AH 3000-004 ART HISTORY OF VIDEOGAMES 1/10
AH 3000-004 ART HISTORY OF VIDEOGAMES (A CLASS IN FIVE ACTS)
Term: Fall Semester, 2010 Start/End Dates: August 23 – December 18; No class Sept 6 (Labor Day), Nov 24 (Thanksgiving Break) Day/Times: MW mornings, 10:50am – 12:05pm Room Location: COB 208 Course Blog: criticalgamestudies.wordpress.com
Instructor: Devin Monnens Office Hours: MW mornings, 9:30-10:30 or by appointment Email: [email protected] Phone: 303.506.5602
Texts Needed: Other texts will be available online and are listed in the course schedule. Braid [Steam; PC/Mac/Xbox 360 - $10] Half-Life 2 [Steam; PC $10]* Half-Life 2, Episode Two [Steam; PC $10] OR – You can buy both along with Portal in The Orange Box for $29.99 *If the HL2:E2 version of Dear Esther is completed, we won't need HL2. The Path [Steam; PC $10] The Graveyard [Steam; PC $5]
Texts Recommended: Bissell, Tom. (2010). Extra Lives. New York: Pantheon Books.
Course Description: AH 3000-004 – Art History of Videogames is the survey and analysis of videogames as an art form. We will cover basic foundations of critical game studies such as ludology, narratology, and historical analysis. We will be interested in discovering where the art of games lies – is it in the visuals, the subject matter, the narrative, the gameplay? Or is it in the game as a whole? What is needed for a game to qualify as art?
Course Objectives: To explore major topics behind games as art and their critical analysis as artistic works. You will produce critical papers and blog entries that explore different aspects of games as art.
Evaluative Criteria: You will be graded on your ability to comprehend the subject matter as well as your reflective analysis of course material and games. Finally, part of your course evaluation is based on your class participation and responses to assigned readings.
About the Professor: I have an MFA in Electronic Media Arts Design from the University of Denver. My game development experience includes game production at Sony Online Entertainment Denver and the independent development of socially conscious games, one of which is part of the international Values at Play Archive. I also am a board member of the International Game Developers Association Colorado Chapter. My interests and expertise include a wide range of other fields such as machinima and medieval literature.
Grading Scale 90-100 = A 80-89 = B 70-79 = C 60-69 = D 59 and below = F Please Note: UCCS applies plus and minus percentages to the above as well. AH 3000-004 ART HISTORY OF VIDEOGAMES 2/10
Grading Procedures Gameplay Blog 30% Participation 10% Art Game Analysis Papers 30% Final Paper 30%
Gameplay Blog: Each week, you will write one blog entry on a game of your choice that we played this week. Blog entries are due 11:59 PM on Wednesdays. Record your experiences you had playing this game as well as your interpretations of it. Don't go about rating the game; instead, think about how the game affected you, what it means, how effective it was, and why you chose it.
Participation: You will participate in class discussions about the readings. As such, you are responsible for all required readings for that week. Put forward your own thoughts. Post additional observations on your blog.
Critical Game Papers: You will produce three critical game analysis papers using critical game studies methodology. These papers will be 3 pages long, but you can go over if you have something interesting to say. Remember that I want game criticism, NOT game reviews. You will be telling me something interesting about a game we played, NOT why I should buy it.
Final Paper: Your final paper is a further exploration of one or more categories we discussed during the semester. This paper will be 6-10 pages long. You will apply this critical theory towards one game or area of study of your choosing.
***You MUST include a works cited sheet with your papers. Your works cited sheet does NOT count towards your page length. ALL papers MUST be typed in 12-point Times New Roman with last name and page numbers.
Required Readings: Readings required for this class are primarily electronic documents. Digital copies of printed matter will be provided.
Your 'readings' also include digital games. We will play these games before class and comment on them during the class period. You won't have to beat all of these games, but you will have to play them.
A PC IS REQUIRED. There are several art games that can ONLY be played on the PC.
This is not an exhaustive list of art games. There are many more where these came from. Instead, this is a survey of the most notable intersections between art and games.
