电子游戏改造人类世界的历史Why Video Games Matter
课程号：
08430003
学分：
2
先修课程：
无
开课院系：
前沿交叉学科研究院
中文简介：
自20世纪40-50年代以博览会上的“技术怪胎”身份问世以来，电子游戏在其后的几十年中超速进化，以沛然莫御之势成为人类历史上最具统摄力的文化现象之一。与历史上的许多技术发明一样，游戏的受众之广、辐射力之强亦激发了广泛的“技术畏惧”，沦为“现代塞壬”的代名词。
游戏是如此深刻地改造了人类世界，然而人们对于其文化与历史却少有反思。如果我们跳出“娱乐至死”的文化环境，重新反思游戏作为一种技术产品、产业、载体的历史变迁，一些鲜为人知的幕后故事将会浮出水面，为我们呈现一幅更加奇妙的图景，使我们能够更深刻地理解游戏的全球流行这一文化现象，以及游戏之于人类社会潜移默化的影响。
本课程将透过文化史、技术史、艺术史、思想史的多维视角来审视电子游戏与社会的互动关系。不同于常规的游戏通论、设计类课程对于游戏玩法及机制的关注，这门课不再将“游戏爱好者”作为受众身份的前置设定。
英文简介：
Since their debut as “technological oddities” at expos in the 1940s-50s, electronic games have undergone rapid evolution over the following decades to become one of the most impactful cultural phenomena in human history. However, like many technological inventions throughout history, the wide audience and powerful reach of games have also sparked widespread “technological fear”, becoming synonymous with a “modern-day siren”.
Despite games having deeply transformed the human world, people have rarely reflected on their culture and history. By stepping out of the culture of “entertainment to death” and re-examining the historical changes of games as a technological product, industry, and medium, several little-known behind-the-scenes stories will emerge, presenting a more marvelous picture for us. This allows us to deeply comprehend the global popularity of gaming as a cultural phenomenon and their subtle impact on human society.
This course will approach the interactive relationship between electronic games and society from multi-dimensional perspectives, including cultural history, technological history, art history, and intellectual history. Unlike conventional game-related or design courses that primarily focus on gameplay and mechanics, this course will not assume “game enthusiasts” as the students’ prior identity.
