Teaching Plan Information

Presentation

This subject proposes an exploration of contemporary ludic culture and digital leisure, focusing on videogames and game studies. Both videogame creation and videogame analysis are covered throughout the course, from an encompassing sociocultural perspective, connecting videogames with other media, such as cinema, comics and board (analog) games, as well as connecting game studies with other close, intersectional academic fields, such as cultural studies, film studies and the humanities.    

The subject is based upon three blocks or axis of content: (1) the videoludic language (game design theory on videogames as an expressive medium); (2) ludo-narrative imaginaries: sociocultural, cross-media analysis of videogames and contemporary fiction; (3) contemporary videogame culture ‘in context’ (indie games and authorship; gamification and work imaginaries; gamers as social media content creators -YouTubers and streamers-; gamer identities and gender; audience and fandom).  

Associated skills

General, basic and cross-sectional competences:

To analyse the digital and emerging media, as well as the cultural phenomena around them, using a critical sociocultural perspective with suitable theoretical and methodological development.

To possess and understand knowledge that lays the groundwork or opportunity for being original in the development and/or application of ideas, often in a research context.

For students to know how to communicate their conclusions and knowledge and the ultimate reasons underpinning them to specialised and nonspecialised audiences in a clear, unambiguous way.

To develop the ability to assess inequalities on the basis of sex and gender in order to design solutions.

Specific competences:

To use the main theories, approaches and methodologies needed to analyse and assess digital culture and the emergence of new media.

To design and carry out a basic, applied or practice-based research project on the digital culture sector and the emerging media.

To analyse data obtained from applying qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods within basic or applied research.

To analyse digital culture and the emerging media and the practices associated with them, addressing their communicative, social, cultural and political dimensions.

To develop scholarly contents in different media and formats for both specialised and nonspecialised audiences

Learning outcomes

Chooses appropriate theories and methodologies to study digital culture and the emerging media.

Plans research projects with the potential to make original, relevant contributions in the corresponding academic field/subfield.

Analyses the languages of the digital and emerging media and their communicative and expressive specificities.

Uses a sociocultural perspective to analyse and interpret the texts, communicative/narrative forms and interaction formats characteristic of the digital environment and compares them appropriately with other media

Compares, categorises and critically analyses interactive productions (both fiction and nonfiction) and digital works of art of all kinds.

Identifies and analyses the different dimensions (social, cultural, political, technological) expressed and affected by the digital media and productions

Analyses and assesses the experiences and cultural practices of users and audiences in the new media environment, paying attention to the interactive-participative dimension

Defends the research orally before a specialised audience

Sustainable Development Goals

Responsible production and consumption # Industry, innovation and infrastructure # Gender equality

Prerequisites

- - -

Contents

1.- INTRODUCTION. VIDEOGAMES AS/AND CULTURE

Seven perspectives on videogames as/and culture: (1) (video)games as ‘myths’: dramatisation of ancestral human tensions and activities; (2) videogame history beyond technological evolution; (3) the videoludic language: a new expressive medium; (4) relationships with other narrative and artistic media; (5) ‘videoludification of society’: contemporary mutations and expansions of the videogame; (6) videogame cultures (in plural); (7) videogames and the social imaginary.

2.- VIDEOLUDIC LANGUAGE (A GAME DESIGN THEORY)

Videoludic language, I: expressive approaches on videogame design. Procedural rhetorics, ludo-narrative design, multimodal design. 

Videoludic language, II: engagement approaches. Key aspects of fun-oriented game design theories. Critical reflection on the engagement approaches. 

Videoludic language, III: ‘Ex/En Model’ (expression + engagement). 

3.- LUDONARRATIVE IMAGINARIES: SOCIOCULTURAL, CROSS-MEDIA ANALYSIS OF VIDEOGAMES AND CONTEMPORARY FICTION   

Rethinking the theories of the sociocultural imaginary and connecting them to videogame analysis, from an intertextual/cross-media perspective (Durand, Castoriadis, Kirkpatrick). Four theoretical/methodological approaches for the study of ludonarrative imaginaries: (1) genealogical approach (comparative analysis with age-old board games); (2) cultural studies and visual motifs; (3) paratext analysis and evolution of the imaginary; (4) affect theory.

Case studies illustrating the application of these perspectives will cover ludo-fictional imaginaries such as dystopian narratives, the Lovecraftian universe and contemporary low-key science fiction.

4.- CONTEMPORARY VIDEOGAME CULTURE IN CONTEXT 

Indiegames, AAA games and Bourdieu’s field theory. Current debates about authorship.

