294 S21 O'Gorman

University of Waterloo

Department of English Language and Literature

ENGL 294-01

Introduction to Game Studies

Spring Term, 2021

Remote Classroom with Weekly Meeting Wednesdays 3:00-4:30 p.m.

Instructor Information 

Instructor: Marcel O’Gorman

Office: HH 225

Office Phone: x32946

Office Hours: by appointment

Email: marcel@uwaterloo.ca

Course Description 

The UW Course Calendar describes ENGL 294 as follows: “This course introduces students to the field of humanities-based game studies. Topics may include the debate between ludological (rules-based) and narratological (story-based) approaches, procedural studies, platform and software studies, gamification, games and adaptation studies, and games as rhetorical objects.” In this offering of ENGL 294, we will read about and discuss all of these subjects, in addition to playing games, making games, and critiquing games both individually and in gameplay groups. We are fortunate to have this course coincide with the International Conference on Games and Narrative, which students will be able to attend, but our primary focus will be on critical gaming, games designed with a specific critical purpose in mind. These are sometimes called “serious games,” “newsgames,” “persuasive games,” “social impact games,” or “purposeful games.” The final group project involves the design and development critical games that implement what we have learned throughout the semester.

Course Goals and Learning Outcomes     

This course introduces students to the field of Game Studies and provides a specific focus on critical games, critical gameplay, and critical game design. Students will gain strategies for thinking and writing critically about games, while fostering a more inclusive environment for gameplay. They will also gain basic skills in game design.

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

A. Analyze a game critically:

• Apply theories of game mechanics and narrative to a written analysis.
• Apply intersectional theories (race, gender, etc.) to a written analysis. B. Understand and implement critical game design:
  • Describe the types of critical game design.
  • Design a simple critical game.

Required Texts

• Aschoff, Nicole. The Smartphone Society: Technology, Power and Resistance in the New Gilded Age. New York: Beacon Press, 2021. (UW Book Store)
• Flanagan, Mary and Helen Nissenbaum. Values at Play in Digital Games. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2014. 
• Grace, Lindsay D.. Doing Things with Games : Social Impact Through Play, Taylor & Francis Group, 2019. ProQuest Ebook Central. (UW Library)
• Gray, Kishonna. Intersectional Tech: Black Users in Digital Gaming. Baton Rouge, LA: LSU                 Press, 2020. ProQuest Ebook Central. (UW Library)

