Games: Industry, Culture and Aesthetics

Course aim

Students will apply their disciplinary knowledge within the emerging field of games studies.

Course content

This course builds upon students first year disciplinary studies and introduces them to the emerging inter-disciplinary field of games studies, fulfilling a need for an examination of this expanding and influential medium from social, cultural, political and aesthetic perspectives. The course approaches games as ‘texts’, able to be studied in terms of their media content, as well as in terms of the unique issues around interactive narrative and ‘gameplay’ (for example, debates re: immersion versus ‘addiction’) to which they give rise. The study of games here is thus linked into the wider social world into which they are released and marketed, as well as considered as a media form operating within a broader realm of (digital) aesthetics and cultural practices.

Textbook(s)

Nil

Prerequisite(s)

Successful completion of at least 18 units of study in any communications major from the School of Communication, International Studies and Languages.

Corequisite(s)

Nil

Teaching method

Component	Duration
INTERNAL, MAGILL
Lecture	1 hour x 13 weeks
Computer Practical	2 hours x 13 weeks

Note: These components may or may not be scheduled in every study period. Please refer to the timetable for further details.

Assessment

Continuous assessment, Essay, Group module presentation

Fees

EFTSL*: 0.125
Commonwealth Supported program (Band 1)
To determine the fee for this course as part of a Commonwealth Supported program, go to:
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Fee-paying program for domestic and international students
International students and students undertaking this course as part of a postgraduate fee paying program must refer to the relevant program home page to determine the cost for undertaking this course.

Non-award enrolment
Non-award tuition fees are set by the university. To determine the cost of this course, go to:
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Not all courses are available on all of the above bases, and students must check to ensure that they are permitted to enrol in a particular course.

* Equivalent Full Time Study Load. Please note: all EFTSL values are published and calculated at ten decimal places. Values are displayed to three decimal places for ease of interpretation.