Gamification and work. Gamers as social media content creators (YouTubers, streamers). The role of creative workers in contemporary labour imaginaries. Social media and affective and relational labour. 

Video games culture, gamer identities and gender. Casual gaming, competitive gaming. Recent expansions of videogame culture. Audiences and fandom. Fan labour, playbour and modding. Fanfiction, real person slash and masculinities.

Teaching Methods

Theoretical lectures

Video-essays and video montages to illustrate/exemplify theoretical explanations 

Case studies whereby theoretical explanations are applied

Recommended readings, watches and gameplays

Presentations in class

Debates in class

Creation-research activities

Evaluation

Research-creation activity. In group. 60%

Brief reports linked to activities carried out in class. 20% 

Participation in class (presentations, creative activities, debates). 20% 

Bibliography and information resources

Main references:

Anable, Aubrey (2018). Playing with Feelings. Video games and Affect. Minnesota: Minnesota University Press

Bogost, Ian (2006): Persuasive Games. The expressive power of video games. Cambridge: MIT Press

Busse, Kristina (2013). The Return of the Author: Ethos and Identity Politics. In J. Gray & D. Johnson (Eds.), A Companion to Media Authorship. (pp. 48–68). Wiley Blackwell.

Castoriadis, Cornelius (1987). The Imaginary Institution of Society. Cambridge: Polity Press

Consalvo, Mia (2007). Cheating: gaining advantage in videogames. MIT Press.

Consalvo, Mia (2012). Confronting toxic gamer culture. Ada: A Journal of Gender, New Media and Technology, 1(1), 1–6.

Consalvo, Mia, & Paul, Cristopher, A. (2019). Real Games: What’s legitimate and what’s not in contemporary videogames. The MIT Press.

Fernández-Vara, Clara (2014). Introduction to Game Analysis. New York: Routledge

Frasca, Gonzalo (1999). “Ludology meets Narratology. similitude and differences between (video)games and narrative”. Online: https://ludology.typepad.com/weblog/articles/ludology.htm

Genette, Gerard (1997). Paratexts. Thresholds of interpretation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Guarriello, Nicholas Brie (2019). “Never Give up, Never Surrender: Game Live Streaming, Neoliberal Work, and Personalized Media Economies.” New Media and Society 21 (8): 1750–69. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444819831653.

Kellner, Douglas (1995). Media Culture: Cultural Studies, Identity and Politics Between the Modern and the Postmodern. London: Routledge

Kirkpatrick, Graeme (2013). Computer Games and the Social Imaginary. Cambridge: Polity Press

Muriel, Daniel and Crawford, Garry (2018). Video Games as Culture. London: Routledge

Pérez-Latorre, Óliver (2012): “From Chess to StarCraft. Comparative analysis of traditional games and videogames”. Comunicar, 38(19).

Pérez-Latorre, Óliver (2015). “The Social Discourse of Video Games: Analysis Model and Case Study - GTA IV”. Games and Culture, 10-5: 415-437

Rose, Gillian (2016): Visual Methodologies. London: Sage

Scott, Suzanne (2019). Fake Geek Girls: Fandom, Gender, and the Convergence Culture Industry. New York University Press.

Shaw, Adrienne. 2012. “Do You Identify as a Gamer? Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Gamer Identity.” New Media and Society 14 (1): 28–44. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444811410394

Tosca, Susana et al. (eds.) (2008): Understanding Videogames. The essential introduction. New York: Routledge.

Zagalo, Nelson (2019). Engagement Design. Designing for Interaction Motivations. Cham (Switzerland): Springer

Complementary references:

Anthropy, Anna (2012). Rise of the Videogame Zinesters. New York: Seven Stories

Balló, Jordi (2006): Imágenes del silencio. Los motivos visuales en el cine. Barcelona: Anagrama

Duffy, Brooke Erin, & Wissinger, Elisabeth (2017). Mythologies of creative work in the social media age: Fun, free, and “just being me.” International Journal of Communication, 11, 4652–4671.

Flanagan, Mary and Nissenbaum, Helen (2014). Values at Play in Digital Games. Boston: MIT Press

Fuchs, M., Fizek, S., Ruffino, P., & Schrape, N. (2014). Rethinking Gamification. In Rethinking Gamification. Meson Press.

Garin, Manuel (2009). “Mitojuegos. Sobre el héroe y el mito en el imaginario de Nintendo”. Comunicación, 7(1)

Huizinga, Johan (2000). Homo Ludens. A study of the play-element in culture. London: Routledge

Hutcheon, Linda (2006). A Theory of Adaptation. London: Routledge. 

