DeCal

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Spring 2010
linguistics 98
2 Unit(s)

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About the Course:

Thursday 6-8pm 200 wheeler

 

Video Games as an Artistic Medium: The Language of Games   

 The purpose of this decal is to introduce the notion that video games can be viewed as an art form.  Through discovering and analyzing the artistic elements therein, we will hopefully give students a greater understanding of how the individual aspects of video games come together to create a form of art that is truly unlike any other.    

Blog 

 We have created a blog where everyone is encouraged to talk about the class and have general discussions.  There we will further discuss previous topics, preview new ones, and anything else video game related.   http://protactic.blogspot.com   

Assignments
There will be weekly assignments that will prepare students for the upcoming class. Each will be a minimum of one page, double spaced. Up to three missing assignments will be allowed before a student must join the professors in office hours to discuss their work in the class. The office hours can be utilized to make up for missing assignments, and will be explained in more detail in class. 

Attendance 
For the purpose of grading, missing a class counts as missing a homework assignment.

Final
There will be a final due on the last day of class. Each student will join a group of four to five people to complete this group assignment. Each group will need to do an in-class presentation consisting of one video game its merits and faults and compare it to other forms of art.  Each group will also need to present and address three counterpoints about how their chosen game is not a piece of art.  The final is required to pass the course.

  

Class Office Hours  

We'll be in 200 Wheeler an hour before class starts usually.  Come in if you have questions, want to talk, or just play games for abit.

Missing Assignments   

Students are only allowed to miss 3 assignments during the course of the class.  Missing a class counts as missing an assignment.  If you miss an assignment and would like to make it up, come and talk to us before or after class, and we'll see what we can do.

Enrollment
 If you would like to join this DeCal, the first and second classes are mandatory. Due to the limited number of CCNs and the expected size of the class, we will give out CCNs at the end of the second week, and only to those who have attended both weeks.  The first class will be on Tuesday, September 1st.

Class Schedule
 01/28 (1) Introduction
02/04 (2) art

 02/11 (3) How Perspective Influences the Role of the Participant

02/18(4) Level Design and Setting
2/25 (5) What Constitutes a Story and the Means of Communicating a Story
3/4 (6) Sound
3/11 (7)   Innovation and Evolution in Video Games and Art
3/18 (8) Cultural Differences

  4/1 (9) Horror
4/8 (10) Comedy, Self Awareness, and Satire in Games
4/15 (11) Methods of Communicating Emotion
4/22 (12) Crossing Medias; Creating Art Within Video Games

4/29 (13) criticism on gaming
5/6 (14) Bad Games; Criticism
5/13 (15) Finals

If you have any questions, please email them to videogamedecal@gmail.com.  Please do not email requesting CCNs early, all requests for such will be ignored.

How to Enroll:

Enrollment
If you would like to join this DeCal, the first and second classes are mandatory. Due to the limited number of CCNs and the expected size of the class, we will give out CCNs at the end of the second week, and only to those who have attended both weeks.