In this course, we will consider
audio-visual-interactive media known as video games as primary texts to explore
the art of storytelling, poetry, and essay. Students will be required to
analyze themes, motifs, and the intersection between mechanics and contents of
this relatively new media, which has quickly matured into a major form of human
expression. Some, but not all, of the video games we will talk about include
Kentucky Route Zero, Disco Elysium, Dark Souls, Undertale and others. We will
also read relevant texts from older literary forms and their connection to the
art of video games. For example: what is the thematic connection between
Hidetaka Miyazaki’s fragmentary storytelling in Dark Souls and T.S. Eliot’s
fragmented poetry in The Waste Land? Throughout the course, students
will also get a chance to express their experiences playing video games
critically and creatively. Furthermore, the class will engage in discussing the
culture surrounding video games by reading and watching video game journalism
and criticism.
- Teacher: Jack Jung