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ENG 2900
Dr. Edmond Y. Chang Download the course policies and syllabus (PDF).
"You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike."
“There’s a toxicity within gaming culture, and also in tech culture, that drives this misogynist hatred,
this reactionary backlash against women who have anything to say, especially those who have critiques or
who are feminists. There’s this huge drive to silence us, and if they can't silence us, they try to
discredit us in an effort to push us out.”
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ACCORDING TO the introduction of Video Games, Literature, and Close Playing: A Practical Guide,, video games “are important...video games have a place alongside literature, theory, and the humanities writ large…[games offer] innovation and imagination of reading, thinking, writing, researching, and play. Video games are here to stay, they are ubiquitous, and it is important to define an develop ways to engage with and understand them as part of everyday life.” This introductory course takes up these provocations to survey the key terms, questions, and theories of the interdisciplinary fields that make up video game studies, paying particular attention to recent debates, conversations, and texts in order to address the critical, cultural, and pedagogical value of games. We will practice formal, textual, and “close playing” analyses of games from platform to representation, narrative to mechanics, identity to ideology; we will explore literary, rhetorical, ludic, feminist, queer, and intersectional approaches to analyze games; finally, we will develop a working vocabulary for video game studies addressing keywords like play, character, story, fun, immersion, interactivity, power, race, gender, sexuality, disability, environment, and more. Game play will be required but previous gaming experience is not necessary. A REQUIREMENT for this class is a well-developed curiosity about the world, about the cultures we live in, and about the cultural productions we imagine, produce, and consume. In other words, this class is about reading, critiquing, and analyzing our culture through different video games and texts. We will engage different practices enjoying and analyzing games and other media, as well as develop literary, feminist, queer, and intersectional strategies, habits, and perspectives of reading, thinking, writing, and play. Foremost, we will read, play, write, and research with pleasure and for pleasure. We will also close read and close play for analysis. And lastly, we will read, play, and deploy video games as theory, as dramatizing the concerns, wonders, struggles, and politics of lived life and experience. SPECIFICALLY, our course goals and learning objectives include:
• We will develop and demonstrate a familiarity with a range of texts, terms, and theories,
engaging with video game studies. IN OTHER WORDS, we will use literature, other mediums, and popular culture as vernacular theory to think, talk, write about and to interrogate the world around us. We will spend the quarter asking and addressing difficult, challenging, and sometimes discomforting ideas, questions, and topics, focusing on different identities, bodies, histories, desires, experiences, and even struggles and violences. Whether on the page, screen, on campus, or in the community, we will explore and engage multiple perspectives, levels of familiarity with the material, and heady and heartfelt responses. In other words, our class will be a safe, respectful, but not necessarily comfortable space. However, you do not have to believe in the ideas, theories, and analyses of the course, but you do have to demonstrate that you understand and can apply them. While pushing boundaries and comfort zones are essential to critical thinking, making connections, and intellectual and personal freedom, see me with concerns and queries, for reasonable accommodations, and for further resources on campus.
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“The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed.”
“Video games have an unmet potential to create complexity by letting people experience the world from
different perspectives.”
Required Course Texts & Materials
• Chang & Welsh, Video Games, Literature, and Close Reading: A Practical Guide.
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Course Requirements
Game Play Presentation and Roundtable Download the course policies and syllabus (PDF).
