your proposal, you must also do preliminary research on your topic, and include a bibliography listing at least 10 academic articles, books, and other sources beyond the course readings you plan to use in your final essay. Remember that reading is an important part of writing! Your thesis should be well supported with both external research and your own analysis of specific examples. In my comments on your proposal, I will provide feedback to help you develop it into the full-length essay. In both the proposal and the final essay, be sure to cite your sources properly and include a Works Cited page. Submit as a PDF (double-spaced, 12pt Times New Roman, 2.54cm margins) via the Quercus portal.
OPTIONAL: I am open to the possibility of alternative/creative formats for the final project, but you must consult with me for approval before submitting your proposal.
Finding game studies resources Although game studies is a relatively new field, a lot of academic work on games has been published in a wide variety of disciplines and venues, and you should be engaging with this body of work. The library system has numerous books and journal articles on topics relevant to this course. You can browse the catalogue using the “video games” subject heading here or search for relevant keywords. Some of the most important game research has been published in the following venues, so they are a good starting point, but this is not an exhaustive list.
Analog Game Studies http://analoggamestudies.org/ Critical Distance www.critical-distance.com Digital Games Research Association Digital Library www.digra.org/digital-library Eludamos (no longer active) http://www.eludamos.org/ First Person Scholar www.firstpersonscholar.com G|A|M|E: The Italian Game Studies Journal www.gamejournal.it Game Studies 101 http://gamestudies101.com/ Game Studies www.gamestudies.org Games & Culture http://journals.sagepub.com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/home/gac Journal of Games Criticism www.gamescriticism.org Loading... Journal of the Canadian Game Studies Association http://journals.sfu.ca/loading Not Your Mama’s Gamer https://www.nymgamer.com/ Press Start https://press-start.gla.ac.uk/index.php/press-start/index Simulation & Gaming http://journals.sagepub.com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/home/sag Transactions of the Digital Games Research Association http://todigra.org/index.php/todigra Well Played http://press.etc.cmu.edu/index.php/publication-tag/well-played/
Academic integrity: The University of Toronto treats cases of academic misconduct very seriously. Academic integrity is a fundamental value of learning and scholarship at the UofT. Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in this academic community ensures that your UofT degree is valued and respected as a true signifier of your individual academic achievement. The University of Toronto’s Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters outlines the behaviours that constitute academic misconduct, the processes for addressing academic offences, and the penalties that may be imposed. You are expected to be familiar with the contents of this document. Potential offences include, but are not limited to: Using someone else’s ideas or words without appropriate acknowledgement. Submitting your own work in more than one course without the permission of the instructor. Making up sources or facts. Obtaining or providing unauthorized assistance on any assignment (this includes working in groups on assignments that are supposed to be individual work). Falsifying or altering any documentation required by the University, including (but not limited to) doctor’s notes. Falsifying institutional documents or grades. All suspected cases of academic dishonesty will be investigated following the procedures outlined in the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters. If you have any questions about what is or is not permitted in this course, please do not hesitate to contact me. If you have questions about appropriate research and citation methods, you are expected to seek out additional information from me or other available campus resources like the College Writing Centre, the Academic Success Centre, or the U of T Writing Website.
Health and wellness: Balancing school, work, and life can be extremely stressful, but you’re not alone! If you’re feeling the crunch or are concerned about your mental health, don’t hesitate to reach out for help. Health and wellness counseling are available for all students from St. Michael’s College Wellness Counselor Nicole LeBlanc [email protected] and the UofT Health and Wellness Centre.
Accessibility: Students with diverse learning styles and needs are welcome in this course, and I am here to support your learning. In particular, if you have a disability/health consideration that may require accommodations, please feel free to approach me and/or Accessibility Services at (416) 978 8060 / http://accessibility.utoronto.ca
Weekly Schedule + Readings
Week 1 – September 11, 2018 Introduction: Why study games and culture?
