History of Computer Game Design: Technology & Culture

This course will provide students with a historical and critical approach to the evolution video game design from its inception to the present, combining cultural, business, and technical perspectives.

Topics include: play in human culture; early computer games from Chess to Halo; the role of artificial intelligence research; the evolution of techniques and genres of computer game design; business competition; games and the microcomputer revolution; networked gaming; gadgets and games as factors in the evolution of software and hardware; marketing; gendering of games and game play; virtual worlds; simulation; video and computer game industries; technology transfer (e.g., military simulation).