Jesper Juul. (2019). Handmade Pixels: Independent video games and the quest for authenticity. The MIT Press.

Navarro-Remesal, Víctor and Pérez-Latorre, Óliver (eds.) (2022). Perspectives on the European Videogame. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press

Oliva, Mercè, Pérez-Latorre, Óliver, & Besalu, Reinald. (2018). ‘Choose, collect, manage, win!’: Neoliberalism, enterprising culture and risk society in video game covers. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 24(6), 607–622. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856516680324

Oliva, Mercè. (2021). Masterpiece! Auteurism and European Videogames. In V. Navarro-Remesal & Ó. Pérez-Latorre (Eds.), Perspectives on the European Videogame (pp. 131–150). Amsterdam University Press. https://doi.org/10.5117/9789463726221

Pérez-Latorre, Óliver and Oliva, Mercè (2017): "Video Games, Dystopia, and Neoliberalism: The Case of BioShock Infinite". Games and Culture, 14(7-8)

Pérez-Latorre, Óliver (2021). "The Devil of Emotional Gameplay is in the Details. Microanalysis of affectively complex scenarios in video games”. L'Atalante. Revista de estudios cinematográficos, 31: 71-84. 

Planells, Antonio José (2021). “The promised land in contemporary video games: a myth analysis of BioShock Infinite and Death Stranding”. L’Atalante. Revista de estudios cinematográficos, 31: 117-129

Plantinga, Carl (2009). Moving Viewers. American film and the spectator’s experience. Berkeley: University of California Press

Ruberg, Bonnie, Amanda L.L. Cullen, and Kathryn Brewster. 2019. “Nothing but a ‘Titty Streamer’: Legitimacy, Labor, and the Debate over Women’s Breasts in Video Game Live Streaming.” Critical Studies in Media Communication 36 (5): 466–81. 

Salen, Katie and Zimmerman, Eric (2004). Rules of Play: game design fundamentals. Cambridge, London: MIT Press.

Whitson, Jennifer R. (2013). Gaming the quantified self. Surveillance & Society, 11(1–2), 163–176. https://doi.org/10.1089/big.2012.0002

Teaching Plan Information

Presentation

This subject proposes an exploration of contemporary ludic culture and digital leisure, focusing on videogames and game studies. Both videogame creation and videogame analysis are covered throughout the course, from an encompassing sociocultural perspective, connecting videogames with other media, such as cinema, comics and board (analog) games, as well as connecting game studies with other close, intersectional academic fields, such as cultural studies, film studies and the humanities.    

The subject is based upon three blocks or axis of content: (1) the videoludic language (game design theory on videogames as an expressive medium); (2) ludo-narrative imaginaries: sociocultural, cross-media analysis of videogames and contemporary fiction; (3) contemporary videogame culture ‘in context’ (indie games and authorship; gamification and work imaginaries; gamers as social media content creators -YouTubers and streamers-; gamer identities and gender; audience and fandom).  

Associated skills

General, basic and cross-sectional competences:

To analyse the digital and emerging media, as well as the cultural phenomena around them, using a critical sociocultural perspective with suitable theoretical and methodological development.

To possess and understand knowledge that lays the groundwork or opportunity for being original in the development and/or application of ideas, often in a research context.

For students to know how to communicate their conclusions and knowledge and the ultimate reasons underpinning them to specialised and nonspecialised audiences in a clear, unambiguous way.

To develop the ability to assess inequalities on the basis of sex and gender in order to design solutions.

Specific competences:

To use the main theories, approaches and methodologies needed to analyse and assess digital culture and the emergence of new media.

To design and carry out a basic, applied or practice-based research project on the digital culture sector and the emerging media.

To analyse data obtained from applying qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods within basic or applied research.

To analyse digital culture and the emerging media and the practices associated with them, addressing their communicative, social, cultural and political dimensions.

To develop scholarly contents in different media and formats for both specialised and nonspecialised audiences

Learning outcomes

Chooses appropriate theories and methodologies to study digital culture and the emerging media.

Plans research projects with the potential to make original, relevant contributions in the corresponding academic field/subfield.

Analyses the languages of the digital and emerging media and their communicative and expressive specificities.

Uses a sociocultural perspective to analyse and interpret the texts, communicative/narrative forms and interaction formats characteristic of the digital environment and compares them appropriately with other media

Compares, categorises and critically analyses interactive productions (both fiction and nonfiction) and digital works of art of all kinds.

