Game Studies (12126.2)

This unit establishes a critical foundation for understanding games as cultural artefacts while positioning the games industry within broader creative and cultural contexts. It traces the evolution of video games through key turning points, influential designers, major studios, landmark franchises, and defining genres, examining their social, cultural, and economic impact. Emphasising game history, preservation, and the cultural significance of interactive media, the unit shows how games shape and reflect global and local perspectives, including Australia's development legacy.

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Analyse the history of console, arcade, and computer games to explain how games and society have shaped one another;
2. Examine the principles and practices of games preservation, recognising the cultural significance of maintaining game history and legacy;
3. Evaluate the impact of influential games and assess their role in shaping genres, design conventions, and cultural perspectives;
4. Communicate informed critical and journalistic perspectives on games and the games industry; and
5. Apply professional written and oral communication skills to present historical and cultural insights within games and game contexts.

Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - take pride in their professional and personal integrity
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
2. UC graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
2. UC graduates are global citizens - understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures
2. UC graduates are global citizens - communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - evaluate and adopt new technology
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development
4. UC graduates are able to demonstrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing - use Indigenous histories and traditional ecological knowledge to develop and augment understanding of their discipline

Prerequisites

None.

Corequisites

None.

Incompatible units

None.

Equivalent units

None.

Assumed knowledge

None.