Video Games: Remaking Reality

This subject is a full overview of Video Games. The great games, the history, the techniques, and the future of this developing medium and industry are all explored. Games have developed from simple electronic entertainment in the 70s to an epic cinematic medium that now is larger than the entire film industry and one of the most popular and complex forms of art and virtual reality in the 21st century. Games have moved past being shoot and kill spectacles and are becoming a form of expression for millions of people and a new medium of social interaction and technological development that is engaging gamers and non-gamers alike. As virtual reality becomes a greater part of ‘real life’ this subject explores the complex network that makes up the video game world and the emerging group of designers and artists who are exploring new possibilities. To understand the full picture of video games it is impossible to separate the commercial elements from the artistic and the technological from the social and mental. A wide range of disciplines need to be explored and the connections between them as well as looking at the game industry itself and how it is transforming. Each week will combine the issues that surround games and an overview of the best and most complex games from multi-million dollar blockbusters to the new ‘art games’ and independent games that re-invent the concept of a game. Guest speakers from the game industry and from the arts, sciences and business will share their perspective on the state of the present and new ideas that will shape the future. Tutorials will present new aspects of current and past games and students will discuss their experience with games and present ideas and new finds each week.