Looking to promote videogame history as a possible class

[swlovinist]

I recently got a unique opportunity to work with a community college working as a part time instructor. I am researching to further explore what other colleges have been offering for video game history classes as a potential to possibly promote one locally. If anyone has a link to a video game syllabus or knows of a college that offers a course in video game history, that would be most helpful.

[JSoup]

I did my entrance essay for the research methods education section of my library college on video games as documentable history. Went over great, but library sciences is a really easy field to impress educators in.

[Haoie]

I'm all for games and all, but isn't the point of college to learn something useful?

[APE992]

I'm all for games and all, but isn't the point of college to learn something useful?

Given a sizable percentage of degrees are all but useless (Philosophy and English come to mind) it is more about how the individual interprets "useful". An English major is extremely unlikely to actually get employment using their degree except for select occupations. An engineer or medical doctor are clearly extremely useful and beneficial lines of education and universally accepted as being useful.

Being a math major is also kinda useless in reality. Engineering is applied math+physics where as math typically just deals with theory. Beyond being an interesting topic quantum physics isn't really going to improve fuel efficiency or build better steel in the next decade. If it pans out perhaps we might have FTL travel but that is many decades off.

What you're going to get is a bunch of morons thinking the class is an easy A because they played FF7 15 times and have a massive collection of NES games. If you were to dive into gameplay mechanics, economics, power struggles and such it'd make for a much more interesting course.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

This is true. My college offers a "History of Rock n' Roll" course. If that's useful in today's technology focused world, then the history of videogames surely is as well.

[Jorpho]

Beyond being an interesting topic quantum physics isn't really going to improve fuel efficiency or build better steel in the next decade. If it pans out perhaps we might have FTL travel but that is many decades off.Written like someone who's never studied anything remotely like quantum physics.

[theichibun]

I'm all for games and all, but isn't the point of college to learn something useful?

I took a class on the words and music of Bruce Springsteen. Granted, that was as a special honors class but it still happened and I still got a grade.

[Melf]

An English major is extremely unlikely to actually get employment using their degree except for select occupations.

You can use an English degree for other occupations outside of teaching, such as editing, writing, and journalism. Calling it "useless" isn't just a stretch, it's simply not true.

[Collector_Gaming]

yea cant be any worse then the college the next town over from me

They have a Vampire Literature class

how this helps in a real life scenario i am still trying to figure out.

The history of video games actually believe it or not imo is very benificial for kids looking to get into programing/Video game design and more related to video game careers which are booming thanks to the 21st century.

I mean if you know about the history of video games then you can press onward and be like "ok we did this .... and this.. and this in video games how can i set this apart from that... what mechanics did these games have that worked for them that i can incorporate in mine"

[Jorpho]

I mean if you know about the history of video games then you can press onward and be like "ok we did this .... and this.. and this in video games how can i set this apart from that... what mechanics did these games have that worked for them that i can incorporate in mine"The easy counterargument there is that technology is always advancing and providing new hardware and programming techniques that were not envisaged by earlier game designers.

And from there, the argument eventually becomes: should game developers aspire to create some piece of "art" that no one will ever learn about or particularly want to play, or should they be learning to create something that actually has a chance of selling?

[Aussie2B]

I wouldn't exactly say that video game careers are booming. Even if the industry is successful, there's still just a small pool of careers out there, so you have to be lucky to make it. There are just too many dumb kids thinking "I want to grow up and make video games!" Although for anyone that's serious about it, has talent, and puts in the effort to get skilled at whatever aspect they want to do, they can at least take comfort in the fact that a lot of these kids have no chance of ever competing with them for a job, either because they aren't considered by the employer for a second or they can't cut it when they're actually trying to learn programming and the high level math associated with it and so on. But, even then, there still aren't enough jobs to go around even for those who deserve them, but maybe the same can be said for every field in this economy.

Anyway, I think a video game history class would be fun. Make no mistake, it would be a complete fluff class, but every student needs a fluff class to fill out their schedule now and then. Not that there aren't very respectable video game historians out there, but I don't think the average student taking such a class would be aiming to get into video game journalism/book authoring.

[JSoup]

You can use an English degree for other occupations outside of teaching, such as editing, writing, and journalism. Calling it "useless" isn't just a stretch, it's simply not true.

Speaking as someone with an English degree, I'm saying that it's useless unless you intend to work in a low level office job, a mid level state job or intend to get a masters of some kind. That's not a stretch, it's the truth.

[sheath]

You can use an English degree for other occupations outside of teaching, such as editing, writing, and journalism. Calling it "useless" isn't just a stretch, it's simply not true.

Same as any liberal art degree, or really any undergraduate degree in general. Having it proves to employers that you can work, learn and follow directions. Liberal arts can be "sold" to the private sector as proof that you can think and work outside the box, and adapt more quickly than an engineering, mathematics, or science major would. The real problem with this kind of degree is what kind of internship or part-time job you worked while you were in college. Working retail or at a library won't get you past HR in a tech firm for example.

