Collaborative Assignment

By Brad Bouwers

I am of the opinion that video games are a field that require more in-depth research than our society provides. Video games should be understood as a medium that has ideological impacts on its players, similar to a novel or film.

A game that I've recently been playing is Spore, which has evolutionary concepts at the core of its gameplay. The goal of Spore is to "create your own universe" by creating a species and leading it to galactic conquest. To do this, players must evolve their species to adapt to the environment. Thus, Spore allows players to become (dare I say it) immersed in the evolutionary process.

It is also interesting to see how religion is involved in the gameplay. Conquest can be achieved through either military or religious means. Both methods require the player to use vehicles to load up their vehicles (with either guns or 'regilious instruments') and attack enemy cities (with either gunfire or giant holy warriors). I'm not sure if I agree with this close comparison between religion and warfare, although I do think that religion can escalate human conflict.

I think that studying the thematic values behind such ideologically-packed games is important. Otherwise, they creep into our mindset and we assume them as truth.

#2 Why are video games suddenly a topic of interest at a University?

By Matt Clare and Peter Ambachtsheer

Video games have become a large part of our expression and independence as they have grown more important and popular in today's culture. Like film, or music, the genre's and sub cultures of video games continue to grow, and therefore the theorizing and studies that we see in music and film can be used when talking about the theories and practicalities of video games. The reason there is such buzz about video games suddenly in the University world probably has something to do with the fact that just about everything that plays some importance in our culture can be studied, and when something like video games comes along and can not be defined easily or "figured out", the studies begin.

I agree with Bryn in saying there is little validity in saying a course like IASC deals with JUST video gaming. Some people may turn a blind eye to the study of video game theory and development, yet they may not also realize that like any other University level course, the studies tackle all angles of the industry and art form (some may argue otherwise).

Therefore, video games are a growing part of today's day to day society, and has become a medium for story telling, expression, customization, and entertainment. If we can look at something like film, literature, or music as the same sort of medium, there should be no reason video games can't be studied the same.

Assignment # 1- Collective Assignment

Answer a Question Arising from the Group Inquiry

#2 Why are video games suddenly a topic of interest at a University

Because of the argumentative nature of these topics and the way that seminars are created to encourage discussion, we decided to each post something relevant after discussing the subject in person.

By Bryn

Video games are becoming a way of popular narrative just like novels and film have in the past. This is where the controversy comes from. It is a new form of information and creative exchange that has only begun to be studied, thus people are questioning its validity within a University curriculum. But if we begin to compare a program involving a video gaming culture to that of one in literature or film, we can begin to see how important this study is for the beginning of a new technological age.

If we take for example the IASC program at Brock, you see that there are many levels to the study of humanities computing that go beyond just 'video games.' In fact, it is far more than studying 'games' and 'gaming' though the understanding of these ideologies is an integral part. Most of the classes are cross-listed at this point because it is a medium that delves into many different ideologies. Some examples of these are classes listed with English, Computer Science and Visual Arts classes. This is important because the stream of media is so ever-changing and widespread that it covers a vast amount of the topics that are studied at a university, everything is moving towards digital studies.

Seeing IASC classes cross-listed with ENGL classes exhibits an obvious connection; there is a storyline behind each game created. Whether or not it is linear or traditional in the sense that we have been studying literature for centuries does not matter. People have been studying games for years, why when it becomes something that is done for fun, does it become invalid research in some peoples minds. It is important to understand the techniques used in these areas to communicate ideas and purpose through games effectively, on a more technical level.

This comes to the point that the classes are NOT all about video games. It is also important to note the study of reactions and "sociality" of the gaming world; a university setting is the perfect analytical area to do this in. This involves studying a new way of interacting with one another and how this changes our lives and the way that we react to things. Especially when dealing with children and young minds, who are exposed to these technologies everyday, there needs to be a certain language to speak to these new ideas and minds about the things they are experiencing in their daily lives. These must be studied as technology becomes an ever-present object in the modern world and will only become more prominent as time passes and newer advances are made.

All of these things will begin to help us to understand the games complexities and the various ways that people can react to the same stimuli. This will allow us to possibly generate programs for a new type of learning environment that is catered towards this new generation of technology-immersed students. By studying the different amounts and type of stimuli created through different types of games we are also able to create findings that can help in the medical world with rehabilitation of patients with motor skill and brain functionality injuries. The quick easy stimulus awakens reactions that trigger nerves. A Study by national Geographic "Video Games Boost Visual Skills" argues that action games do just that, and that people who play these games are more virile when it comes to processing objects, as well as prepares soldiers for combat.
Although, this is helpful in research, we must also look at the long-term effects of such a hypothesis is. are we creating a world where people can no longer sit quietly for a few moments without needing to process 30 objects at a time, and is this the cause of so many so-called 'hyperactive' children, or are they just responding to what is going on around them, and when we find a way to tap that energy will make them that much more effective in their schoolwork and daily lives




Side: (extra)

It is studied at a university level because we must begin to understand the core concepts behind the games; rather than just looking at them as 'games'. This will allow a better understanding of the way this integrates into a world that is outside of the game world. By studying social interaction through this medium we will be better able to create games that can be used as learning tools as well as develop better games for entertainment.