What You'll Do:

This course provides a historical and critical approach to the evolution of computer and video game design, development and production from its beginnings to the present. It will also look at related digital interactive entertainment and is designed to provide a broad and deep understanding of historical issues of games, computer games, and interactive media. Readings will include not only historical writings on computer game history, but on the birth and development of graphic interfaces, computer graphics, analog and interactive television technology, the applications of computing and technology to the arts and literature, the business of computer games and cultural responses to computer games. Students will critique computer games and other interactive entertainment products in the context of these readings, the trade press and personal experience.

Every week, part of class time will be devoted to examination and review of existing interactive entertainment media in the “corporate”, entertainment and literary realm.

During the quarter you’ll be working on a large-scale on-line resource to look at the evolution of interactive, electronic and digital entertainment across the board.

What You'll Need:

Books:

1. Kent, Stephen L. The Ultimate History of Computer Games: From Pong to Pokemon, New Riders, ISBN: 0735711712

2. Wardip-Fruin, Noah and Montfort, Nick, The New Media Reader, MIT Press, ISBN: 026223227-8

3. Other relevant books, journals and on-line resources selected by the instructor

Both books should be in the bookstore, but you can get them on-line at your favorite ecommerce emporium as well as well.

Software:
Moveable Type to Set Up your Blog. http://www.movabletype.org/

Assignment Weights:

“Well Kept, Updated Blog” 25%
Analysis Paper 25%
Development Team Report 25%
Individual Production/design docs 15%
Participation 10%

Grading Policies:

Academic Honesty:

Please review the IT department and RIT policies academic dishonesty.

Grades of "Incomplete": May be awarded to students who

a. have been doing high quality work since the beginning of the quarter

and

b. due to documentable circumstances beyond their control, (Health, Death of a Family Member, etc.) are unable to complete the quarter.

Extra Credit: There are no opportunities to do "extra work" to "improve" a grade.