Course syllabus

Well-being always comes first                   We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling.    There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page, which has links to                                             various support services in the University and the wider community.

 

This course explores the video game as an interactive experience, multimedia artform and social phenomenon. A major component of the contemporary media landscape, video games prompt us to think about play and simulation, interfaces and algorithms, immersion and distraction, and freedom and control. 

How do games reshape our experience of story, space and time? How do they allow us to inhabit other identities and imagine other worlds? How do they channel and constrain our actions? How do they function as tools for persuasion, resistance and communal interaction? In this course, students will reflect on their own gameplay in relation to theoretical concepts and cultural debates. The course is designed not only for those familiar with video games, but also for anyone wanting to explore this vital area of digital culture.

Lectures: Wednesday, 11am-1pm, Bldg 405, Rm 470
Course Convenor: Dr Allan Cameron | allan.cameron@auckland.ac.nz | Office hr: Thursday 1-2pm HSB 535
GTAs:
Ben Hall | bhal932@aucklanduni.ac.nz | Office hr: Wednesday 2-3PM, HSB 528
Amy Taylor | atay811@aucklanduni.ac.nz | Office hr: Tuesday, 3-4pm, HSB 525
Tuākana mentor: Kaitiaki Rodger | krdo200@aucklanduni.ac.nz
Class reps: Sam Van Belle (212) | svan799@aucklanduni.ac.nz |  Xin-Yi Carter (328) | xcar652@aucklanduni.ac.nz
Students' Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1745182855619472

OUTCOMES
By the end of the course, you should be able to:

• Outline the distinctive features of the video game as a medium
• Analyse the formal and structural workings of individual video games
• Demonstrate critical understanding of key theoretical debates regarding the form, function and significance of video games
• Analyse the ethical and political dimensions of video game texts and contexts
• Communicate analytical and creative perspectives on video games through formal and informal modes of expression

DELIVERY FORMAT

• 1 x 2hr lecture
• 1 x 1hr tutorial (tutorials start in Week 2)

WORKLOAD

This course is a standard 15 point course; students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in. For this course, you can expect 2 hours of lectures, a 1 hour tutorial, 3 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 4 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.

ASSESSMENT

1. Weekly Quiz: 10% | multichoice questions relating to the topic/ readings
   Due: Wednesdays, 10am,  Weeks 2-11
2. Weekly Reflection: 10% | discussion post (100-200 words) 
   Due: Wednesdays, 10am,  Weeks 2-11
3. Creative Exercise: 15% | 750-900 words or equivalent 
   Due: Friday 18 September, 5pm
4. Research Essay: 25% | 1250 words (MEDIA 212) or 1500 words (MEDIA 328)
   Due: Monday 19 October, 5pm
5. Examination: 40% (Date TBC)

Your overall course mark is the sum of your assignments and participation marks. There is no plussage on this paper. A total of 50% (C-) is the minimum pass mark.

LECTURE OUTLINE/ REQUIRED READING

The following schedule may be subject to minor alterations. Any changes will be announced in lectures and posted on Canvas.

