Art History 290NM - Art of Play: Visual Art/Games

This course will examine the intersection between the visual arts and games over the course of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. We will begin by examining theories of play and their relationship to both visual art and game design. We will approach this topic from two directions. First, by looking historically at how the visual arts have represented games and game playing and utilized the mechanics of game play. Second, by asking how games function as works of art, with a focus on electronic games, computers, and new media. We will examine the various ways that game aesthetics deal with mechanics, narrative and visual representation. Case studies include modern art and sport, surrealist games, war games, video art, video games, and the relationship between computing, art and game play.

Course limited to sophomores, juniors and seniors