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Requirements & GradingYour grade should not be the sole exigence or motivation for this class. It is the hope of the course that you walk away from our class with something more. Find some pleasure and some edification and some knowledge from this class (or any class really) and success is usually not far behind. With that in mind, your grade will be a reflection of engagement, effort, close reading, critical thinking, writing, and participation. Game Play Presentation and Roundtable (20%) You will be a required to sign up in small groups for an oral presentation, roundtable, and curated Canvas post during the course of the semester. For your presentation, you will play a game for that day, you will read the texts assigned for that week, summarize and articulate two or three main points from the week’s scholarly or critical text (as assigned), generate a brief close playing demonstration and a critical and analytical question connecting the theory to the game, and contribute to in-class and online discussion for the week. Curations should have a group presentation plan, a substantive framing post, may include media, and each group member must contribute to the discussion and post. Play Logs or Plogs (10%) You will be required to keep a weekly (or so) “plog” or “play log” about the games that you play and the texts that you read. Plog entries will be short analytical responses, meditations, and provocations that engage the game and your play on a critical, analytical, or theoretical level. Plogs will be posted each week (or so) to the class Canvas. These plogs will be evaluated on completion and your critical, analytical engagement with the prompt. In-Class Quizzes (10%) There will be seven or more in-class five-minute quizzes at various times during the semester. These quizzes serve as a review of the week's main ideas, terms, texts, and readings. These quizzes might include identifications, fill-in-the-blanks, definitions, and short answers. Creative Responses (10%) Over the course of the semester, you will write a gamer autobiography, a one-rule change exploration, and generate a critical review as an alternative way to explore and demonstrate the ideas and goals of the course. These creative responses will be evaluated on completion and your critical, thoughtful engagement with the prompts. Project Proposal Memo (10%) As part of your Final Project research and writing process, you must generate a 1-page research proposal in business memo format. You will also arrange for a conference with me to go over your proposal. Proposals will be graded for clarity, detail, completion, and manuscript format. Your proposal and conference must be completed at least 4 weeks prior to the end of the semester. Prototype Game Final Project (20%) By the end of the semester, you will complete a Final Project that integrates what you have read, played, explored, and written about in your assignments, that draws on specific terms, concepts, or issues from our discussions, and that puts into practice the ludic, theoretical, even political value of video games and video game studies. The project asks you to make connections and to create an argument across different kinds of evidence and added research. Your final project will be part prototype and part researched project, artist, or design statement. Ideally, you will develop a project with the goal of publication (for a short-form journal or website), presentation at a conference (including abstract for submission), or production (such as a Twine game). Participation and Preparedness (20%) Preparedness and participation form a large component of your final grade. It is essential that you prepare, attend, and participate in class. Missing class may seriously compromise your ability to do well in this class. Moreover, negative participation will hurt your participation grade. Participation is determined by 1) your respectful presence in class and interactions with me and others, 2) your willingness to discuss, comment, and ask questions, 3) your preparation for class, which includes having the required materials and doing all of the assigned reading or work for class, 4) your engagement and collaboration in group work, presentations, office hours, and course events, and 5) your completion of all required threads, other weekly posts, and overall care and use of the class Canvas--bookmark the address, check and respond regularly, and think of the blog as an extension of class: https://ohio.instructure.com/courses/65021/
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“One thing I'm a little worried about today, is that the current generation of young game creators
has grown up on video games themselves, and I don't know if they've had time or room to absorb the
influence of other arts and mediums.”
“The more people who come forward and talk about how much they love gaming, how much they talk
about individuality and diversity, the more gamers of color that come out and gay gamers that come
out and everybody talking about what they love – that’s what the community has in common: a love of gaming.”
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AttendanceAttendance is required. If you are absent, you miss the explanation of an assignment, the discussion of a reading, the chance to participate, and overall, the class as a community of learning. Also, you are expected to be in class on time. In the first minutes of class I may make important announcements, establish the agenda for the day, begin immediately with an important lesson, or field questions. If you come in after we start class, even by only a few minutes, you are late and will be mark as such. Chronic or conspicuous attendance problems will negatively affect your overall participation grade for the class.
Moreover, absences for more than a third of the course / 9 class sessions may result in a failing
grade regardless of reason. University-sanctioned and reasonable accommodations will be taken into
account. All absences are your responsibility. If you know you are going to miss class, please let
me know (via email) as soon as possible and make any necessary arrangements. When you do miss class,
always find another student to get class notes or see me during office hours to discuss or make up
missed work in a timely manner. You are always responsible for all material covered during your absence.