1. Studying Games.   Wed 29 Jul
   Jagoda, Patrick. “Videogame Criticism and Games in the Twenty-First Century.” American Literary History 29(1): 2017. 205-218 
   Aarseth, Espen. “Playing Research: Methodological Approaches to Game Analysis.” Game Approaches / Spil-Veje. Papers from Spilforskning.dk Conference. Aalborg: Aalborg University, 2004.
2. Play and Interactivity.  Wed 5 Aug
   Salen, Katie and Eric Zimmerman. “Defining Games.” Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press, 2004. 70–84.
   Landay, Lori. “Interactivity.” The Routledge Companion to Video Game Studies. Ed. Mark J. P. Wolf and Bernard Perron. New York: Routledge, 2014. 173-184.
3. Ludology vs Narratology.  Wed 12 Aug
   Juul, Jesper. “Games Telling Stories? A Brief Note on Games and Narratives.” Game Studies 1(1): 2001.. 
   Jenkins, Henry. “Game Design as Narrative Architecture.” First Person: New Media as Story, Performance, and Game. Ed. Noah Wardrip-Fruin and Pat Harrigan. Cambridge MA: MIT Press, 2004. 118–130.
4. Spaces and Worlds.  Wed 19 Aug
   Tavinor, Grant. “Stepping into Fictional Worlds”. The Art of Videogames. Malden MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. 61-85.
5. Thinking with Games. Wed 26 Aug
   Costikyan, Greg. “I Have No Words & I Must Design: Toward a Critical Vocabulary for Games.” Proceedings of Computer Games and Digital Cultures Conference. Ed. Frans Mäyrä. Tampere: Tampere University Press, 2002. 9-33. 
6. Players, Avatars, Identity.  Wed 2 Sep
   Gish, Harrison. "Grand Theft Auto V: Avatars." How to Play Video Games. Ed. Matthew Thomas Payne and Nina B. Huntemann. New York: New York University Press, 2019. 36-43.
   Waggoner, Zach. “Videogames, Avatars, and Identity: A Brief History.” My Avatar My Self: Identity in Video Role-Playing Games. Jefferson NC: McFarland, 2009. 3–21.
   CREATIVE EXERCISE DUE: Friday 18 September, 5pm  |   MID-SEMESTER BREAK: 7 – 18 September
7. Gender.   Wed 23 Sep
   MacCallum-Stewart, Esther. “’Take That, Bitches!’: Refiguring Lara Croft in Feminist Game Narratives.” Game Studies 14(2): 2014.
   Murray, Soraya. "The Last of Us: Masculinity." How to Play Video Games. Ed. Matthew Thomas Payne and Nina B. Huntemann. New York: New York University Press, 2019. 101-09.
8. Community and Culture.  Wed 30 Sep
   Taylor, T.L. “Pushing the Borders: Player Participation and Game Culture.” Structures of Participation in Digital Culture. Ed. Joe Karaganis. Brooklyn NY: Social Science Research Council, 2007. 112-130. 
   Newman, James. “Minecraft: User-Generated Content.” How to Play Video Games. Ed. Matthew Thomas Payne and Nina B. Huntemann. New York: New York University Press, 2019. 277-84.
9. Violence and Morality. Wed 7 Oct
   Hayse, Mark. “Ethics” The Routledge Companion to Video Game Studies. Ed. Mark J. P. Wolf and Bernard Perron. New York: Routledge, 2014. 466-74.
   Sicart, Miguel. "Papers, Please: Ethics." How to Play Video Games. Ed. Matthew Thomas Payne and Nina B. Huntemann. New York: New York University Press, 2019. 149-56.
   
10. Procedural Rhetoric. Wed 14 Oct
    Bogost, Ian. “The Rhetoric of Video Games.” The Ecology of Games. Ed. Katie Salen. Cambridge MA: MIT Press, 2007. 117–140.
    RESEARCH ESSAY DUE: Monday 19 Oct, 5pm
    
11. Control and Counterplay.  Wed 21 Oct
    Galloway, Alexander. “Countergaming.” Gaming: Essays on Algorithmic Culture. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2006. 107–126.
    Newman, James. “Superplay, Sequence Breaking and Speedrunning.” Playing with Videogames. Oxford: Routledge, 2008. 123-148. 
12. Recap/Exam Prep.  Wed 28 Oct
    FINAL EXAM: Date TBC. Please check your exam timetable.

TUTORIALS

You are expected to actively participate in one tutorial per week. Each tutorial provides the opportunity for students to discuss the previous work’s lecture and reading material, and to prepare for the assignments and the exam. You are encouraged to ask questions, to venture opinions, and to formulate and debate ideas. As university students you are expected to demonstrate intellectual curiosity about the media and engage seriously with the issues examined in the lectures and assigned reading. Please note that tutorials are a place for everyone to express their ideas in a collegial and respectful environment. Each week a  Quiz and Reflection Exercise will be posted on Canvas to guide you in your preparation before class. You must complete the online exercise before each tutorial (Week 2-12). 

GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTS

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) provide intellectual, administrative and personal support to students and act as their advocates in the final examiners’ meeting for the course. In tutorials, GTAs facilitate discussion about the lectures, readings, and assignments, and they answer questions about course-related matters. They direct students to relevant resources, assess student work and hold office hours for student consultation. Please note that GTAs are appointed on a part-time basis and are not usually available outside their office hours, except by appointment.

GTAs will not read complete drafts of papers, but if asked, they offer advice on ideas, research plans and, in some instances, on small sections of prose. For more extensive help with writing please consult one of the resources listed in Additional Learning Support.

If you have any queries or concerns about the course, you should contact your GTA in the first instance.If an issue remains unresolved, then contact the convenor. Lecturers and GTAs will not be available to go over material covered in classes that you have missed. 