The problem with a video game history class today is that there has not been a solid fact based historical synthesis written on any age of video game history. From what it sounds like, we are closer to having such a thing on the pre-1985 era, but we are absolutely nowhere close to real history from 1985-2000. History only becomes actual history starting at the 10 year old mark, and last I checked there were zero academic publications that dealt with more than an isolated event like a system launch.

[chrisbid]

it may be easier to digest if it were a history of computers and video games. the two paths are intertwined, and video games did indeed drive the computer revolution.

[NayusDante]

Video Game History - NO

Computer History - YES

Video games are certainly part of computer history, and there is a lot to be covered in the development of the game console and the home PC.

[Melf]

Speaking as someone with an English degree, I'm saying that it's useless unless you intend to work in a low level office job, a mid level state job or intend to get a masters of some kind. That's not a stretch, it's the truth.

Where are you looking for jobs? Speaking as someone with an English degree, I've applied for jobs in publishing and even journalism. Almost two decades after graduation, I've had multiple jobs, and none of them were low or mid-level office or state jobs. Currently, I teach, write, and do proofreading for doctoral candidates and in publishing. Considering how bad the employment sector here is compared to the states, I find it hard to believe that you haven't found better job opportunities than I have.

A masters helps out, true, but that can be said of many fields.

[Kiddo]

The problem with a video game history class today is that there has not been a solid fact based historical synthesis written on any age of video game history. From what it sounds like, we are closer to having such a thing on the pre-1985 era, but we are absolutely nowhere close to real history from 1985-2000. History only becomes actual history starting at the 10 year old mark, and last I checked there were zero academic publications that dealt with more than an isolated event like a system launch.

If it's any consolation, I'm trying. ^^;

(I find the Satellaview to be an interesting piece of history with "Games On Demand" Networking services and/or general experimentation.)

[sheath]

In my free time, when I have the will power, I am weeding my way through all the US print magazines I can get my grubby paws on and creating a reference list of summary and pertinent quotes for each console. I'm hoping some sort of interesting ideas will come from doing this.

I bottomed out halfway through 1992, and need to get myself over the hump.

[Kiddo]

Could you send me any of the Satellaview ones? Besides Nintendo Power, most of the scans I've got of Satellaview/BS-X Download Game articles are JP or EU-originated.

[sheath]

I have seen nothing on it in the multiplatform US magazines yet. If you think it is in a Nintendo Power let me know which ones, I should have that.

Also, I only have EGM from 1988, Gamepro from 1989 and a smattering of Gameplayers through 1991 as far as multi-platform stuff goes.

[swlovinist]

The focus of the class would be the colorful background of history that involves computer, arcade, portable, and console video games. I should add that this class would be offered at a community college. There are endless possibilities of how I could approach this class, I just wanted some input and see if others have attended or know of online material as a starting point of discussion.

[Edmond Dantes]

Well, if you do a Video Game History class, I hope its something better than the usual "my favorite series inspired every game after it!" nonsense you usually get from video game "histories."

[sheath]

'Series" and "platform" could be interchangeable there. I'm not sure what keeps me interested in making progress with Video Game History, genuine interest, or disgust with the established nonsense.

[SpaceFlea]

Do the class; tape the lectures; and sell the tapes... Inform the world and achieve victory.

[retroman]

Well Haoie if you are trying to get into the game biz via college....Would be a great class to have...Most young kids now days dont know shit before Playstation...Should be a class they are made to take..

[Jorpho]

Most young kids now days dont know shit before PlaystationAnd have you spoken to young kids about that yourself?

It does occur to me the ones who care would probably already know most things they'd want to know. And the ones who don't care wouldn't want to take the course.

[Flack]

The focus of the class would be the colorful background of history that involves computer, arcade, portable, and console video games. I should add that this class would be offered at a community college. There are endless possibilities of how I could approach this class, I just wanted some input and see if others have attended or know of online material as a starting point of discussion.

You need to get in contact with Drew Stone (Dstone here, I think). Drew attends (or at least attended) one of our local community colleges which offers a degree in video game development. One of the classes was (I believe) the history of video games, and at one point he asked me to come and speak to his class. I did about a one hour presentation about the Commodore included a PowerPoint presentation and lots of video comparing things like the Atari 2600 version of Donkey Kong vs. the C64 version, etc.

[rolenta]

My book is used as text in several videogame history courses around the country. However, when I attempted to contact schools about teaching my own class, I hadn't had any luck. The community colleges, while some liked the idea (how many other videogame history instructors could offer a working Brown Box or a day where Ralph Baer talks to the class via Skype?), they told me that since they were only two-year degrees, they were limited in the courses that they could offer.

[sheath]

And have you spoken to young kids about that yourself?

It does occur to me the ones who care would probably already know most things they'd want to know. And the ones who don't care wouldn't want to take the course.

I have, hundreds of them. It is fair to say that the earliest they have played is the N64 or Playstation by and large. If they went older it was to play NES and SNES games.

[swlovinist]

I appreciate the input, and will hopefully have more information about this moving forward.