An introduction to Game Research

Games have been a big part of human culture since ancient times. During the years they have evolved in to many different forms and serve many different target groups, not least since the introduction of computer games. This course provides an overview of games in all their forms as well as theoretical concepts and frameworks to analyze games. The course is divided into four successive parts that consider different forms of games and different perspectives of gaming.

The first part looks at games as systems and focus on board games and card games as well as introduces general concepts to describe games and gaming. The second part transitions over to how players perceive and immerse themselves into games, using role-playing and larps to highlight the play experience as a perceptual stance. The third part highlights how different media forms impacts on games and gaming by focusing on computer games and online games. The final part examines how the boundaries between games and other activities can be obscured by the game design and how games can be used for other purposes than to entertain, for example to criticize, influence, or teach.

Each part introduces theoretical concepts and frameworks through academic texts and builds on the previous part.