MEVIT2725 – Video Games: Aesthetics, Industry and Culture

Course content

Video games are one of the most popular and most important modern cultural forms and entertainment media, and offer a wide variety of content, genres and forms of interaction and participation. This course is a comprehensive introduction to video games’ technological and aesthetic forms of expression, and industrial and cultural contexts. How are games similar to and different from other media? What are the most important developments in game history, and what are their impact on games, game development and society? How do we analyze, interpret and understand games? How do games explore, reflect and challenge culture through representations of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, ethics, politics and ideology? What are the central possibilities and challenges for contemporary game industry and game culture?

In this course, you learn about theories, terms, concepts and models from game studies and game design literature. You learn to analyze and interpret structure, content, meaning and interaction in different types of video games and to discuss critically the game industry and game culture. You will practice the ability to convey academic and professional knowledge about video games in discussions, presentations and in writing. The co