Symposium: Issues in RTVF (398-0-22)
Topic
Avatars & Player Characters
Instructors
Patrick Fiorilli
Meeting Info
555 Clark 230: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM
Overview of class
What's going on when we play a character in a video game? Do we embody the character? Do we perform the character, as if we were playing a role on-stage? How do we identify with a character we create versus one who already exists? Why did the Hindu concept of "avatar" catch on in this context? And how does a game make you "feel like Spider-Man"? These questions and more will guide us in this class as we study the role of the player-character in video games and table-top games, alongside the inner-workings of characterization and identification across varied media contexts, including film and literature.
This will be a reading- and writing-heavy course: class meetings will consist of discussion of readings, and assignments will generally take the form of written responses and critical essays. Video games (or recorded video game playthroughs) may be assigned alongside films, video clips, and podcasts at low or no cost to students.
This class does not require any special knowledge of video games or gaming culture! An interest in the topic is all that's needed to succeed.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course students will be able to:
Discuss avatars and player-characters from an analytical perspective.
Recognize and contrast various critical and theoretical perspectives on characterization and identification.
Situate player-characterization within a context of games, literature, and media.
Craft original arguments and critiques using evidence from games, texts, and other media.
Class Materials (Required)
All required readings will be provided via web link or .pdf file on Canvas. Videos, films, and podcasts may be assigned where appropriate, and will be available via link or download. Games will be made available on a case-by-case basis. Some of these may require rental or purchase, but accommodations will be made for students who cannot purchase, run, or otherwise obtain any assigned work.
Regarding the practicality of playing the video games we discuss: for the purposes of this course, in most cases, watching a playthrough online (ideally without commentary) will be sufficient for class discussion. However, if you plan on writing about a game, I request that you actually play it yourself.