Games The Stanley Parable (Galactic Café, 2013) https://store.steampowered.com/app/221910/The_Stanley_Parable/ Gorogoa (Buried Signal, 2018) http://gorogoa.com/
Week 2 – September 18, 2018 Understanding games as culture
Readings Mary Flanagan and Helen Nissenbaum, “Chapter 2: Uncovering Values at Play” (15-31) and “Chapter 3: Game Elements: The Language of Values” (33-72) in Values at Play in Digital Games (MIT, 2014) https://ieeexplore-ieee- org.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/xpl/bkabstractplus.jsp?bkn=6867430
Supplementary reading Clifford Geertz, “Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight” Daedalus 101:1 (1972) https://www-jstor-org.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/stable/20024056
Games Canabalt (Adam Saltsman, 2009) http://adamatomic.com/canabalt/ Civilization IV (Firaxis Games, 2005) https://store.steampowered.com/app/3900/Sid_Meiers_Civilization_IV/ Passage (Jason Rohrer, 2007) http://hcsoftware.sourceforge.net/passage/index.html Donut County (Ben Esposito, 2018) http://www.donutcounty.com/
Gaming autobiography due Thursday, September 20
Week 3 – September 25, 2018 Games, bodies, and feelings
Readings Aubrey Anable, “Introduction: Video Games as Structures of Feeling” (vii-xxi) in Playing With Feelings: Video Games and Affect (Minnesota, 2018) Brendan Keogh, “Chapter 1: Across Worlds and Bodies” (20-50) in A Play of Bodies: How We Perceive Videogames (MIT, 2018)
Supplementary reading T.L. Taylor, “The Assemblage of Play” Games & Culture 4:4 (2009) http://journals.sagepub.com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/doi/10.1177/1555412009343576
Games Portal (Valve, 2007) https://store.steampowered.com/app/400/Portal/ GIRP (Bennett Foddy, 2011) http://foddy.net/GIRP.html Kentucky Route Zero: Act III (Cardboard Computer, 2014) http://kentuckyroutezero.com/ Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (Starbreeze Studios, 2013) https://505games.com/games/brothers
Week 4 – October 2, 2018 The global game industries
Readings Aphra Kerr, “Chapter 1: Going Global” (27-63) in Global Games: Production, Circulation and Policy in the Networked Era (Routledge, 2017) https://www-taylorfrancis- com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/books/9781135114510 Brendan Keogh, “Between Triple-A, Indie, Casual, and DIY: Sites of tension in the videogames cultural industries” (152-162) in The Routledge Companion to the Cultural Industries, eds. Kate Oakley and Justin O’Connor (Routledge, 2015) https://www-routledgehandbooks- com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/doi/10.4324/9781315725437.ch11 Ian Williams, “After Destroying Lives For Decades, Gaming Is Finally Talking Unionization” Waypoint (2018) https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/7xdv5e/after-destroying-lives-for- decades-gaming-is-finally-talking-unionization
Supplementary readings David Nieborg, “Crushing Candy: The Free-to-Play Game in Its Connective Commodity Form” Social Media + Society 1:2 (2015) http://journals.sagepub.com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/doi/10.1177/2056305115621932 Michael Thomsen, “The Universe Has Been Outsourced” The Outline (2018) https://theoutline.com/post/3087/outsourcing-blockbuster-video-games-made-in-china- horizon-zero-dawn?zd=4&zi=gonb34dg “Mag Zine” and “Stories Zine” published by Game Workers Unite (2018) https://www.gameworkersunite.org/resources
Games Fortnite (Epic Games, 2017) https://www.epicgames.com/fortnite/en-US/buy-now/battle-royale Assassin’s Creed: Origins (Ubisoft, 2017) https://www.ubisoft.com/en-ca/game/assassins-creed- origins/ – available at Media Commons Candy Crush Saga (King, 2012) https://king.com/game/candycrush Stardew Valley (ConcernedApe, 2016) https://stardewvalley.net/ – available at Media Commons Cyborg Goddess (Kara Stone, 2014) https://karastone.itch.io/cyborg-goddess