ACT I – INTRODUCTIONS AND FOUNDATIONS Week 1 – Introductions – Are Games Art? Aug 23 – Introductions Are Games Art? Aug 25 – Background of Game Art Thomas, David. (2009). “Games are Not Art.” Crispy Gamer. http://www.crispygamer.com/features/2009-09-30/games-are-not-art.aspx Ebert, Roger. (2010). “Okay Kids, Play on My Lawn.” Sun Times. http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/07/okay_kids_play_on_my_lawn.html AH 3000-004 ART HISTORY OF VIDEOGAMES 3/10
Week 2 – Art and Aesthetics Aug 30 – Game History Wikipedia. (2010). “History of Video Games.” Wikipedia. The Wikimedia Foundation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_video_games
Sept 1 – Pixel Art & 3D Art Aesthetics Sheff, David. (1999). “I, Mario.” Game Over: Press Start to Continue. Wilton, CT: GamePress. NFGMan. 2004. “The Evolution of Mario.” NFG Games. 25.Nov.2008 http://nfggames.com/games/MarioSprites/ NFGMan. 2006. “A Castlevania Sprite History.” NFG Games. 25.Nov.2008 http://nfggames.com/games/CastlevaniaSprites/ Hayward, David. 14.Oct.2005. “Videogame Aesthetics: The Future!” Gamasutra. 25.Nov.2008 http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20051014/hayward_01.shtml
ACT II – ART GAMES AS CONCEPT Week 3 – Game as Symbol Sept 8 – Game as Symbol Pacman. (Namco, 1979) http://www.bennychow.com/ Poole, Steven. (2000). “Signs of Life.” Trigger Happy. New York: Arcade Publishing. Murray, Janet. (1997). “Games as Symbolic Dramas.” Hamlet on the Holodeck. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. The Marriage (PC, 2007). Rob Humble. http://www.rodvik.com/rodgames/marriage.html Play the game, then read the artist statement. Then play the game again. Humble, Rob. (2006). “Game Rules as Art.” The Escapist. 41. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_41/247-Game-Rules-as-Art
Week 4 – Jason Rohrer Sept 13 – Passage, Gravitation Passage. (PC/Mac, 2007). Jason Rohrer. http://hcsoftware.sourceforge.net/passage/ Rohrer, Jason. (2007). “What I was Trying to do with Passage.” HCSoftware. http://hcsoftware.sourceforge.net/passage/statement.html Rohrer, Jason. (2008). “The Game Design of Art.” The Escapist. 155. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_155/4987-The-Game-Design-of-Art AH 3000-004 ART HISTORY OF VIDEOGAMES 4/10
Sept 15 – The Creative Process Gravitation. (PC/Mac, 2008). Jason Rohrer. http://hcsoftware.sourceforge.net/gravitation/ Reid, Brian. (2008). “Playing Games with Balance.” The Washington Post. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/onbalance/2008/03/playing_games_with_balance.html Stars over Half Moon Bay. (PC, 2008). Rob Humble. http://www.rodvik.com/rodgames/SOHMB.html Rohrer, Jason. (2008). “Critique: Stars Over Half Moon Bay.” Arthouse Games. http://northcountrynotes.org/jason-rohrer/arthouseGames/seedBlogs.php? action=display_post&post_id=jcr13_1206025812_0&show_author=1&show_date=1
Week 5 – Concepts and Guerrilla Art Sept 20 – Cory Arcangel You will need an NES emulator. I recommend Nestopia (v 1.4.1). http://mac.softpedia.com/get/Games/Nestopia.shtml - PC http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/21964 - Mac Super Mario Clouds. (NES, 2009). Cory Arcangel. http://www.coryarcangel.com/things-i-made/supermarioclouds/ I Shot Andy Warhol. (NES, 2002). Cory Arcangel. http://www.coryarcangel.com/things-i-made/ishotandywarhol/ F1 Racer Mod. (NES, 2004). Cory Arcangel. http://www.coryarcangel.com/things-i-made/f1racermod/ Super Mario Bros. Movie. (NES, 2005). Cory Arcangel, Paper Rad. http://www.coryarcangel.com/things-i-made/supermariomovie/ Arcangel, Cory. (2004). “Part II: Video Game Projects”; “Checking Tetris”; “Nintendo iPod”; “Laziness.” School of the Arts – Digital Media Center. Columbia University, New York. http://www.columbia.edu/itc/soa/dmc/cory_arcangel/
Sept 22 – Guerrilla Gaming Basho, Matsuo. (1686). “[Fuku ike ya!].” http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~flores/files/haiku.html Play Basho's Frogger. (Java, 1999). Pataphysical Software, Neil Hennessey. http://pbfb.ca/bashos_frogger/ Pac-Mondrian. (Java, 2004). Prize Budget for Boys. http://pbfb.ca/pac-mondrian/ Commentary (2004). “Classic Gaming Meets Modern Art.” Water Cooler Games. http://www.bogost.com/watercoolergames/archives/classic_gaming.shtml RetroSabotage. http://www.retrosabotage.com/ Shultz, Evan. (2008). "Web Wonder: RetroSabotage." RedFence. http://www.redfenceproject.com/blog2/textpattern/article/123/web-wonder-retrosabotage AH 3000-004 ART HISTORY OF VIDEOGAMES 5/10
