critically engage with one (or more) of the following topics: Rules and Affordances Emergence The Magic Circle Gamification Spatiality Cyborg Subjectivity Power Narrative Gaming Communities Students must write an essay analysing their chosen topic in context of contemporary video gaming. Students must construct an argument relating to the technological, political, and cultural contexts of their chosen academic topic. They must build this argument through a critical examination of one or more video games. For example they might argue that the cyborg subjectivity is the best way to understand the techno-cultural experience of video game play in the First Person Shooter genre, or that through the growth of the indie game scene we are starting to see the true possibilities of video games as an art form. This is a formal academic essay and requires significant independent research. The essay should have at least 5 academic references in total, including at least one of the unit readings and at least one article from the student’s own research. The essay must use media studies, cultural studies, and/or game studies academic texts, and develop an argument in line with these approaches. If you are unsure what this means please ask your tutor. This task will be assessed on four criteria: Understanding of the theoretical contexts of the chosen topic Strength and clarity of argument/design Depth of engagement with appropriate academic material Style, structure and presentation This Assessment Task relates to the following Learning Outcomes: Contextualise video games within a history of play practices Critically analyse and evaluate the medium of video gaming in context of broader cultural and technological processes Evaluate specific video games through game design methodologies Synthesise a range of academic approaches to video gaming to produce various works Identify and appraise key ideas and methodologies underpinning the video game studies discipline
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