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Response Paper Formatting 1) 1" margins top, bottom, left, and right on each page. 2) 2) Single-spaced block header on the first page only with your name, date, course, my name:
Student Name 3) Appropriate title. 4) Print single-sided. Papers are double-spaced with paper page numbers in the upper right hand corner; no extra space between paragraphs. 5) Standard Times Roman Font, 12 point only. 6) Correct MLA citation and bibliographic format. A paper turned in without a bibliography automatically fails and will be returned with no comments.
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Assignment FormatAll papers must be typed or produced on a word processor. All documents should be saved in Microsoft Word format (or if necessary Rich Text Format). All papers must follow the manuscript format outlined by the assignment. Unless instructed otherwise, all papers must use MLA citation and documentation conventions. All papers must be neatly printed (in black), single-sided, stapled in the top, left-hand corner if necessary, and not be three-hole punched. Papers that do not follow these format guidelines will not be accepted. They will be returned unread to you. Papers will be regarded as late until they are resubmitted in the proper format. Always make a backup copy of every paper you turn in, lest you be one of the unhappy people whose paper is eaten by the computer. You may even want to take the precaution of e-mailing your paper to yourself as an attachment during the drafting process and certainly before you exit the document and leave the computer. Or you may want to invest in cloud-based file storage like OneDrive (which all OU students have already have access) or DropBox.
Evaluation RubricOver the course of the semester, your assignments will receive feedback and comments that will identify what you are doing well and what still needs improvement. Your grades assess your fulfillment of the assignment, the quality of work, detail, analysis, and argumentation, overall effort, and finally, style, polish, and risk taking. Consider the following evaluation rubric as signposts or a kind of legend to your progress and evaluation:
• Outstanding (A/A+): Offers a very highly proficient, even memorable demonstration
of the trait(s) associated with the course or assignment goal(s), including some
appropriate risk-taking and/or creativity. |
Late Assignments All assignments must be done completely and turned in on time. Late assignments will be penalized a letter grade for every day that they are late. So, if your essay is late by one day and you received a B- for your work, then your final grade would be a C-. Moreover, I will not comment on late work. However, you still need to complete late work or you will receive a zero. If you miss the due date of a paper, you must notify me and make arrangements to get the paper to me as soon as possible. Unless previously arranged, I DO NOT accept assignments via email. Remember that a paper has not been officially handed in until it is in my hands. Never turning anything in late is always the best policy. |
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Contact Dr. Chang
Office: Download the course policies and syllabus.
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Finding HelpMy office and office hours are listed above. I am available during that time or by appointment (which can be held virtually). I encourage you to come see me early in the quarter even if it is just to talk about the class, about the assignments, or about school in general. I may ask you to meet with me when I think a conference would be useful. My office is located on the third floor of Ellis Hall (east of Alden Library), Room 331.
Email is the best way to contact me. I will do my best to answer your emails and Bb posts, usually within twenty-four hours. If there is an emergency and you need to reach me, please contact the main English office in 201 Ellis Hall. Furthermore, when time permits, I will supplement my office hours with virtual hours via Google Chat (nickname: EDagogy); if I am logged in, during reasonable hours, you are more than welcome to discuss the class or ask questions. Please, when you initiate an IM conversation, please say hello and identify yourself to me; also, be patient because my responses may not be immediate. You can also find additional writing and academic help at the Writing Commons on campus, a good resource for this class and other classes. The Writing Commons is located in the Academic Advancement Center (AAC) on the second floor of Alden Library and offers a variety of services including help with reading, writing, brainstorming ideas, organization, citation, and research. See https://www.ohio.edu/student-success/academic-achievement-center to make an appointment and for more information.
Further resources, both on- and off-campus can be found on the Links page of the course website:
http://www.edmondchang.com/courses/2900/links.html.