LIBRARIES AND LEARNING SERVICES (LLS)
The University of Auckland Libraries and Learning Services (LLS)Links to an external site. includes the General LibraryLinks to an external site. and the Kate Edger Information CommonsLinks to an external site.. All items held by the Library; encyclopaedias, books, online journals, DVDs etc. are recorded in the Library catalogueLinks to an external site.. Multiple copies of the required films and media texts for this course are available to view at the library. However, do not assume that there will always be a copy waiting for you to use, particularly close to assignment deadlines.

Learning Support
The Libraries and Learning Services (LLS) Learning and Teaching Development Team Links to an external site. provides online resources and advice for students to develop academic skills (finding information, writing, referencing). Support offered also includes the following:

• English Language EnrichmentLinks to an external site. (ELE) provides students with English language development opportunities.
• Inclusive LearningLinks to an external site. offers learning assessments, recommendations for special exam conditions and academic development opportunities to students with specific learning and/or other invisible disabilities. To access Inclusive Learning’ services please register with Student Disability ServicesLinks to an external site. first.
• Te Fale PouāwhinaLinks to an external site. offers face-to-face learning opportunities for Māori and Pacific students including workshops, study groups, wānanga/fono and advisory sessions.
• See also: Getting started toolkitLinks to an external site.; Searching for informationLinks to an external site.; Writing and presentingLinks to an external site.; ReferencingLinks to an external site.; WorkshopsLinks to an external site.

Assignment Help Drop-in Sessions (General Library, Level G, Monday – Friday, 12 – 2pm)
From week three students can ask for advice on finding information, writing and referencing. Students can drop-in any time between 12pm and 2pm, on their own or with a friend.

DELNA (Diagnostic English Language Needs Assessment)
http://www.delna.auckland.ac.nz/Links to an external site.
The University DELNA programme is designed to assist students by providing a profile of their abilities that can then be used as a basis for their further development of academic skills.

PRESENTATION OF COURSEWORK

You will lose marks for your assignments if you fail to meet the following instructions:

• Type your work
• Use a plain, 12 pt font
• Double-spaceyour writing
• Allow a 1-inch left and right marginfor the marker’s comments
• Keep electronic and hard copies of your assignments as backup

ACADEMIC REFERENCING.Citing source material is an essential academic and research skill. All coursework assignments require full citation of references, including full titles, page numbers, and publication details. You must reference the sources from which you have taken ideas, arguments and/or specific quotations. For this course you must use the MLA referencing style. Please consult one or both of the following websites for information on referencing:

Referencite:        http://cite.auckland.ac.nz/Links to an external site.
OWL MLA Guide:   http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ (Links to an external site.)

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY OF COURSEWORK

Please visit the following web page to learn about the University's guidelines and policies on academic honesty and plagiarism: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/about/teaching-learning/academic-integrity.htmlLinks to an external site.

Plagiarism is committed when you fail to indicate clearly your use of other people’s ideas, facts, research, information etc. You must acknowledge sources. Anything that is the work of another student, a lecturer, a published author, on the Internet, in the newspaper etc., must be fully referenced. 

The University of Auckland regards plagiarism as a serious form of cheating. Such academic misconduct may result in a mark of zeroand the assignment being withheld. The most serious cases may result in suspension or expulsion from the University and/or a fine. All students in this course are required to submit their coursework assignments through turnitin.com, software designed to reveal the direct and paraphrased use of published material.

All cases of plagiarism will be brought before the Department’s Disciplinary Committee. Cases of plagiarism will remain in the Department’s records and may be passed on to other departments at the University of Auckland.

SUBMISSION OF COURSEWORK 

Electronic submission of assignments via Canvas is the only way student work will be officially received, dated and recorded.

Please make note of the deadline (a time and a date are both specified). Assignments received after the specified time will be treated as late.

Please check to ensure that you have successfully submitted your assignment, and retain copiesof any work submitted. You must not submit assignments to a GTA or lecturer.

DEADLINES, EXTENSIONS AND LATE PENALTIES 

Deadlines for coursework are non-negotiable. In extreme circumstances, such as illness, you may seek an extension but you will require a doctor’s certificate. Extensions must be personally negotiated with your Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) at least two days before the assignment is due.  All late assignments will be penalised ONE MARK PER DAY.  

VERY LATE ASSIGNMENTS

An assignment handed in after the marked assignments have been returned to students, but before the end of the teaching semester will not be marked. However, it may be used for consideration of final marks. It is better to hand in a late assignment by the end of the teaching semester than no assignment at all.