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Ontario Tech University
   
    Dec 05, 2024  
2023-2024 Undergraduate Calendar 
    
2023-2024 Undergraduate Calendar [ARCHIVED CALENDAR]

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COMM 3740U – Video Games, Media and Culture


From Atari to PS5, Ms. Pac-man to Pokémon GO, small apps on smartphones to massive open online  worlds, video games are today a significant part of contemporary culture and society. They are developed and published by a leading global creative industry, shaped by laws, politics and policies, designed, written, and played, and interwoven with how we communicate, learn, relax, work, play, socialize, and understand the world around us. What roles do video games play in our lives, and what impacts might they be having on our whole way of life? In this course, students learn about the cultural and social implications, roles, uses, and meanings of video games from the expansive interdisciplinary field of video game studies. Core issues in video game studies, such as industry, interactive storytelling and genre, power, identity and  representation, play, fun and pleasure, equity, diversity, and inclusivity, and impact will be examined through case studies of popular games in their cultural and social contexts. By the end of the course, students will have a depth and breadth of understanding of how video games shape and are shaped by the cultures and societies in which they exist.
Formerly: Digital Games Studies: From Pong to Pokémon GO
Credit hours: 3
Lecture hours: 3
Recommended: COMM 1100U  or COMM 1420U  or COMM 2311U  
Experiential learning: Yes



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