Readings Available on LEARN or open access on Web   

• Axonify. “Axonify Gamification.” http://axonify.com/gamification
• Bogost, Ian. “Gamification Is Bullshit.” The Atlantic, August 9, 2011. http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/08/gamification-is-bullshit/243338/
• Brey, Betsy, E. Deshane, Matthew Perks and Jason Lajoie. “I Dream of Dream Daddies.” First Person Scholar March 2, 2018. http://www.firstpersonscholar.com/first-person-podcast-episode-26/
• Brigham Young University. "Is video game addiction real?"  ScienceDaily, 13 May 2020. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200513143803.htm
• Brignull, Harry. How Dark Patterns Trick You Online. Video. https://youtu.be/kxkrdLI6e6M
• Caillois, Roger. Man, Play and Games. University of Illinois Press, 2001. 
• Csíkszentmihályi, Mihály. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Harper &  Row, 1990.
• Deterding, Sebastian et al. “From game design elements to gamefulness: defining "gamification." MindTrek '11 Proceedings of the 15th International Academic MindTrek  Conference: Envisioning Future Media Environments, pp.9-15, ACM, New York, 2011
• Dunckley, Victoria L. “This Is Your Child’s Brain on Video Games.” Psychology Today September 25, 2016. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mental-wealth/201609/is-your-childsbrain-video-games
• Farman, Jason. “Creative Misuse as Resistance.” Surveillance and Society 12:3 (2014) . 
• http://library.queensu.ca/ojs/index.php/surveillance-and-society/article/view/misuse/misuses 
• Hern, Alex and Rob Davies. “Video Game Loot Boxes Should be Classified as Gambling.” The Guardian September 12, 2019. https://www.theguardian.com/games/2019/sep/12/video-game-loot-boxes-should-be-classedas-gambling-says-commons
• Huizinga, John. Chapter 1. Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play-Element in Culture. London: Routledge, 1949. 
• Jenkins, Henry. “Game Design as Narrative Architecture.” Electronic Book Review, July 10, 2004. http://www.electronicbookreview.com/thread/firstperson/lazzi-fair 
• Lapensée, Elizabeth. “Video Games Encourage Indigenous Cultural Expression.” The Conversation, March 21, 2017.
• Madigan, Jamie. “The Psychology of Immersion in Video Games.” Gamasutra. August 25, 2010. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/120720/Analysis_The_Psychology_of_Immersion_in_Vi deo_Games.php
• Peckham, Eric. “Confronting Racial Bias in Video Games.” TechCrunch June 21, 2020. https://techcrunch.com/2020/06/21/confronting-racial-bias-in-video-games/
• Ratan, R. A., N. Taylor, J. Hogan, T. Kennedy, and D. Williams. "Stand by Your Man: An  Examination of Gender Disparity in League of Legends." Games and Culture. 2015.
• Romana, Aja. “What We Still Haven’t Learned from Gamergate.” Vox January 7, 2021. https://www.vox.com/culture/2020/1/20/20808875/gamergate-lessons-cultural-impactchanges-harassment-laws
• Ruberg, Bonnie. Video Games Have Always Been Queer. New York, NY: New York University Press, 2019. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/Waterloo/detail.action?docID=5703270.
• Sample, Mark. “Location Is Not Compelling (Until It Is Haunted).” The Mobile Story: Narrative Practices with Locative Technologies. Ed. Mark Sample. New York: Routledge, 2013.
• Sicart, Miguel. “Newsgames: Theory and Design”, in Entertainment Computing – ICEC 2008. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, November 2008, pp. 27-33.
• Yang, Grace S., et. Al. “Effects of Avatar Race in Violent Video Games on Racial Attitudes and Aggression.” Social Psychological and Personality Science 2014 5: 698.

Games

This is a partial list of games and where to access them. Note that many games discussed in course readings are no longer available. In such a case, students are asked to do independent research, watch walkthroughs, and examine screen shots.

• Choose Your Own Adventure: Renting! https://www.vice.com/en/article/9ke547/choose-your-own-adventure-renting-in-london
• Collossal Cave Adventure https://grack.com/demos/adventure/
• Coming Out On Top https://store.steampowered.com/app/642090/Coming_Out_on_Top/
• Custer’s Revenge
• Depression Quest http://youtube.com/watch?v=IUsGXfqHWTQ
• Dys4ia http://www.digiart21.org/art/dys4ia
• Dream Daddy https://store.steampowered.com/app/654880/Dream_Daddy_A_Dad_Dating_Simulator/
• Flappy Bird https://flappybird.io/
• Flow https://thatgamecompany.com/flow/
• Gone Home https://gonehome.com/
• Invaders http://survivance.org/invaders/
• Never Alone http://neveralonegame.com/game/
• Pipe Trouble https://pipetrouble.com/
• September 12 http://www.newsgaming.com/games/index12.htm
• Steer Through the Suez Canal https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2021/03/cnnix-steership/

Course Requirements and Assessment

Playlog          

Students will maintain an individual playlog in LEARN to document the games they have played over the course of the term. Each entry should be 2 to 3 paragraphs long, explain the game’s mechanics and narrative, and serve as a well-informed documentation of your experience playing the game. Recommended games are posted on the syllabus for each week of class, but students can log other games that they find relevant to course topics. For full points, students must document the playing of at least FOUR games listed on different weeks of the syllabus (2% for each entry), and each entry must contain a thoughtful reference to at least one course reading. In addition, students must log the playing of at least ONE online game with their assigned gaming group (2%). In the case where some games on the syllabus are no longer playable, students can watch footage or observe screen shots and write their entry based on this information. Playlogs can be submitted at any time throughout the term, and they will be graded on June 2 (to provide early feedback) and August 4.

