TIM_B_025 Game Studies

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2026
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Bc. Silvester Buček, Ph.D. (lecturer), doc. Mgr. Jana Horáková, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Jana Horáková, Ph.D.
Department of Musicology – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Ing. Alena Albíniová
Supplier department: Department of Musicology – Faculty of Arts
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 100 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/100, only registered: 0/100, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/100
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Abstract
The aim of the Game Studies course is to provide students with an overview of the main areas of research on digital and non-digital games. Students will become familiar with various approaches to studying games: from examining the history of games and the development of the gaming industry, through analyzing the formal elements and structure of games (typologies, game mechanics, narrative, audiovisual components), to exploring players, gaming communities, and the societal impact of games. The course introduces games as a significant cultural phenomenon and an independent field of academic inquiry. By the end of the course, students will have a foundational understanding of this interdisciplinary domain, enabling them to pursue more specialized study or research. The key topics covered include the history of games, theoretical definitions of what a game is, the relationship between games and society (including ethical considerations), and the basics of critical analysis of games within a broader social context.
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:
identify and summarize the key milestones and phases in the development of digital games, and describe their significance in the context of media history;
explain fundamental concepts and definitions of games and play (e.g. the concept of the “magic circle” and game typologies) and apply these concepts in the analysis of specific game examples;
evaluate the relationship between digital games and society, including issues of ethics, representation, and the cultural impact of games;
critically analyze a selected digital game and interpret it within a broader social and ideological context.
Key topics
  • Block A: History of games and play – from the earliest forms of play to the digital era; early computer and arcade games; the 1983 market crash and recovery; modern development and globalization of the game industry.
  • Block B: What is a game? – definitions and theoretical approaches (Huizinga, Caillois, Juul); the magic circle; typologies of games; ludology vs. narratology; games as art.
  • Block C: Game creation, games and technology – professions and development process; MDA model (designer vs. player perspective); aesthetics of games; technological impact (engines, VR/AR, AI, procedurality); ethics of design and monetization.
  • Block D: Deconstruction and semiotics – formal and critical approaches to game analysis (MDA, Järvinen, Aarseth, Bogost); multimedia components (image, sound, text, interactivity); semiotics and meaning (denotation, connotation, myths); social contexts and critical readings (Bown, feminist and postcolonial critique).
  • Block E: Players and culture, games and other media – player typologies (Bartle, Yee); player agency, immersion, alterbiographies; gaming communities and phenomena (e-sports, modding, fan fiction, streaming); games and popular culture; transmediality and remediation; gamification and serious games.
  • Block F: Student mini-conference – student presentations and posters; diverse output formats (game analysis, case study, theoretical reflection); discussions, panel, voting for best contributions; course synthesis.
Study resources and literature
  • Gee, J. P. 2005. Why video games are good for your soul: pleasure and learning. Altona: Common Ground Publishing.
  • Newman, J. 2004. Video Games. London: Routledge.
  • Juul, J. 2007. A Certain Level of Abstraction. In Situated Play: DiGRA 2007 Conference Proceedings, Baba, A., ed. DiGRA Japan.
  • Williams, D. 2006. A Brief Social History Of Gameplay. In in Vorderer, P. – Bryant, J. (eds.) Playing Video Games: Motives, Responses, and Consequences. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum. dmitriwilliams.com/WilliamsSocHist.doc
  • Chaplin, H. – Ruby, A. 2006. Smartbomb: The Quest for Art, Entertainment, and Big Bucks in the Videogame Revolution. New York: Algonquin Books.
  • Ebert, R. Game vs. Art. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070721/COMMENTARY/70721001
  • Hawisher, G. - Selfe, C. (eds.) Gaming Lives In the Twenty-First Century: Literate Connections,
  • Úryvky z knihy Grand Theft Childhood: http://www.grandtheftchildhood.com/GTC/Excerpts/Excerpts.html
  • Csíkszentmihályi, M. 1991. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Harper.
  • Eskelinen, M. 2001. The Gaming Situation, in Game Studies 01/2001. www.gamestudies.org/0101/eskelinen.
  • Lowood, H. 2005. High Performance Play: The Making Of Machinima in Clarke, A. – Mitchell, G. (eds.). Videogames and Art. Bristol: Intellect.
