Day 6: The Academic Study of Video Games

Video games are a form of entertainment, like virtual worlds they allow the player to be engrossed in a world of fantasy and possibility, allowing the player to interact and create an experience. Video games in a primitive form, reach as far back as the mid 1950’s and are growing an expanding at a rapid rate.
Other applications of video games were discussed, with video games being useful as simulation games for military, training, and medical purposes. Another interesting question brought up in the lecture was about the aesthetics of video games, what makes a video game good or enjoyable.

With video games theoretical considerations must be made, including their effects on people,and questions relating to that of virtual reality, what is real? One question asks are video games a new form of cultural practice? Are we able to experience and express ourselves in different ways than by traditional means? Two views in the academic study of games are Narratology and Ludology., however these are not the only views. Narratology focuses on the story games tell, whilst Ludology focuses on the graphical elements of a video game.