Discussion Forum

Students are invited to contribute to the weekly Discussion Form on LEARN. Each week, a new prompt will be posted in reference to course readings. Contributions should be substantive and topical, but should be no longer than one or two paragraphs. For full marks, students must make an original contribution or substantive discussion response on FIVE separate weekly readings or topics (each contribution will be worth 2%). Discussion posts can be submitted at any time throughout the term, and they will be graded on June 2 (to provide early feedback) and August 4.

Keynote Speaker Report          

Students will be given access to attend the keynote speaker events of UW’s Interenational Conference on Games and Narrative < https://uwaterloo.ca/games-institute/international-conference-games-andnarrative>. This project requires you to write a report of 2000-2500 words about one of these speaker events while placing it in the context of course readings and discussions. For full grades, your report should accurately summarize the speaker’s discussion, make reference to at least 3 readings from the course and 1 reading not on the syllabus, and attend to logical organization and technical issues (spelling and grammar). Use footnotes and references according to APA Style. Feel free to use the first person perspective (“I”), rely on your own personal experiences, and write less formally than a typical research paper, as if, for exmple, you were submitting this work to a magazine about games. In fact, the most outstanding papers submitted in this class will be entered for publication by the online journal, First Person Scholar < http://www.firstpersonscholar.com/>.

Group Game Design Project          

Students will work in groups of 3 or 4 to design and develop a critical game using GameSalad <http://gamesalad.com, which will be provided for free as part of this course. The game must provoke critical reflection on topics related to “responsible innovation” as discussed in the readings for June 30 and as outlined by guest speaker, Nicole Aschoff < https://www.nicoleaschoff.com/>. The game will be graded on its playability (technical stability), success in adapting course themes through mechanics and narrative, and demonstration of an argument or specific critical stance. One grade will be assigned per group. Students will be asked to submit a game concept statement or “functional description” on July 7 (See Grace, 25; Flanagan & Nissenbaum, 86-88), a first iteration on July 14, a second iteration on July 21, and a final iteration on July 28. Groups are encouraged to set up playtesting with other student groups or with students from Professor Matt Borland’s SYDE course (more about this in class).

Game  Design Project Essay 

This essay of 5000 words must provide a documentation of the Game Design Project (see Grace, pp 2627) and situate the game within the the broad topic of critical games and gaming as covered in course readings and discussions. Would you consider this a newsgame? A persuasive game? A serious game? What’s the difference? You might compare and contrast this game to other critical games or even to film, literature or other media on the same topic. The essay must reference at least THREE readings from the syllabus and at least ONE reading from independent research. This is an individual essay.

Course Outline

Readings and games are due on the date indicated in preparation for the weekly synchronous meeting.

Late Work             

Work that is submitted late will be graded with a reduction of 10% per day. If you want an extension, and you have a good reason, do not hesitate to ask the instructor.

Institutional-required statements for undergraduate course outlines approved by Senate Undergraduate Council, April 14, 2009  Academic Integrity       

In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. Check the Office of Academic Integrity webpage for more information.

Discipline

A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid committing academic offences, and to take responsibility for their actions. Check the Office of Academic Integrity for more information. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the Undergraduate Associate Dean. When misconduct has been found to have occurred, disciplinary penalties will be imposed under Policy 71 – Student Discipline. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71 - Student Discipline. For typical penalties check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties.

Grievance

A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4. When in doubt, please be certain to contact the department’s administrative assistant who will provide further assistance.

Appeals

A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances (other than a petition) or Policy 71 - Student Discipline may be appealed if there is a ground. A student who believes they have a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72 - Student Appeals.

Note for Students with Disabilities

The AccessAbility Services office, located on the first floor of the Needles Hall extension (NH 1401), collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with the AS office at the beginning of each academic term.

Mary Flanagan, Critical Play Game Design Model

[Image Description: Photo labled "Figure 8.2" from page 257 in a book; 7 circles in a loop with arrows in between, labled: "Set design goals + Values Goals (eg. empowerment, diversity)" → "Develop rules + Tasks which support these values" → "Design for diverse play styles + Subversion" → "Develop playable prototype" → "Playtest with diverse audiences" → "verify values, revise goals" → "REPEAT" with ""Critical Play" Game Design Model" written in the middle.]