Duration
30h Th
Number of credits
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the second semester
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
The course aims to provide an introduction to the field of game studies as well as an overview of different cultural approaches to video games. After a presentation of the main game theories and the different ways of defining this object (what is a game? what is playing? what is the place of this activity among other cultural practices?), the course addresses several themes related to the cultural dimension of the medium.
This year, the following themes will be addressed: video game histories (historical approach), the video game genre (theories of classification of video game cultural objects), video game space (creative and analytical approach) and the place of cartography (cultural approach), video game creation (or how game sciences are applied in the field), video game localization (a particular approach to translation), the video game press and video game literacy.
In order to anchor these different studies in a detailed understanding of videogame works and the multiple practices that games can cover, the theories presented are articulated to the analysis of various games, which are made available to students (in the premises of the Digital Lab of the Province of Liège or in the Liège Game Lab).
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
Learning how to constitute video game as an object of study and research with different disciplinary approaches
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Some of the course sessions are divided into two parts: a theoretical part (presenting research in game science on a defined topic) and a practical part of game commentary in class.
Directed by Björn-Olav Dozo, the course is given collegially by a teaching team: Fanny Barnabé, Björn-Olav Dozo, Bruno Dupont, Lucas Friche, Pierre-Yves Houlmont, Boris Krywicki, Rosane Lebreton, Alexis Messina and François-Xavier Surinx.
External speakers are also invited each year.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Additional information:
Face-to-face course
Recommended or required readings
Although it is not a mandatory reading, the Liège Game Lab's book, Culture videoludique! (2019, Liège, PULg) synthesizes a good part of the course content and is therefore an ideal support for note-taking.
More detailed references on each topic of the course are given during the sessions, and the Powerpoint presentations are made available to students on MyULg.
Written work / report
Additional information:
The evaluation of the course takes the form of a written assignment due during the session.
Additional explanations:
MANDATORY: Students must submit a 3000-word paper (excluding bibliography) on a topic of their choice related to the course.
An optional (but recommended) meeting will be organized at the end of April to help students with their work.
The paper is due on May 31, in digital format on eCampus.
OPTIONAL: Students must produce a 5-minute let's play video. In this video, they must show a passage from a game of their choice (that has not already been analyzed in class) and present how it illustrates an issue discussed in class.
The let's play is also due May 31 on eCampus.
PLEASE NOTE: the let's play does not replace the written assignment.
Work placement(s)
Organizational remarks
The course takes place in the second semester, every Friday from 1:00 to 3:00 pm.
Depending on the equipment of the room, the sessions will be recorded and made available as podcasts on MyULiège.
Contacts
Teacher in charge: Björn-Olav Dozo
Contact by email : alexis.messina@uliege.be
More info: https://www.liegegamelab.uliege.be/
Association of one or more MOOCs
The MOOC entitled 'Il était une fois la littérature jeunesse (P1)' is associated with this course.
The MOOC entitled 'Introduction à la culture vidéoludique (P2)' is associated with this course.