Games and the Rhetoric of Play

3 credits · Undergraduate

(3 hrs Lecture) This course introduces students to humanities-based game studies, focusing on rhetorical studies of game design, game writing, and play as a medium of communication. Topics may include the debate between ludological (rule-based) and narratological (story-based) approaches, procedural studies, platform and software studies, gamification, games and adaptation studies, and games as rhetorical objects. This course examines games as a discipline in its own right. While it is not a course in game design or programming, students have the opportunity to create their own games and reflect upon them from the perspectives of rhetorical criticism, design, and play. Requisite Courses: Any section of Academic Writing or exemption from the writing requirement [prerequisite(s)]; and completion of 24 credit hours [prerequisite(s)].