Czech

Not applicable.

Filozofická fakulta (FF MU)

In this course students will learn:
- to characterize the historical development of thinking about computer games and describe the stages of the emergence of this medium
- to define and analyze the basic specific elements of computer game media
- to use key concepts created and applied within the field of game studies (eg immersion, flow, procedural rhetoric, etc.)
- to analyze computer game media from several general scientific perspectives (gaming psychology, philosophy, aesthetics, narratology, ideology research).

An ability to read texts written in English.

Not applicable.

Lectures combined with discussions on topics discussed and on reading preps. During the course, students are required to read the compulsory literature on a regular basis and to prepare for discussions held within hours.

The final grade will be based on the evaluation of two texts - a short text (1-2 "normed" pages) that the students will prepare during the semester, and a final text, with a range of 8 to 10 normed pages. This final text may be either a more general reflection on some of the topics discussed during the semester (e.g. feminist analysis of games, history of the RPG genre, etc.), or an analysis of the particular game chosen by student. Assessment criteria of the final text are: the formal aspects (work with resources, style), argumentation (its logic and persuasiveness) and the originality of its own insights. The grade will be the sum of the short text (30%) and the final text (70%).

History of Computer Games:
- development of media from the 1950s to the present
- the relationship between computer and classic games
- game genres development
- intertextual and intermedia links and influences
- cultural status and legitimation of games

What is a computer game; game studies emergence:
- definition of games
- game philosophy (Huizinga, Caillois, Sutton-Smith, Sicart, etc.)
- game studies emergence and areas of its interest
- ludology vs. naratology

Game aesthetics - game elements and their effects on players 1:
- game mechanics
- flow
- immersion
- game space
- visuality of games
- game kinaesthetics

Game aesthetics - game elements and their effects on players 2:
- narration
- procedural rhetoric
- self-reflexivity of games
- avatar
- game themes

Technique, production, distribution:
- game economics, gaming industry
- AAA games vs. independent games
- history of game technology
- institutional history

Research (culture and psychology) of players:
- psychology, sociology, (auto) player ethnography
- player typology
- question of dependence
- positive cognitive and therapeutic effects of games
- MMO games as a specific phenomenon
- gaming paratext and player fan practices (letsplaye, cheat, etc.)

Games and society:
- representation of minorities and gender in games
- violence and war games
- games and history representations
- political, educational and generally serious games

Not applicable.

The course aims at familiarizing students with the main areas of computer game studies. Although game studies are a young science field (their emergence dates back to 2001), several steady currents of research were established already that will be introduce through the course (eg game narratology, psychological, feminist and ideological researches, philosophy of games, etc.).

Compulsory attendance (how many lessons can be missed will be specified in the beginning of the semester).

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Aarseth, E. 1997. Cybertext: Perspectives on Ergodic Literature. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Art. Bristol: Intellect.
Bogost, I. 2006. Comparative Video Game Criticism. In Games And Culture 2006 1:41.
Bogost, I. 2006. Unit Operations. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Bogost, I. 2006. Unit Operations. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Bogost, I. 2008. Persuasive Games. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Caillois, R. 1998. Hry a lidé. Praha: Nakladatelství studia Ypsilon.
Comprehensive Review of the Current Literature in Vorderer, P. – Jennings, B. (eds.) 2006) Playing Video Games: Motives,
Csíkszentmihályi, M. 1991. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Harper.
Článek o Everquest: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1899420.stm
Ebert, R. Game vs. Art. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070721/COMMENTARY/70721001
Eskelinen, M. 2001. The Gaming Situation, in Game Studies 01/2001. www.gamestudies.org/0101/eskelinen.
Fernandéz-Vara, C. 2008. Shaping Players Experience in Adventure Games. (nepublikováno)
Frasca, G. 2003. Ludologists love stories, too: notes from a debate that never took place.
Friedman, T. 1999. Semiotics of Sim City. http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue4_4/friedman/index.html
Galloway, A. R. 2006. Gaming: Essays On Algorithmic Culture. Minneapolis: University Of Minnesota Press.
Gee, J. P. 2005. Why video games are good for your soul: pleasure and learning. Altona: Common Ground Publishing.
Hawisher, G. - Selfe, C. (eds.) Gaming Lives In the Twenty-First Century: Literate Connections,
http://web.mit.edu/cms/People/henry3/games&narrative.html.
http://www.gamestudies.org/0202/kennedy/ (k dispozici je i český překlad)
Huizinga, J. 2000. Homo ludens: o původu kultury ve hře. Praha: Dauphin.
Hunicke, M. et al. MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research.
Chaplin, H. – Ruby, A. 2006. Smartbomb: The Quest for Art, Entertainment, and Big Bucks in the Videogame Revolution.
Jenkins, H. 2004. Game Design as Narrative Architecture in Wardrip-Fruin, N. – Pat Harrigan (eds.) First Person: New
Juul, J. 2005. Half-Real: Video Games Between Real Rules and Fictional Worlds. Cambridge: The MIT Press.
Juul, J. 2007. A Certain Level of Abstraction. In Situated Play: DiGRA 2007 Conference Proceedings, Baba, A., ed. DiGRA Japan
Kennedy, H. 2002. Lara Croft: Feminist Icon or Cyberbimbo. On the Limits of Textual Analysis, in Game Studies 02/2002.
Klevjer, R. 2008. Avatar. (disertace). http://folk.uib.no/smkrk/docs/RuneKlevjer_What%20is%20the
Lakoff, G. - Johnson, M. 2002. Metafory, kterými žijeme. Brno: Host.
Lamoureux, M. 8-Bit Primitive: A Hommage to Atari 2600 in Compton, S. (ed.) 2004. Gamers. New York: Soft Skull Press.
Lee, K. M. – Peng, W. 2006. What Do We Know About Social and Psychological Effects of Computer Games? A
Levy, S. 1984. Hackers. New York: Double Day.
Lowood, H. 2005. High Performance Play: The Making Of Machinima in Clarke, A. – Mitchell, G. (eds.). Videogames and
Lowood, H. 2006. A Brief Biography Of Computer Games. In in Vorderer, P. – Bryant, J. (eds.) Playing Video Games:
Media as Story, Performance, Game. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Motives, Responses, and Consequences. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Murray, J. 1999. Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace. Cambridge: MIT Press.
New York: Algonquin Books.
Newman, J. 2004. Video Games. London: Routledge.
Nieborg, D. 2009. Political Economy of Video Games. (disertace)
Poole, S. 2004. Trigger Happy. London: Fourth Estate.
Responses and Consequences. N
Responses, and Consequences. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum. dmitriwilliams.com/WilliamsSocHist.doc
Rossignol, J. 2008. This Gaming Life. Digital Culture Books.
Tolkien, J.R.R. On fairy stories.
Úryvky z knihy Grand Theft Childhood: http://www.grandtheftchildhood.com/GTC/Excerpts/Excerpts.html
Williams, D. 2006. A Brief Social History Of Gameplay. In in Vorderer, P. – Bryant, J. (eds.) Playing Video Games: Motives,
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Not applicable.