We all love games, that’s why we’re on the forums. But then, most people love movies, but only a fraction of those study film at university.
Games theory – or the study of games, is a pretty new academic field – it was only just starting to be talked about in the media theory courses I did while I was at university – but nonetheless, it is a fascinating subject.
Looking at online (Kindle) bookshops, there’s now studies of philosophy around games, sociology and games (are violent games really bad for you?), the history of the games industry, and studies on aesthetics and programming (if only Gameloft read that book).
I’m reading through a few books around the philosophy of gaming, and it really is interesting, and, like studying film can make you appreciate (and not just enjoy) film, studying games has given me another level of appreciation for my hobby.
So, am I the only one, or are there other gaming academics out there?
By "study" you mean play the game and enjoy the storyline and read everything and pay attention to everything thrown at you storyline-wise then yes, yes I do. Otherwise no I don't Wikipedia that kind of stuff.
Just for you. "I'm just a musical prostitute, my dear." - Freddie Mercury
i do. Currently reading "The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy: I Link, Therefore I Am". i'm really enjoying it, thus far. and if they offered such courses (which i'm going to try to talk them into doing) at my University, i would take them in a heartbeat.
“I am a brother to dragons and a companion to owls." Job:30:29
Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. It really depends on the game. Like with Kingdom Hearts, I understand that there's an almost perfect balance between simplicity and difficulty (which is what makes it very fun) and in Super Mario Bros. I understand why the game is so difficult yet considered "fair" by many people (it's difficult because the levels are almost completely bland [especially the last levels], which in turn makes you want to get through the level quickly, but there's no turning back after you go forward or jump, which leads to the many game over screens you see whenever you play the game). I also know why the song Still Alive (from Portal) is an instant classic; it was the perfect song to calm the player down after the somewhat intense last hour of the game.
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i do. Currently reading "The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy: I Link, Therefore I Am". i'm really enjoying it, thus far. and if they offered such courses (which i'm going to try to talk them into doing) at my University, i would take them in a heartbeat.
just curious, but what university are you attending?
pikku
3DS Friend Code: 1891-1165-2008 | Nintendo Network ID: pikmaniac
Bro2Dragons - those philosophy and pop culture books are great fun, and a great introduction to philosophy. They're very light reads, but interesting nonetheless - I read Final Fantasy and Philosophy earlier this year.
At universtiy, if you do new media studies, you'll have leeway to explore games, in terms of aesthetics, interactivity and so on. Studing aesthetics in games is the really intersting one.
I'm currently looking into the possibility of changing my course at uni next year (mine currently is really starting to get me stressed), one I'm looking into is Multimedia Computing which has a video game history & conventions module (that's not the only reason I'm looking into it though, as cool as the module sounds). So, might be studying it for real next year
Raylax
3DS Friend Code: 0173-1400-0117 | Nintendo Network ID: RaylaxKai
If by "study" you mean "read up on history, background and evolution of videogames", then yes, it's quite interesting stuff to learn. "Sociology studies and the like... not so much. They generally only deal with the type of gamers I don't like and how they're (negatively) influenced by unhealthy amounts of playing games I don't particularly care for. Generally my level of interest in the industry only includes what came before the mid-90s.
If by "study" you mean "read up on history, background and evolution of videogames", then yes, it's quite interesting stuff to learn. "Sociology studies and the like... not so much. They generally only deal with the type of gamers I don't like and how they're (negatively) influenced by unhealthy amounts of playing games I don't particularly care for. Generally my level of interest in the industry only includes what came before the mid-90s.
Not really - those are the mass-media hysteria pieces and not worth the paper they're printed on. The academic study of games is done by academics, and is therefore not so simple minded:
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