Essay – 4000words - 100%
Students will be able to draw on a negotiated list of essay questions and topics.

(Learning Outcomes 1-5)

Psychoanalysis has become a powerful tool of the social sciences especially in philosophy and media, film, art, and literary studies. However, very little has been done in terms of applying the tools and theories of psychoanalysis to the study of games and play. This module readdresses this imbalance, students work to develop an understanding of the current debates and issues in games studies from the perspectives of the juncture of psychoanalysis and philosophy. The modules encourages students to asses and critique the work of current theorists, and develop their own understanding of what games and play mean to us in social, cultural, and ideological terms.

1 x 2 hour interactive lecture a week

Projector
Teaching PC
DVD Player

McGowan, T (2015). Psychoanalytic Film Theory and The Rules of the Game. New York: Bloomsbury Academic.
Milton, Polmer, and Fabricius (2011). A Short Introduction to Psychoanalysis. 2nd ed. London, SAGE
Kay, S (2003). Zizek: A Critical Introduction. Cornwall UK, Polity Press
Lacan, J [Miller J-A, Translated]. (2004). The Four Fundamental Concepts of Psychoanalysis. London, Karnac Press
Zizek, S (2009). The Sublime Object of Ideology. London, Verso Books

1. DEMONSTRATE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE UNCERTAINTY, AMBIGUITY AND LIMITS OF KNOWLEDGE IN TERMS PSYCHOLOGY, PHILOSOPHY AND PSYCHOANALYSIS AND ITS ROLE IN UNDERSTANDING GAMES AND PLAY.
[Learning]

2. ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS FACED IN BOTH GAMES DESIGN AND GAMES STUDIES IN UNDERSTANDING WHAT PLAY IS, IN BOTH DESIGN AND SOCIETAL TERMS, AND DEVELOP INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOANALYTICAL PERSPECTIVES TOWARDS A THEORY OF PLAY, GAMES DESIGN, AND GAME STUDIES.
[Problem Solving]

3. MANAGE THEIR OWN LEARNING, EXERCISE INITIATIVE, PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND DEMONSTRATE THE LEARNING ABILITY, QUALITIES AND TRANSFERABLE SKILLS NECESSARY TO DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE ACADEMIC CONTRIBUTION TO CURRENT DEBATES.
[Reflection]

4. DEMONSTRATE A CRITICAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLE AND PLACE OF PSYCHOANALYSIS IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES AND APPLY KEY ASPECTS TO THE STUDY OF GAMES AND GAMES DESIGN.
[Analysis]

5. COMMUNICATE THE FINDINGS OF RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS IN A COMPREHENSIVE ACADEMIC FASHION. [Communication]

This module examines games as cultural artifacts and ideological products. Students will use play-based research to develop a definition of ideology and how play functions to create and change our ideological understanding of modern society. You will use play as a tool to understand the psychological reality that games create and how gamified systems are inherent in social media and how the games industry has responded to the crises we now face in our modern lives such as climate change and popular politics.