Video game analysis

Teacher(s)

Philippette Thibault;

Language

French

Content

This course offers an introduction to game studies and the critical analysis of video games as cultural and media objects. It is structured around three main areas:

1. An introduction to the scientific literature on game studies, with a particular focus on fundamental theories and concepts.
2. An exploration of methods for analyzing video games, including critical, structural, and playful approaches.
3. Practical application of analytical skills through case studies of specific video games.

Sessions will combine theoretical presentations, discussions, practical activities (video game testing), and collaborative activities.

Teaching methods

• Presentation: of the main journals and works in video game analysis from several perspectives (aesthetic, narrative, mechanistic, educational, UX/UI, etc.).
• Readings and critical analyses: students will read scientific articles on video games and participate in class discussions.
• Practical work (in the computer lab or at home): live analysis of video games.
• Video analysis: students will produce video analyses of video games.
• Collaborative bibliography: creation of a collaborative bibliography on Zotero.
• Final assignment:
  • Group work: creation of a game design document (GDD) and a game prototype to discuss the principles studied by each member of the group
  • Individual work: writing a mini-article inspired by the approaches in the book Introduction aux Théories des Jeux vidéo (Introduction to Video Game Theories), co-edited by Sébastien Genvo and Thibault Philippette.

Evaluation methods

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

1. Critically analyze video games based on theoretical concepts (level: evaluation).
2. Apply methods of video game analysis to draw relevant conclusions (level: application).
3. Develop a relevant scientific bibliography on a topic related to game studies (level: synthesis).
4. Collaborate with peers to create a (video) game concept and cross-analyses of its components (level: collaboration).
5. Communicate a critical analysis in a reasoned manner through various formats (e.g., video and academic article) (level: creation).

Assessment

1. Continuous assessment (50%): active participation in discussions and group activities, completion of one or more video game analyses, collaborative bibliography.
2. Final assignments (50%):
   • Group assignment (25%): writing a GDD and creating a prototype that can be demonstrated
   • Individual part (25%): academic article on a cross-disciplinary topic, structured as follows (see articles in Introduction aux Théories des Jeux vidéo)
     • Theoretical introduction
     • 2-3 case studies (mini-empirical research with own data)
     • Conclusion
     • Annotated bibliography
     • “To go further” (additional resources)

Other information

Use of artificial intelligence (AI)
The use of generative AIs (such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or others) is governed by the principles of responsibility, transparency and authenticity:

1. Authorized use without mention: Students may use generative AIs for linguistic assistance tasks, such as grammatical or spelling correction, reformulation and translation. However, the tool must not add content not authored by the student.
   
2. Authorized use with compulsory mention: If a student uses AI-generated content (text, image, etc.) or translates text directly via an AI without substantial revision, this must be explicitly mentioned in the assignment, in accordance with academic citation rules.
   
3. Prohibited use: Any use of an AI that prevents verification or assessment of the student's personal learning is prohibited. This includes the unmentioned use of AI-generated content or the submission of work where the AI has produced a significant proportion of the content without human review.
   

Students must keep records of interactions with AIs in case of audit. Any failure to comply with these rules may be considered an academic irregularity and subject to the sanctions set out in the general regulations governing studies and examinations (RGEE (in French) Règlement général des études et des examens | UCLouvain).

Online resources

See Moodle

Bibliography

Alvarez, J., & Djaouti, D. (2010). An introduction to serious game design: Using gameplay bricks to design meaningful games. Ludoscience. http://www.ludoscience.com/EN/publications/21-An-introduction-to-serious-game-design-using-gameplay-bricks-to-design-meaningful-games.html
Bonenfant, M. (2017). Pour une approche communicationnelle des jeux vidéo : quelques enjeux théoriques et méthodologiques. Sciences du jeu, 7. https://journals.openedition.org/sdj/873
Consalvo, M., & Dutton, N. (2006). Game analysis: Developing a methodological toolkit for the qualitative study of games. Game Studies, 6(1). http://www.gamestudies.org/0601/articles/consalvo_dutton
Fernández-Vara, C. (2015). Introduction to game analysis. Routledge.
Flanagan, M., & Nissenbaum, H. (2014). Values at play in digital games. MIT Press.
Genvo, S., & Philippette, T. (Éd.). (2020). Introduction aux théories des jeux vidéo. Presses universitaires de Liège. https://books.openedition.org/pulg/26119
Genvo, S. (2013). Le game design de jeux vidéo : Approches de l'expression vidéoludique. L'Harmattan.
Juul, J. (2005). Half-real: Video games between real rules and fictional worlds. MIT Press.
Juul, J. (2013). The art of failure: An essay on the pain of playing video games. MIT Press.
Lejacq, Y. (2015). Le concept de retrogaming : Pratiques et identités au croisement de l’histoire et de la culture du jeu vidéo. Sciences du jeu, 3. https://journals.openedition.org/sdj/394
Montembault, A. (2018). L’accessibilité des jeux vidéo : Dispositifs, acteurs et conception. Sciences du jeu, 9. https://journals.openedition.org/sdj/1463
Rufat, S. (2012). La ville dans les jeux vidéo : Regards croisés sur la production vidéoludique. Sciences du jeu, 1. https://journals.openedition.org/sdj/144
Salen, K., & Zimmerman, E. (2004). Rules of play: Game design fundamentals. MIT Press.
Sicart, M. (2014). Play matters. MIT Press.
Sicart, M. (2009). The ethics of computer games. MIT Press.
Taylor, T. L. (2006). Play between worlds: Exploring online game culture. MIT Press.
Taylor, T. L. (2009). Communities of play: Emergent cultures in multiplayer games and virtual worlds. MIT Press.
Triclot, M. (2011). Philosophie des jeux vidéo. Zones.
Whalen, Z., & Taylor, L. N. (Eds.). (2008). Playing the past: History and nostalgia in video games. Vanderbilt University Press.
Wolf, M. J. P., & Perron, B. (Eds.). (2003). The video game theory reader. Routledge.
Zagal, J. P. (2010). Ludoliteracy: Defining, understanding, and supporting games education. ETC Press.
Zagal, J. P., Fernández-Vara, C., & Mateas, M. (2007). Rethinking immersion: Narrative causality and consistency in the attention economy. International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations, 1(1), 14-35. https://doi.org/10.4018/jgcms.2009010102

Teaching materials

• Introduction aux Théories des Jeux Vidéo (S. Genvo et T. Philippette, dir.)

Faculty or entity

> COMU