General description

This study module deals with the cultural character of games and Internet, and the understanding, analysis and interpretation of related phenomena.

Learning outcomes

After completing the module, student will be able to:
- understand the history of digital cultures, and the special character of games and Internet as environments for communication and human interaction
- analyse the genres of expression and subcultural practices that have evolved among games and Internet
- categorise societal, communal and individual level socio-cultural phenomena in the contexts of different games and Net cultures
- reflect on the role such factors as gender, age or ethnic background has in identity and construction of meaning in games and Internet
- analyse economical and political mechanisms in the context of games and Internet cultures.

Contents

Concept of digital culture; subcultures; special characteristics of online communication and communities; interactivity in cultural context; special features of game genre based enthusiasm; Internet as a meeting place of different interest groups and as a stage for identity construction.

Teaching methods

xxx

Teaching language

English

Evaluation

Numeric 1-5.

Study materials

Literature:
Games:
- Corneliussen & Rettberg (eds.) (2011): Digital Culture, Play, and Identity: A World of Warcraft® Reader
and one of these:
- Wolf & Perron (eds.) (2003):The Video Game Theory Reader.
- Wolf & Perron (eds.) (2008):The Video Game Theory Reader 2.
- Krzywinska, MacCallum-Stewart & Justin Parsler (eds.) (2011): Ringbearers: The Lord of the Rings Online as intertextual narrative.
- Selection of articles

Internet:
Two of these:
- Lovink (2003), Dark Fiber.
- Lovink (2012): Networks without a Cause - A Critique of Social Media
- Mandiberg (2012): The Social Media Reader
- Boyd (2014): It’s Complicated. The Social Lives of Networked Teens

Belongs to following study modules