Week 6 – Indie Games Sept 27 Average Shoveler. (Flash, 2004). Carlo Zanni. http://www.softaid.biz/average/index2.htm . Zanni, Carlo. “Work Statement and Biographical informations.” Softaid. http://www.softaid.biz/average/average-presskit.htm Jansson, Mathias. “Interview: Carlo Zanni's 'Average Shoeveler' [sic] (2004).” Gamescenes. http://www.gamescenes.org/2010/04/interview-carlo-zannis-average-shoeveler-2004-.html Flywrench. (PC, 2007). Mark Essen, Messhof. http://gamemakergames.com/?a=view&id=6418 Lantz, Frank. (2010) “Video Demo.” From “Artgame Sessions.” GDC Lecture, 2010. http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1012249/Artgame [begins 41:00] Every Day the Same Dream (Flash/PC/Mac, 2009). Molleindustria. http://www.molleindustria.org/everydaythesamedream/everydaythesamedream.html Alexander, Leigh. (2010). “Analysis: Every Day's Not The Same 'Art Game.'” Gamasutra. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/26714/Analysis_Every_Days_Not_The_Same_Art_Game.php Sept 29 Judith. (PC/Mac, 2009). Terry Cavanagh, Distractionware. http://distractionware.com/blog/?p=759 Rohrer, Jason. (2010) “Jason Rohrer on Judith.” From “Artgame Sessions.” GDC Lecture, 2010. http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1012249/Artgame Don't Look Back. (Flash/PC/Mac, 2009). Terry Cavanagh, Distractionware. http://distractionware.com/blog/?p=672 Short, Emily. (2009). “Column: 'Homer in Silicon': Cavanagh on Challenge and Complicity.” Game Set Watch. http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2009/07/column_homer_in_silicon_cavana.php Small Worlds. (Flash, 2009). David Shute, Armorgames. http://armorgames.com/play/4850/small-worlds
ACT III – ART GAMES AS NARRATIVE Week 7 – Daniel Benmergui Oct 4 – Today I Wish I Were the Moon I Wish I Were the Moon. (Flash, 2008). Daniel Benmergui. http://www.ludomancy.com/blog/2008/09/03/i-wish-i-were-the-moon/ Storyteller. (Flash, 2008). Daniel Benmergui. http://www.ludomancy.com/blog/2008/09/15/storyteller/ Today I Die. (Flash, 2009). Daniel Benmergui. http://www.ludomancy.com/games/today.php?lang=en Bogost, Ian. (2009). “Persuasive Games: The Proceduralist Style.” Gamasutra. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3909/persuasive_games_the_.php PAPER 1 DUE Oct 6 – Stylistic Influences I Fell in Love with the Majesty of Colors. (Flash, 2009). Gregory Weir. http://ludusnovus.net/my-games/the-majesty-of-colors/ AH 3000-004 ART HISTORY OF VIDEOGAMES 6/10
Weir, Gregory. (2009). “Flash Game Postmortem: The Majesty of Colors.” Gamasutra. http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=21720 Augergine Sky. (Flash, 2009). Jonathan Whiting. http://jwhiting.nfshost.com/coding/auberginesky/ Weir, Gregory. “Looming Released.” Ludus Novus. http://ludusnovus.net/2010/07/05/looming-released/ Looming. (Flash, 2010). Gregory Weir, Newgrounds. http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/541333
Week 8 – Tale of Tales Oct 11 – The Graveyard, The Path The Graveyard. (PC, 2008). Tale of Tales, Steam. Samyn, Michael, and Auriea Harvey. “Realtime Art Manifesto.” Tale of Tales. http://www.tale-of-tales.com/tales/RAM.html
Carless, Simon. “Road to the IGF: Tale of Tales' The Graveyard.” Indiegames. http://www.indiegames.com/blog/2009/01/road_to_the_igf_tale_of_tales.html The Path. (PC, 2009). Tale of Tales, Steam. Short, Emily. (2009). “Analysis: The Path and Story Pacing.” Gamasutra. http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=25768 Oct 13 – The Path, Continued Banana Pepper Martinis. (2009). "ZA Critique: The Path." PopMatters. http://www.popmatters.com/pm/post/107432-za-critique-the-path/