  • Juul, J. 2005. Half-Real: Video Games Between Real Rules and Fictional Worlds. Cambridge: The MIT Press.
  • Lowood, H. 2006. A Brief Biography Of Computer Games. In in Vorderer, P. – Bryant, J. (eds.) Playing Video Games: Motives, Responses, and Consequences. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum.
  • Klevjer, R. 2008. Avatar. (disertace). http://folk.uib.no/smkrk/docs/RuneKlevjer_What%20is%20the%20Avatar_finalprint.pdf
  • Fernandéz-Vara, C. 2008. Shaping Players Experience in Adventure Games. (nepublikováno)
  • Frasca, G. 2003. Ludologists love stories, too: notes from a debate that never took place.
  • Levy, S. 1984. Hackers. New York: Double Day.
  • Bogost, I. 2006. Comparative Video Game Criticism. In Games And Culture 2006 1:41.
  • Lakoff, G. - Johnson, M. 2002. Metafory, kterými žijeme. Brno: Host.
  • Murray, J. 1999. Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace. Cambridge: MIT Press.
  • Bogost, I. 2006. Unit Operations. Cambridge: MIT Press.
  • Jenkins, H. 2004. Game Design as Narrative Architecture in Wardrip-Fruin, N. – Pat Harrigan (eds.) First Person: New Media as Story, Performance, Game. Cambridge: MIT Press. http://web.mit.edu/cms/People/henry3/games&narrative.html.
  • Friedman, T. 1999. Semiotics of Sim City. http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue4_4/friedman/index.html
  • Tolkien, J.R.R. On fairy stories.
  • Aarseth, E. 1997. Cybertext: Perspectives on Ergodic Literature. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
  • Galloway, A. R. 2006. Gaming: Essays On Algorithmic Culture. Minneapolis: University Of Minnesota Press.
  • Kennedy, H. 2002. Lara Croft: Feminist Icon or Cyberbimbo. On the Limits of Textual Analysis, in Game Studies 02/2002. http://www.gamestudies.org/0202/kennedy/ (k dispozici je i český překlad)
  • Bogost, I. 2006. Unit Operations. Cambridge: MIT Press.
  • Rossignol, J. 2008. This Gaming Life. Digital Culture Books.
  • Článek o Everquest: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1899420.stm
  • Caillois, R. 1998. Hry a lidé. Praha: Nakladatelství studia Ypsilon.
  • Bogost, I. 2008. Persuasive Games. Cambridge: MIT Press.
  • Lamoureux, M. 8-Bit Primitive: A Hommage to Atari 2600 in Compton, S. (ed.) 2004. Gamers. New York: Soft Skull Press.
  • Nieborg, D. 2009. Political Economy of Video Games. (disertace)
  • Huizinga, J. 2000. Homo ludens: o původu kultury ve hře. Praha: Dauphin.
  • Hunicke, M. et al. MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research.
  • Lee, K. M. – Peng, W. 2006. What Do We Know About Social and Psychological Effects of Computer Games? A Comprehensive Review of the Current Literature in Vorderer, P. – Jennings, B. (eds.) 2006) Playing Video Games: Motives, Responses and Consequences. N
  • Poole, S. 2004. Trigger Happy. London: Fourth Estate.
Approaches, practices, and methods used in teaching
The course combines lectures and seminars. Theory is supplemented with discussions, gameplay examples, and case studies. Students work in teams, present short assignments, and engage in class exercises. Independent reading and reflection on texts is a mandatory part of the course.
Method of verifying learning outcomes and course completion requirements
It is a humanities class, therefore technical knowledge is not required from students. The condition is the ability to read texts in English.
Since we are talking about an interactive medium, interaction with the teacher is expected.
5 in-class activities (10 points each, total 50 points).
Remaining 50 points to be specified (e.g. test, essay, project).
Passing requirement: min. 60 out of 100 points.
Attendance and participation in assignments are mandatory; absence can be compensated by an agreed task.
Grading follows the standard point scale (100–93 = A, 92–85 = B, …).
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught every week.
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2019, Autumn 2020, Autumn 2021, Autumn 2022, Autumn 2023, Autumn 2024, Autumn 2025.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2026, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2026/TIM_B_025