Sex and Sexuality in Games Essay
Interactive artefact
Context:
Students will undertake an interactive theory project either is individuals or in a group (max four people). Students must select and analyse a singular written source of academic nature on a topic or theory covered in class (or a relevant topic of your choosing to be approved by the lecturer) and respond to this reading in the form of an executable interactive experience.
For this essay it will be an individual project and the topic will be Sex and Sexuality in Games
Instructions:
This artefact does not require gameplay, evolved mechanics or an objective to be fulfilled – it could instead be an interactive scene or experience akin to a museum or watching a conversation play out in front of you. A variety of additional sources, academic or otherwise, can be used to further inform your project.
Student instruction: For this use I saw someone playing in front of me and played by my group of friends. You can put any game as long as it can play by Play station which contains sexuality in games. Then add some additional sources to make your statement stronger. Please use 4/5 photos of that particular game and reference it. Total of 300 words will be fine.
The artefact will be accompanied by a 1,000-word essay, detailing design justification, references to academic sources used to create the project and an explanation of the theory and response contained within.
Student instruction: Then do a 1000 words essay supporting the first part.
Additionally, you may select a relevant reading and topic of your choosing to be approved by the lecturers (any social / cultural / ethical subjects relevant to games and game development).
Document Formatting Specifications
Both an Adobe Acrobat .pdf version and a Microsoft Word .docx version of the document is to be provided using the naming conventions listed below. Format your essay in Times New Roman, point size twelve, fully justified, with 1.5-line spacing. The header must contain the author’s name (left justified), and the footer must contain the page number (right justified).
Attribution
All sources must be correctly cited according to the guide provided, in text as well as in a final reference section. You may choose to cite either with the APA 6th Edition, and these guides will be provided to you in your class folders for reference.
Spelling and Grammar:
Ensure the document is spell-checked and grammar-checked using an appropriate formal writing style as mentioned above. Do not use colloquialisms, casual and text speech or memes in your writing unless it is directly relevant to your topic.
Research
Consider the suitability and relevance of the source(s) you select. Also, consider the scope of this project to plan your design accordingly. It may be best to find a suitable written source on a subject that contains valuable information or data that may be responded to through interactive form.
You will need to create a reference list comprising of your main source as well all additional sources used. Your artefact needs to directly respond to your selected source by exploring, referencing, and critically engaging with the source material.
All additional sources can be used to further inform design decisions in your interactive artefact.
Technical Restrictions :
Students may use any engine available to them. Some examples:
- Unity • Unreal
Essay Process
- Identify/Define a thesis statement: You must first define what your essays aim is. For this essay attempt to summarise your aim with either a question or statement that identifies a particular characteristic of the game in relation to a topic covered in modules 1-3.
For example, an thesis statement on the game ‘Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor’ against the topic of ‘Culture in Games’ could be defined as - How the character design in ‘Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor’ perpetuates prejudice against minority groups.
During each module you will be provided with debate/discussion questions to engage with the rest of the class. You may also use one of this topic questions to directly frame the context of your essay. Each topic question will provide you with 2 opposing propositions. You may choose one to form your argument around or define your own.
- Research/Analysis: Now consider your thesis statement in relation to the broader academic field of Games Studies. What relevant theories, observations and analysis have been made in these regards by other academics? How do they correlate with your own observations from play-testing? What insight can they offer?
- Conclusion: What next? Can we draw a conclusion/answer to our aim/question? What new information or understanding do we gain from our analysis and can it be applied to other games or context?