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Learning (With) Technology Unless you have an official accommodation, the use of technology in our classroom is a privilege, not a right. Mobile devices like phones, media players, and cameras should be off and put away. Computers and tablets should be used for note-taking, in-class work, and readings only. Print is generally preferred for course texts and readings, but full-size e-versions are acceptable provided the student is able to readily highlight, annotate, and index. Finally, be conscientious and respectful in the use of the course website and social media and post no material from class to the internet or non-class sites without explicit permission from the instructor and the class. Keep in mind these three rules:
1) Use the Right Tool for the situation and the task--keep it simple and elegant,
Inappropriate use and abuse of technology in class will result in the taking away of technology privileges for the offending student and/or class as a whole. |
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AccommodationsAny student who feels they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should see me or contact me in the first week of class to discuss their specific needs and provide written documentation from Student Accessibility Services. If you are not yet registered as a student with a disability, please contact Accessibility Services at 740-593-2620 or visit the Accessibility Services office in Alden Library 230. The OU Accessibility Services website is: https://www.ohio.edu/accessibility.
Generative AI-FreeThis course will be a generative AI free zone. Students are encouraged to explore and understand their relationship to and limits for technology and to develop a philosophy of technology use that reflects their social, cultural, ethical, environmental, and creative values. All assignments submitted for this course should represent your own thinking and effort and should be prepared entirely by you. There may be times when the use of AI-generated text or images would be appropriate in this course, particularly regarding reasonable accommodations and accessibility, but you should obtain advance permission from the instructor for any use of generative AI technologies. Without clearance, the use of generative AI at any stage of your work in this course constitutes academic dishonesty and is a violation of course policy and of the Ohio University Student Code of Conduct (see below).
Academic DishonestyAll students are required to uphold the highest academic standards. Plagiarism, or academic dishonesty, is presenting someone else's ideas or writing as your own. In your writing for this class, you are encouraged to refer to other people's thoughts and writing--as long as you cite them. Many students do not have a clear understanding of what constitutes plagiarism, so feel free to ask questions at any time. For our class, plagiarism includes:
• a student failing to cite sources of ideas If you have any doubt about how to cite or acknowledge another's writing, please talk to me. Any plagiarism or academic dishonesty will result in failure of an assignment or of this course, and the Office of Community Standards and Student Responsibility may impose additional sanctions. It is always better to be safe than sorry. Please review the Ohio University Student Code of Conduct, which includes full definitions, procedures, and appeals processes: https://www.ohio.edu/student-affairs/community-standards/student-code-of-conduct.
Harassment, Discrimination, and Sexual Misconduct
Ohio University and our course are committed to a safe, supportive, and inclusive learning
environment. All OHIO faculty and staff share in the responsibility to create a safe learning
environment for students and for the campus as a whole. With the exception of the confidential
resources listed below, all OHIO employees are required to report any instances of sexual
harassment or other sexual misconduct to the Title IX Coordinator in the Office of Civil Rights
Compliance (CRC), even if they learn of it through classroom assignments, discussions, or the
like. Reports are made to the Title IX Coordinator in the Office of Civil Rights Compliance and
can be made electronically at
https://www.ohio.edu/civil-rights by selecting the "report sexual misconduct" tab, by phone at 740.593.9140, by fax at 740.593.9168, or by email at
civilrights@ohio.edu or
civilrights@ohio.edu. If you are not yet ready to have
something that happened to you or someone else reported to CRC, you can speak confidentially
with the Survivor Advocacy Program (740-597-SAFE or
https://www.ohio.edu/survivor,
Counseling and Psychological Services (740.593.1616 or
https://www.ohio.edu/student-affairs/counseling) or Campus Care (740.592.7100).
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“Games are the most elevated form of investigation.”
“The idea that kids can play video games like Grand Theft Auto or any video game is amazing. The
video games are one step before a whole other virtual universe.”
“Video games are an expressive medium. They represent how real and imagined systems work.
They invite players to interact with those systems and form judgments about them. As part of
the ongoing process of understanding this medium…we must strive to understand how to construct
and critique the representations of our world in videogame form.”
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© 2025-26 Edmond Chang. All original material. All rights reserved. Contact the webmaster of this site. These pages are best viewed with Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome. Open your browser to the largest viewable area. These pages are hosted by ED(MOND)CHANG(ED)AGOGY, the academic, professional, and creative website of Edmond Y. Chang. |
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