Identifies and analyses the different dimensions (social, cultural, political, technological) expressed and affected by the digital media and productions

Analyses and assesses the experiences and cultural practices of users and audiences in the new media environment, paying attention to the interactive-participative dimension

Defends the research orally before a specialised audience

Sustainable Development Goals

Responsible production and consumption # Industry, innovation and infrastructure # Gender equality

Prerequisites

- - -

Contents

1.- INTRODUCTION. VIDEOGAMES AS/AND CULTURE

Seven perspectives on videogames as/and culture: (1) (video)games as ‘myths’: dramatisation of ancestral human tensions and activities; (2) videogame history beyond technological evolution; (3) the videoludic language: a new expressive medium; (4) relationships with other narrative and artistic media; (5) ‘videoludification of society’: contemporary mutations and expansions of the videogame; (6) videogame cultures (in plural); (7) videogames and the social imaginary.

2.- VIDEOLUDIC LANGUAGE (A GAME DESIGN THEORY)

Videoludic language, I: expressive approaches on videogame design. Procedural rhetorics, ludo-narrative design, multimodal design. 

Videoludic language, II: engagement approaches. Key aspects of fun-oriented game design theories. Critical reflection on the engagement approaches. 

Videoludic language, III: ‘Ex/En Model’ (expression + engagement). 

3.- LUDONARRATIVE IMAGINARIES: SOCIOCULTURAL, CROSS-MEDIA ANALYSIS OF VIDEOGAMES AND CONTEMPORARY FICTION   

Rethinking the theories of the sociocultural imaginary and connecting them to videogame analysis, from an intertextual/cross-media perspective (Durand, Castoriadis, Kirkpatrick). Four theoretical/methodological approaches for the study of ludonarrative imaginaries: (1) genealogical approach (comparative analysis with age-old board games); (2) cultural studies and visual motifs; (3) paratext analysis and evolution of the imaginary; (4) affect theory.

Case studies illustrating the application of these perspectives will cover ludo-fictional imaginaries such as dystopian narratives, the Lovecraftian universe and contemporary low-key science fiction.

4.- CONTEMPORARY VIDEOGAME CULTURE IN CONTEXT 

Indiegames, AAA games and Bourdieu’s field theory. Current debates about authorship.

Gamification and work. Gamers as social media content creators (YouTubers, streamers). The role of creative workers in contemporary labour imaginaries. Social media and affective and relational labour. 

Video games culture, gamer identities and gender. Casual gaming, competitive gaming. Recent expansions of videogame culture. Audiences and fandom. Fan labour, playbour and modding. Fanfiction, real person slash and masculinities.

Teaching Methods

Theoretical lectures

Video-essays and video montages to illustrate/exemplify theoretical explanations 

Case studies whereby theoretical explanations are applied

Recommended readings, watches and gameplays

Presentations in class

Debates in class

Creation-research activities

Evaluation

Research-creation activity. In group. 60%

Brief reports linked to activities carried out in class. 20% 

Participation in class (presentations, creative activities, debates). 20% 

Bibliography and information resources

Main references:

Anable, Aubrey (2018). Playing with Feelings. Video games and Affect. Minnesota: Minnesota University Press

Bogost, Ian (2006): Persuasive Games. The expressive power of video games. Cambridge: MIT Press

Busse, Kristina (2013). The Return of the Author: Ethos and Identity Politics. In J. Gray & D. Johnson (Eds.), A Companion to Media Authorship. (pp. 48–68). Wiley Blackwell.

Castoriadis, Cornelius (1987). The Imaginary Institution of Society. Cambridge: Polity Press

Consalvo, Mia (2007). Cheating: gaining advantage in videogames. MIT Press.

Consalvo, Mia (2012). Confronting toxic gamer culture. Ada: A Journal of Gender, New Media and Technology, 1(1), 1–6.

Consalvo, Mia, & Paul, Cristopher, A. (2019). Real Games: What’s legitimate and what’s not in contemporary videogames. The MIT Press.

Fernández-Vara, Clara (2014). Introduction to Game Analysis. New York: Routledge

Frasca, Gonzalo (1999). “Ludology meets Narratology. similitude and differences between (video)games and narrative”. Online: https://ludology.typepad.com/weblog/articles/ludology.htm

Genette, Gerard (1997). Paratexts. Thresholds of interpretation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Guarriello, Nicholas Brie (2019). “Never Give up, Never Surrender: Game Live Streaming, Neoliberal Work, and Personalized Media Economies.” New Media and Society 21 (8): 1750–69. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444819831653.