Week 9 – Half-Life 2 Mods Oct 18 – Dear Esther Lecture on JODI Dear Esther. (Half-Life 2, 2008). Dan Pinchbeck. http://www.fileplanet.com/196430/190000/fileinfo/Half-Life-2---Dear-Esther-Mod-v1.1 Denby, Lewis. “Opinion: When is a Game 'Not a Game?'” Gamasutra. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/26703/Opinion_When_Is_A_Game_Not_A_Game.php Dear Esther – Soundtrack. (2010). Dan Pinchbeck. http://www.moddb.com/mods/dear-esther/downloads/dear-esther-soundtrack Dear Esther (Half-Life 2, Episode Two, 2010). http://www.moddb.com/mods/dear-esther Cameron, Phil. (2009). “Interview: Moved by Mod – Dear Esther's Dan Pinchbeck.” Gamasutra. http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=24217 Rock, Paper, Shotgun. (2009). "Touched by the Hand of Mod: Dear Esther." Rock, Paper, Shotgun. http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2009/05/15/touched-by-the-hand-of-mod-dear-esther/ AH 3000-004 ART HISTORY OF VIDEOGAMES 7/10
October 20 – Radiator and PostScript Radiator, Vol. 1 (Half-Life 2, Episode Two, 2009). Robert Yang, Radiator. http://www.radiator.debacle.us/01/ Post Script. (Half-Life 2, 2009). PostScript. http://www.moddb.com/mods/post-script [Read also the Artist's Statement] The Unfinished Swan (TBA). Video. http://giantsparrow.com/games/swan/
Week 10 – Super Columbine Massacre RPG! Oct 18 – SCMRPG Super Columbine Massacre RPG! (PC, 2005). Danny Ledonne. http://www.columbinegame.com/download.htm “Artist's Statement: A Meditation on Super Columbine Massacre RPG!.” Columbinegame. http://www.columbinegame.com/statement.htm Costickyan, Greg. “Super Columbine Massacre.” Man!festo Games. http://www.manifestogames.com/supercolumbinemassacre
Oct 20 – SMRPG, Waco Resurrection Waco Resurrection. (Torque, 2003). C-Level, Eddo Stern. http://www.eddostern.com/waco_resurrection.html – Artist's Documentation http://wacoresurrection.com/ - Additional Documentation http://www.mwwilson.net/files/projects/waco/ - NBC Interview Suematsu, Dyske. (2003). “Understanding the Medium of the Video Game.” Rhizome. http://rhizome.org/discuss/view/10828
ACT IV – ART GAMES VS PRODUCTION Week 11 – Braid Nov 1 - Braid Braid (PC/Mac, 2009). Jonathan Blow, Steam. Blow, Jonathan. (2008). “Conflicts in Game Design.” Lecture, Montreal International Game Summit. http://braid-game.com/news/?p=385 Iroquois Pliskin. (2010). “Iroquois Pliskin on Braid.” From “Artgame Sessions.” GDC Lecture, 2010. http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1012249/Artgame Bissell, Tom. (2010). “Braided.” Extra Lives. New York: Pantheon Books. Banana Pepper Martinis. (2009). “ZA Critique: Braid.” PopMatters. http://www.popmatters.com/pm/post/68949-za-critique-braid/ AH 3000-004 ART HISTORY OF VIDEOGAMES 8/10
Nov 3 – Braid Borges, Jorge Luis. “The Interloper.” The Intruder. (Java, 1999). Natalie Bookchin. http://bookchin.net/intruder/index.html
Week 12 – Team Ico Nov 15 – Ico http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThfWezaxPV0 – Ico Intro http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZOB84oMozc – Ico Rescue of Yorda http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkcPkcAsKNI – Feather Trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM8oHUZLbxk – ICO Trailer 2 In-class playtest – Bridge Sequence [and/or videos] Rogers, Tim. 25.Oct.2005. “Shadow of the Colossus.” Insert Credit. 25.Nov.2008. http://www.insertcredit.com/reviews/wanda/ PAPER 2 DUE Nov 17 – Shadow of the Colossus “Beauty of the Beast.” (2005). Edge. http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps2/367472-ico/faqs/29015 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sS_rHO6Vjc – Intro Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DG4Hn94VzrE – Intro Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o47_1wbb5nU – First Colossus In-class playtest – Colossus 5, Wandering the World, Final Colossus [or video of]
ACT V – ART GAMES AS PERFORMANCE AND ACTIVISM Week 14 – Performance Nov 22 – The Fluxus Movement Wikipedia. (2010). “Fluxus.” Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluxus Bukoff, Allen. (2006). Fluxus Portal for the Internet. http://www.fluxus.org/ PAPER 3 DUE Week 15 – Performance/Activism Nov 29 – In-Game Performance dead-in-iraq (2006-ongoing). Joseph Delappe. (Documentation) http://www.unr.edu/art/delappe/gaming/dead_in_iraq/dead_in_iraq%20jpegs.html Clarren, Rebecca. (2006). “Virtually Dead in Iraq.” Salon. http://www.unr.edu/art/delappe/gaming/dead_in_iraq/dead_in_iraq%20jpegs.html Velvet Strike. (2002). Anne-Marie Schleiner. http://www.opensorcery.net/velvet-strike/ AH 3000-004 ART HISTORY OF VIDEOGAMES 9/10
