This course evaluates students based on three assignments, to examine the familiarity with the topics and methodologies presented during the course.
- Course Notebook 20%: Students will respond to a weekly prompt with either a Vignette (Weeks 1-7) or Field Notes (Weeks 8-13). At the end of the course, students will compile these responses into a Course Notebook for submission.
- Game Review 40%: Students will write and submit a review of a chosen video game, demonstrating their knowledge of topics covered in the first part of the course.
- Research proposal 40%: Students will write and submit a research proposal outlining a hypothetical experiment using a chosen video game, reflecting on the research methods studied during the course.
Game Review
For this assignment, we ask you to write a game review of ca. 1000 words.
In your review, make use of the theories and concepts you have engaged with in this first part of the course to present a reasoned and substantiated argument about your chosen game for your readers. The tone of your review can be positive or critical, but try to engage with a game’s weak points in a positive review, and conversely, a game’s highlights in a critical review. Think carefully about your target audience, your cultural reference points, and your throughline. As discussed in Weeks 1 and 4, you will necessarily employ autoethnographic methods for your game review; be sure to situate your perspective and make your writing engaging and evocative (Ellis et al., 2011). You are welcome to choose any video game to review for this assignment.
The game review should be composed of:
- A title that concisely signposts your argument;
- A reflection of your chosen game drawing on your personal gameplay experience;
- An appeal to a broader, non-academic audience, achieved through accessible writing, intentional stylistic choices, and engaging language;
- A finished product that reflects your understanding of affect, empathy, industry practices, and audience construction as they pertain to your chosen game, as well as the sociocultural impact of the topics and themes your chosen game engages (or doesn’t engage) with;
- Clear, concise English that has been proofread prior to submission.
Research Proposal
Your final assignment for this course is a research proposal of ca. 2500 words.
For this assignment, you will write a research proposal for an experimental study on a video game. This proposal should reflect on the research methods you have engaged with over the duration of this course and assess their suitability for your proposed research. As with the game review, you are welcome to choose any video game as your case study for the proposed research.
The proposal should consist of:
- A title that clearly summarizes your topic;
- An introduction featuring your study’s aims and the gaps in knowledge that your research hopes to address;
- A clearly formulated research question with a contained scope, along with any relevant subquestions, if applicable;
- A concise review of established relevant research in the field;
- A methodological review in which you reflect on the methods you have learned about in the course and assess whether they would be a fit for your proposed research;
- An explicit grounding of your proposed research in relation to academic and societal relevance, stating clearly what your work could add to the field of Game Studies and our understanding(s) of video games, play, and any other themes relevant to your topic;
- Logical and appropriate structuring;
- Clear, concise academic English that has been proofread prior to submission.
- Correct referencing: you are welcome to use any citation system you would like, as long as you are consistent;
- A bibliography, and, if applicable, appendices.