Kellner, Douglas (1995). Media Culture: Cultural Studies, Identity and Politics Between the Modern and the Postmodern. London: Routledge

Kirkpatrick, Graeme (2013). Computer Games and the Social Imaginary. Cambridge: Polity Press

Muriel, Daniel and Crawford, Garry (2018). Video Games as Culture. London: Routledge

Pérez-Latorre, Óliver (2012): “From Chess to StarCraft. Comparative analysis of traditional games and videogames”. Comunicar, 38(19).

Pérez-Latorre, Óliver (2015). “The Social Discourse of Video Games: Analysis Model and Case Study - GTA IV”. Games and Culture, 10-5: 415-437

Rose, Gillian (2016): Visual Methodologies. London: Sage

Scott, Suzanne (2019). Fake Geek Girls: Fandom, Gender, and the Convergence Culture Industry. New York University Press.

Shaw, Adrienne. 2012. “Do You Identify as a Gamer? Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Gamer Identity.” New Media and Society 14 (1): 28–44. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444811410394

Tosca, Susana et al. (eds.) (2008): Understanding Videogames. The essential introduction. New York: Routledge.

Zagalo, Nelson (2019). Engagement Design. Designing for Interaction Motivations. Cham (Switzerland): Springer

Complementary references:

Anthropy, Anna (2012). Rise of the Videogame Zinesters. New York: Seven Stories

Balló, Jordi (2006): Imágenes del silencio. Los motivos visuales en el cine. Barcelona: Anagrama

Duffy, Brooke Erin, & Wissinger, Elisabeth (2017). Mythologies of creative work in the social media age: Fun, free, and “just being me.” International Journal of Communication, 11, 4652–4671.

Flanagan, Mary and Nissenbaum, Helen (2014). Values at Play in Digital Games. Boston: MIT Press

Fuchs, M., Fizek, S., Ruffino, P., & Schrape, N. (2014). Rethinking Gamification. In Rethinking Gamification. Meson Press.

Garin, Manuel (2009). “Mitojuegos. Sobre el héroe y el mito en el imaginario de Nintendo”. Comunicación, 7(1)

Huizinga, Johan (2000). Homo Ludens. A study of the play-element in culture. London: Routledge

Hutcheon, Linda (2006). A Theory of Adaptation. London: Routledge. 

Jesper Juul. (2019). Handmade Pixels: Independent video games and the quest for authenticity. The MIT Press.

Navarro-Remesal, Víctor and Pérez-Latorre, Óliver (eds.) (2022). Perspectives on the European Videogame. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press

Oliva, Mercè, Pérez-Latorre, Óliver, & Besalu, Reinald. (2018). ‘Choose, collect, manage, win!’: Neoliberalism, enterprising culture and risk society in video game covers. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 24(6), 607–622. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856516680324

Oliva, Mercè. (2021). Masterpiece! Auteurism and European Videogames. In V. Navarro-Remesal & Ó. Pérez-Latorre (Eds.), Perspectives on the European Videogame (pp. 131–150). Amsterdam University Press. https://doi.org/10.5117/9789463726221

Pérez-Latorre, Óliver and Oliva, Mercè (2017): "Video Games, Dystopia, and Neoliberalism: The Case of BioShock Infinite". Games and Culture, 14(7-8)

Pérez-Latorre, Óliver (2021). "The Devil of Emotional Gameplay is in the Details. Microanalysis of affectively complex scenarios in video games”. L'Atalante. Revista de estudios cinematográficos, 31: 71-84. 

Planells, Antonio José (2021). “The promised land in contemporary video games: a myth analysis of BioShock Infinite and Death Stranding”. L’Atalante. Revista de estudios cinematográficos, 31: 117-129

Plantinga, Carl (2009). Moving Viewers. American film and the spectator’s experience. Berkeley: University of California Press

Ruberg, Bonnie, Amanda L.L. Cullen, and Kathryn Brewster. 2019. “Nothing but a ‘Titty Streamer’: Legitimacy, Labor, and the Debate over Women’s Breasts in Video Game Live Streaming.” Critical Studies in Media Communication 36 (5): 466–81. 

Salen, Katie and Zimmerman, Eric (2004). Rules of Play: game design fundamentals. Cambridge, London: MIT Press.

Whitson, Jennifer R. (2013). Gaming the quantified self. Surveillance & Society, 11(1–2), 163–176. https://doi.org/10.1089/big.2012.0002