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CCI10040

Academic Year 2026/2027

Video Games: History, Technology, and Culture (CCI10040)

Subject:
Creative & Cultural Industries
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
Art History & Cultural Policy
Level:
1 (Introductory)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Dr Michael Iantorno
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This module is being taught in 2026-7 by Dr Michael Iantorno (https://michaeliantorno.com/)

This module will provide an introduction to the origins and transformations of the videogame industry from the 1970s to the modern day. It will discuss how games are created by stakeholders ranging from independent artists to massive media corporations; interrogate their history as consumer hardware, software, and platforms; and consider the discourses that construct and challenge heteronormative and exclusionary gamer identities. This module will provide students with foundational knowledge about what games are, who makes them, and how they intersect with legacy media industries such as music, film, and journalism.

In addition to written assignments, students will have the opportunity to become game developers themselves by engaging with open-source software such as Twine, GB Studio, and Bitsy and publishing on free platforms such as itch.io.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of this module, students will be able to:
● Demonstrate an understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of game studies and video games themselves
● Apply scholarly approaches to the history and socio-cultural significance of video games
● Demonstrate familiarity with the practical and theoretical issues that face contemporary video game artists, composers, designers, and industry professionals
● Discuss the relationships between game designers and players, and how they are mediated through video game interactivity
● Demonstrate an understanding of the historical and sociocultural significance of human-computer interaction through video games; and/or examine the changing patterns of video game consumption and audience interaction in terms of algorithmic culture, audience participation and the rise of digital distribution services
● Demonstrate the ability to write about video games, interactive art, video game culture, and the video game industry fluently and confidently

Indicative Module Content:

Introduction to Game Studies I: Key Definitions
Introduction to Game Studies II: Games as Text/Film/Art
Introduction to Game Studies III: Methodological Approaches
Establishing the North American Videogame Industry (1972-1985)
The Super Nintendo Economic System (1985-2000)
Digital Marketplaces and Industry Deformalisation (2000-Present)
Constructing Gamer Identity
Virtual Bodies
Modding, Hacking, and Queering Games
Game Journalism and #GamerGate
Shifting Game Labour Paradigms
Games as Platforms/Service

UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 
Learning Competency Additional Information Level

Critical Thinking

 The ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on one’s own values, perceptions and actions. Competent

Systems Thinking

 The ability to recognize and understand relationships; to analyse complex systems; to think of how systems are embedded within different domains and different scales; and to deal with uncertainty. Competent

Digital Literacy and Judgement

 The ability to access, evaluate, create and communicate information in digital environments; to engage critically, ethically and responsibly with digital technologies and digital information; to understand their opportunities, limitations, risks and impact on individual’s digital identities; and to exercise informed judgement in digital participation and decision-making. Advanced Beginner

AI Literacy & Agency

 The ability to understand, critically evaluate and responsibly engage with artificial intelligence; to recognise how AI systems are shaped by human values; to assess their ethical, social and environmental implications; and to exercise human judgement, agency and accountability in AI-related contexts. Advanced Beginner

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

24
Specified Learning Activities

45
Autonomous Student Learning

51
Total

120

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures.
Discussion.
Critical writing.
Introduction to basic game design.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Individual Project: Assignment 1: Game Prototype + 800-1000 word paper Week 6 Graded No
40
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): Assignment 2: Case Study Essay
1800-2200 word essay		 Week 11 Graded No
60
 No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Students will receive written feedback from the lecturer post-assessment.

Name Role
Ms Carla Briggs Tutor

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 Mon 12:00 - 12:50
Autumn Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 Wed 12:00 - 12:50
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