Week 5 – October 9, 2018 “Gamer” culture and hierarchies of play
Readings Mia Consalvo, “Confronting Toxic Gamer Culture: A Challenge for Feminist Game Studies Scholars” Ada: A Journal of New Media & Technology 2 (2013) https://adanewmedia.org/2012/11/issue1-consalvo/ Kishonna L. Gray, Bertan Buyukozturk, and Zachary G. Hill, “Blurring the boundaries: Using GG to examine ‘real’ and symbolic violence against women in contemporary gaming culture,” Sociology Compass 11.3 (2017) https://onlinelibrary-wiley- com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/doi/abs/10.1111/soc4.12458 Shira Chess and Christopher A. Paul, “The End of Casual: Long Live Casual” Games & Culture (2018) http://journals.sagepub.com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/doi/full/10.1177/1555412018786652
Supplementary reading Colin Campbell, “Gaming’s toxic men, explained” Polygon (2018) https://www.polygon.com/2018/7/25/17593516/video-game-culture-toxic-men-explained Cecilia D'Anastasio, “Inside The Culture Of Sexism At Riot Games” Kotaku (2018) https://kotaku.com/inside-the-culture-of-sexism-at-riot-games-1828165483 “Our First Steps Forward” Riot Games (2018) https://www.riotgames.com/en/who-we-are/our- first-steps-forward Cass Marshall, “A PAX West panel adds to the current Riot Games controversy” Polygon (2018) https://www.polygon.com/2018/9/4/17810676/pax-west-panel-league-of-legends-riot-games- controversy Cecilia D’Anastasio, “Two Riot Employees Leave Under Complicated Circumstances After PAX Session Excluding Men” Kotaku (2018) https://kotaku.com/two-riot-employees-leave-under- complicated-circumstance-1828886072
Games Depression Quest (Zoe Quinn, 2013) http://www.depressionquest.com/ Gone Home (Fullbright, 2013) https://gonehome.game/ Kim Kardashian: Hollywood (Glu Mobile, 2014) https://www.glu.com/games/kim-kardashian- hollywood/ Rise of the Tomb Raider (Crystal Dynamics, 2015) https://square-enix- games.com/en_US/games/rise-of-the-tomb-raider-20-year-celebration – available at Media Commons
Week 6 – October 16, 2018 Virtual reality, gamification, and games for change
Readings Chris Milk, “TED Talk: How virtual reality can create the ultimate empathy machine” (2015) https://www.ted.com/talks/chris_milk_how_virtual_reality_can_create_the_ultimate_empathy _machine Robert Yang, “’If you walk in someone else's shoes, then you've taken their shoes’: empathy machines as appropriation machines” Radiator (2017) https://www.blog.radiator.debacle.us/2017/04/if-you-walk-in-someone-elses-shoes-then.html Jane McGonigal, “TED Talk: Gaming can make a better world” (2010) https://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world Paolo Pedercini, “Making Games in a Fucked Up World – Games for Change 2014” Molleindustria (2014) http://www.molleindustria.org/blog/making-games-in-a-fucked-up-world- games-for-change-2014/
Games The Uber Game (Financial Times, 2017) https://ig.ft.com/uber-game/ That Dragon, Cancer (Numinous Games, 2016) http://www.thatdragoncancer.com/#home 360 Syria (Amnesty International, 2015) http://www.360syria.com SuperBetter (SuperBetter, 2015) https://www.superbetter.com/
Final research project proposal + bibliography due Thursday, October 18
Week 7 – October 23, 2018 Esports, streaming, professional play, and spectatorship
Readings T.L. Taylor, “Chapter 1: Playing for Keeps” (1-33) in Raising the Stakes: E-Sports and the Professionalization of Computer Gaming (MIT, 2014) https://ebookcentral-proquest- com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/lib/utoronto/detail.action?docID=3339416 T.L. Taylor, “Chapter 1: Broadcasting Ourselves” in Watch Me Play: Twitch and the Rise of Game Live Streaming (Princeton, 2018) http://watchmeplay.cc/
