Course Description

This course initiates an inquiry into the critical examination of the artistry and content of video games, delving into considerations of aesthetics and semiotic significance, while also embarking upon a comprehensive exploration of the historical and cultural significance of games and play. The course curriculum encompasses a wide array of themes, from the origins or play and history of computing as well as computer-based gaming, the emergence of arcade gaming culture, leading to the first-generation gaming consoles, the tumultuous boom and subsequent crash experienced by the industry during the 1980s, to the sweeping technological advancements that characterized the transformative decades of the 1990s and 2000s. Enrollment Limitation: FILM A107; students who complete FILM A107H may not enroll in or receive credit for FILM A107.