by T. L. Taylor ¹

• ¹ Massachusetts Institute of Technology

This course examines the social, cultural, economic, and political aspects of digital games.

Course Overview

This course examines the social, cultural, economic, and political aspects of digital games. Topics include the socio-technical aspects of digital gaming, embodiment and space, communities, spectatorship and performance, gender, race, sexuality, e-sports and sports games, and the politics and economics of production processes, including co-creation and intellectual property.

After successful completion of the course the student should be able to:

• Demonstrate, through discussion and written work, an understanding of major areas within sociological computer game research.
• Situate that analysis within a broader social theory framework.
• Independently identify critical questions / problems / domains in the social and cultural analysis of computer games and select an appropriate method for examination.
• Undertake a scholarly literature review relevant to the area.
• Provide original analysis and argumentation via discussion and written work.