Schleiner, Anne-Marie. “About.” Velvet Strike, Open-Sorcery. http://www.opensorcery.net/velvet-strike/about.html Bilal, Wafaa. Domestic Tension. http://www.wafaabilal.com/html/domesticTension.html (Watch a video) Dec 1 – Antiwar Games Lee, Shuen-shing. (2003). “'I Lose, Therefore, I Think': A Search for Contemplation amid Wars of Push-Button Glare.” Game Studies. Vol. 3:2. http://www.gamestudies.org/0302/lee/ September 12th. (Flash, 2003). Newsgaming. http://www.newsgaming.com/games/index12.htm Madrid. (Flash, 2004). Newsgaming. http://www.newsgaming.com/games/madrid/ . Kabul Kaboom! (Flash, 2001). Gonzalo Frasca. http://ludology.typepad.com/games/kabulkaboom.html Giant Tank. (Scratch, 2008). Devin Monnens. (Download and read artist's statement). http://www.deserthat.com/html/game_design/digital/giant_tank.html Week 16 – Brenda Brathwaite Dec 6 – Train Brathwaite, Brenda. (2010) “Train (or How I Dumped Electricity and Learned to Love Design).” Lecture, Game Developers Conference http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1012259/Train-(or-How-I-Dumped Monnens, Devin. (2010). “Tactility and Ambiguity – The Mechanics and Message behind Train.” Desert Hat. http://deserthat.wordpress.com/2010/03/08/tactility-and-ambiguity-the-mechanics- and-message-behind-train/
Dec 8 – Summing it All Up
Week 17 – Finals TBA AH 3000-004 ART HISTORY OF VIDEOGAMES 10/10
Course Policies University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Academic Honor Code: Students are to submit only their own work for evaluation, to acknowledge the work and conclusions of others, and to do nothing that would provide an unfair advantage in their academic efforts. See also http://www.uccs.edu/~dos/studentconduct/index.html
Students with Disabilities: Students with disabilities are to provide a letter of accommodation within the first two weeks of class. Please contact the Disability Services Office, Main Hall 105, 262-3354, [email protected]
Military Service: If you are a military student with the potential of being called to military service/training, please notify me and review the Military Students website: http://www.uccs.edu/~military/
Tolerance: All students in my class are expected to treat their fellow students and course subject matter with respect and tolerance, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, or held beliefs. Our course material includes subject matter related to these topics, and you will treat it respectfully as befitting adults in an academic environment. If you are unable to meet any of these requirements, you will be asked to leave.
Attendance Policy: You are allowed to miss only ONE class, no questions asked. You will lose a half letter grade for each class missed beyond the first, unless an emergency occurs (death in the family, illness, etc.) and you provide proof of emergency. EXCEPTION: Prior knowledge of medical, religious, military, or major work conflicts pre-coordinated with me for the impacted session(s).
Tardies and early departures are also disruptive to the class. If you must arrive late or leave early for schedule conflicts, let me know before the class session or contact me before or after class in the first two weeks.
Students who miss class are responsible for all material covered in that session. Collect or copy the missed lecture from a fellow student.
Cell Phones and Electronic Devices: Please deactivate all cell phones and other electronic devices before and during class. If you require a cell phone for emergency purposes, please set it to vibrate only and see me before class. Laptops and other devices for note taking are exempt.
Late Assignments: Late assignments will lose one letter grade if turned in by the next class session. Assignments turned in after the next class session from when they were due will NOT be accepted, excepting emergencies stated in the Attendance Policy. You may not work on your assignments during class.
Neatness and Legibility of Assignments: All text must be type-written in Size-12, Times New Roman font. Additionally, assignments must be legible, or they will not be accepted. I will not accept digital or handwritten assignments.
Changes to the Syllabus: This syllabus may change at the instructor's discretion at any time during the semester to better accommodate the class. Changes will be posted to the course blog, criticalgamestudies.wordpress.com