Online Games: Literature, New Media, and Narrative
proposé par
Online Games: Literature, New Media, and Narrative
Vanderbilt University
À propos de ce cours
4.7
68 ratings
Intended for both newcomers who are curious about video games and experienced gamers who want to reflect on their passion, this course will explore what happens to stories, paintings, and films when they become the basis of massively multiplayer online games. The Lord of the Rings trilogy—the novels, films, and video game—are our central example of how “remediation” transforms familiar stories as they move across media.
The course is designed as a university-level English literature class—a multi-genre, multimedia tour of how literature, film, and games engage in the basic human activity of storytelling. Our journey will enable us to learn something about narrative theory, introduce us to some key topics in media studies and cover some of the history and theory of video games. It will also take us to some landmarks of romance literature, the neverending story that lies behind most fantasy games: J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring, a bit of Edmund Spenser’s Faerie Queene, and poems by Keats, Tennyson, Browning, and others.
Drawing on centuries of romance narrative conventions, the twenty-first century gaming industry has become a creative and economic powerhouse. It engages the talents of some of our brightest writers, artists, composers, computer engineers, game theorists, video producers, and marketing professionals, and in 2012, it generated an estimated $64 billion in revenue. Anyone interested in today’s culture needs to be conversant with the ways this new medium is altering our understanding of stories. Join me as we set out on an intellectual adventure, the quest to discover the cultural heritage of online games.
Programme du cours : ce que vous apprendrez dans ce cours
1
Section
Game on! The History and Theory of MMOs
The course opens with a brief look at gaming culture and history, then introduces the chief game we will study, Turbine's "The Lord of the Rings Online." We then look at some key concepts in game theory such as remediation and Jesper Juul's treatment of rules and game design from his book "Half-Real: Video Games between Real Rules and Fictional Worlds." We end by considering games as journeys using Constantine Cavafy's poem "Ithaca."For details about this week's Readings, go to the Syllabus page in your Resources tab. ***For details about this week's Readings, go to the Syllabus page in your Resources tab.
9 vidéos (Total 94 min), 1 lecture, 2 quiz
9 vidéos
Course Introduction9 min
Games as Culture5 min
LOTRO Gameplay: Epic Quest Line, Book 112 min
Remediation11 min
Types of Video and Computer Games12 min
A Brief History of Games9 min
Juul: Emergence and Progression15 min
Juul: Rules and Fiction11 min
Cavafy's "Ithaca"7 min
1 lecture
Course Overview10 min
2 exercices pour s'entraîner
Week 1 Standard Quiz (All students complete this quiz)18 min
Week 1 Honors Quiz (Honors students complete the Week 1 Standard Quiz and this quiz)4 min
2
Section
LOTRO and Tolkien
After an overview of storytelling modes, we turn to Tolkien and his work. We then examine the role of quests in games and literature. Finally, we introduce romance and lyric literature using Robert Browning's poem "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came." ***For details about this week's Readings, go to the Syllabus page in your Resources tab.
10 vidéos (Total 113 min), 3 quiz
10 vidéos
Modes of Storytelling10 min
LOTRO Gameplay: Frodo and the Prancing Pony9 min
Tolkien's Life and Works10 min
Tolkien's Popularity8 min
Themes in Tolkien's Writing14 min
Quests as Structural Elements of Games12 min
The Quester and the Quest9 min
Part 1: Roland's Psyche6 min
Part 2: Elements of the Quest Romance15 min
Part 3: The Poem's Lyric Nature15 min
2 exercices pour s'entraîner
Week 2 Standard Quiz (All students complete this quiz)16 min
Week 2 Honors Quiz (Honors students complete the Week 2 Standard Quiz, this quiz, and the Week 2 Peer Review)4 min
3
Section
Romance and Realism
This week we journey into the Mines of Moria, comparing a scene in Tolkien's novel, Peter Jackson's film, and "The Lord of the Rings Online." Then it's back to romance literature to delve into the intricacies of allegory, plot, theme, and character. The week closes with a look at John Keats' haunting ballad, "La Belle Dame sans Merci." ***For details about this week's Readings, go to the Syllabus page in your Resources tab.
13 vidéos (Total 129 min), 2 quiz
13 vidéos
Genres of Romance 4 min
The Romance Circle 14 min
Allegory Defined 11 min
Tolkien on Allegory15 min
Genre and Plot Forms8 min
Lost in an Episodic Plot10 min
Wandering and Doubling in Romance7 min
Issues of Theme and Content8 min
Flat vs. Round Characters12 min
Daemonic Characters and Romance Character Systems7 min
Keats, "La Belle Dame sans Merci" I 7 min
Keats, "La Belle Dame sans Merci" II 10 min
2 exercices pour s'entraîner
Week 3 Standard Quiz (All students complete this quiz)12 min
Week 3 Honors Quiz (Honors students complete the Week 3 Standard Quiz and this quiz)6 min
4
Section
Space and Time in Three Media
Week 4's initial focus is our natural concepts of space and time, and how these dimensions inform the "storyworld" of a narrative. We then examine how directors, authors, and video game developers use these innate frameworks to tell stories, invoking Seymour Chapman's book "Film and Discourse: Narrative Structure in Fiction and Film." Close attention is paid to the mechanics of point of view, and how its use allows artists to connect with audiences. ***For details about this week's Readings, go to the Syllabus page in your Resources tab.
10 vidéos (Total 75 min), 3 quiz
10 vidéos
Storyworlds5 min
Spatial Issues in Film 8 min
Gameplay: Spatial Issues in Immersive Games (Stone Trolls)9 min
Point of View in Novels and Films 14 min
Point of View in Games7 min
Temporal Order I: Introduction 7 min
Temporal Order II: Film3 min
Temporal Order III: Painting 2 min
Temporal Order IV: Gaming 8 min
2 exercices pour s'entraîner
Week 4 Standard Quiz (All students complete this quiz)14 min
Week 4 Honors Quiz (Honors students complete the Week 4 Standard Quiz, this quiz, and the Week 4 Peer Review)6 min
4.7
50%
83%
Meilleurs avis
par GD•Jun 17th 2016
An interesting course for anyone who likes lord of the rings online, fantasy (modern and presents), literature, video games, and/or movies! It's the ultimate combination for maximum nerddom!
par JR•Jan 11th 2017
I am really grateful for the course that gave me the idea and theorethical background to create a transmedia experience with my daughters around the Hobbit and Lotro
Enseignant
Jay Clayton
ProfessorEnglish
À propos de Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University, located in Nashville, Tenn., is a private research university and medical center offering a full-range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees.
Foire Aux Questions
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
What is the refund policy?
Is financial aid available?
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