Online Games: Literature, New Media, and Narrative

This course is for newcomers to video gaming as well as experienced gamers looking to reflect back on their love of the hobby. It will examine what happens to stories and paintings when these become part of large-scale multiplayer online games. We will be using the Lord of the Rings trilogyathe films, novels and the videogameaas our main example of how media mediationa changes familiar stories. This course is intended to be a University-Level English Literature Class. It's a multimedia multi-genre tour of the fundamental human activity of storytelling. We will learn about narrative theory and some important topics in media studies, and explore some history and theory related to video games. We will be able to see some of the most important romance novels, which is what lies behind many fantasy games. Tolkienas The Fellowship of the Ring and a little of Edmund Spenseras Faerie Kinge are all included. Also, poems by Keats and Tennyson as well as Browning and other poets.

The twenty-first-century gaming industry is based on decades of romantic narrative conventions. It has grown to be a creative and economically powerful force. The industry attracts some of the most talented writers, musicians, creators, programmers, gamers, theorists, producers and marketers. In 2012 it was estimated to have generated $64 billion. Anybody interested in culture today should be familiar with how this medium changes our perception of stories. Begin an intellectual journey with me, as I explore the cultural legacy of online gaming.