Supplementary reading Mark R. Johnson & Jamie Woodcock “’It's like the gold rush’: the lives and careers of video game live streamers on Twitch.tv” Information, Communication and Society (2017) https://www- tandfonline-com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/doi/full/10.1080/1369118X.2017.1386229
Games Watch livestreamed gameplay on Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/ League of Legends (Riot, 2009) https://play.na.leagueoflegends.com/en_US
Week 8 – October 30, 2018 Game commentary presentations I Specific schedule TBA
READING WEEK – November 6, 2018 – NO CLASS
Week 9 – November 13, 2018 Games, militarism, and gun violence
Readings Patrick Crogan, “Videogames, war and operational aesthetics” in War and Art: A Visual History of Modern Conflict ed. Joanna Bourke (Reaktion, 2017) http://eprints.uwe.ac.uk/31295/ Matthew Thomas Payne, “Marketing Military Realism in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare” Games and Culture 7:4 (2012) http://journals.sagepub.com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/doi/abs/10.1177/155541201245422 0 Simon Parkin, “Shooters: How Video Games Fund Arms Manufacturers” Eurogamer (2013) https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-01-shooters-how-video-games-fund-arms- manufacturers
Supplementary readings “Guns and Games” Waypoint (2018) https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-01-shooters- how-video-games-fund-arms-manufacturers Alex Barasch, “Video Games Aren’t to Blame for Gun Violence, but They Do Prop Up Gun Culture” Slate (2018) https://slate.com/technology/2018/03/video-games-arent-to-blame-for- gun-violence-but-they-prop-up-gun-culture.html
Games America’s Army (United States Army, 2002-2013) https://www.americasarmy.com/ Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered (Infinity Ward, 2007/2017) https://www.callofduty.com/ca/en/modern-warfare-remastered – available at Media Commons Unmanned (Molleindustria and Jim Munroe, 2012) http://unmanned.molleindustria.org/ A Series of Gunshots (Pippin Barr, 2015) https://www.pippinbarr.com/2015/11/19/a-series-of- gunshots/
Week 10 – November 20, 2018 Games and death
Special guest: Gabby DaRienzo (co-founder and art director, Laundry Bear Games http://gabdar.com)
Readings Listen to Play Dead podcast, Season 3, Episode 1 “What Remains of Edith Finch with Ian Dallas” (30min) http://dorkshelf.com/2018/02/13/play-dead-s3-episode-1-what-remains-of-edith-finch- with-ian-dallas/
Games A Mortician’s Tale (Laundry Bear Games, 2017) http://laundrybear.com/a-morticians-tale/ What Remains of Edith Finch (Giant Sparrow, 2017) http://edithfinch.com/
Week 11 – November 27, 2018 Games, gambling, and addiction
Readings Samit Sarkar, “‘Gaming disorder’ classified as a mental health condition, but is the move premature?” Polygon (2018) https://www.polygon.com/2018/6/19/17475632/video-game- addiction-gaming-disorder-who-icd-11 Rob Fahey, “Prickly denial is the wrong response to WHO's ‘gaming disorder’” GamesIndustry.biz (2018) https://www.gamesindustry.biz/amp/2018-06-22-prickly-denial-is-the-wrong-response- to-the-who Matthew Perks, “Limited Edition Loot Boxes: Problematic Gambling and Monetization” Cube (2016) https://medium.com/the-cube/limited-edition-loot-boxes-problematic-gambling-and- monetization-756819f2c54f Matthew Perks, “Why a conversation around loot box regulation, responsibility, and harm needs to be happening” (2017) https://medium.com/@perks_matthew/why-a-conversation-around- loot-box-regulation-responsibility-and-harm-needs-to-be-happening-636acf0e99ba
Games Loot Box Simulator (Clickbait Studios, 2018) https://clickbaitstudios.itch.io/loot-box-simulator Overwatch (Blizzard, 2016) https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/ – available at Media Commons Clash of Clans (Supercell, 2012) http://supercell.com/en/games/clashofclans/
Week 12 – December 4, 2018 Game commentary presentations II Specific schedule TBA
Final research project due Wednesday, December 5