Video games:
Between Contagion and Reality

Instructor: Conrad Hamilton Date & Time: February 8, 15, 22, March 1st 09:00-11:30 ET

DESCRIPTION: Over the past decade, video games have undergone a dramatic politicization. Once viewed as an asocial pastime, gaming communities have, since events like #GamerGate and the 2016 U.S. presidential election, been increasingly cast as incubators of far-right and reactionary politics. However, mainstream critiques have rarely explored how these developments relate to the broader evolution of the gaming industry, or why the industry itself was so unprepared for this wave of populist energy. This Seminar traces how video games moved from being solitary pursuits to deeply social and networked practices, and how debates between narratology (the study of games as narrative) and ludology (the study of games as play) have shaped both academic and popular perceptions of the medium. Ultimately, we examine how video games became entangled with the forces of platform capitalism, social antagonism, and contemporary political struggles, reflecting what Roger Caillois once called “the contagion of reality.” Participants will engage foundational texts, critical debates, and case studies to understand video games as sites where art, technology, and politics collide.

Session 1, A New Art Form: We introduce game studies through the works of Johan Huizinga and Roger Caillois, examining how the concept of play generates culture and how video games came to be understood as an art form. Readings for this Session include Homo Ludens by Johan Huizinga, excerpts from Man, Play and Games by Roger Caillois, and key texts from the Roger Ebert and the Games-as-Art Debate.

Session 2, The Rise of Narratology: This Session explores Janet Murray’s notion of video games as “multiform” digital texts, contextualized within the technological shift from arcades and ARPANET to home consoles and the growth of AI. For this Session, please read Hamlet on the Holodeck by Janet Murray.

Session 3, The Ludological Turn: We focus on the emergence of ludology as the dominant approach within game studies, particularly through the influence of Espen Aarseth’s Cybertext, and discuss how online games fostered user-created content. Recommended readings are Cybertext by Espen Aarseth, “Ludology Meets Narratology: Similitude and Differences Between (Video)games and Narrative” by Gonzalo Frasca, and “The Gaming Situation” by Markku Eskelinen.

Session 4, Crises, Real and Imagined: The final Session examines #GamerGate, the industry’s crisis of profitability, and how backlash to changes in gaming was expressed as a wider campaign against progressive voices. We close by discussing how video games reveal social antagonisms characteristic of platform capitalism. The central reading is Play Anything by Ian Bogost.

IMAGE: Thomas Bayrle, bewegung im stillstand, 2025

To see The New Centre Refund Policy CLICK HERE.