Students will create an overview of one entire genre of game, where genre (a term we will intentionally complicate over the course of the class) will be defined primarily through gameplay. (For example, Hearthstone might exist in the Warcraft universe, but for the purposes of this assignment, it is not a Warcraft game.) What is the historical trajectory of the genre – what games began it, and how has it shifted over time? What games are important in mapping this trajectory? What games challenge the conventions others establish? Students will likely need more pages to effectively address these and other questions that arise in a study of any particular genre – this paper, which doubles as the final exam for the course, should be 3500 words.
Example ideas: How has the term “roguelike” evolved over time into its own subgenre of game? What defines a JRPG, and how do different franchises highlight different strengths of the genre?
