Games, Play and Media

This module presents students with the opportunity to put critical theories and concepts into practice through co-designing a video game pitch and engaging in the gamification of classroom activities. Topics on this module include such themes as:

• Theories and concepts of gamification and its impact on contemporary media, between the real and the virtual
• The function of video games as hybrid digital media, and how they combine code, visual meaning, and interactive game design
• Understanding games in relation to playful media,
• Meta-gaming, and Ludification
• Ludefaction and Resistant Play
• A history of urban play – analogue and digital play in the city
• Indie games and alternative stories – gender, race, sexuality, ethnicity
• Gamergate and the politics of game design
• How mainstream video games are designed and marketed