Case study Video Games and/as Literature
Discover how the co-design team introduced sustainability topics in a context where it typically remains unexplored: an English literature and video games class!
How a Co-design team introduced sustainability in the world of English literature and video games
As part of the Sustainability Co-Design Project, instructor Kelsey Blair collaborated with student partners Ennie Skurczak and Brett Gallant to redesign two units of the ENGL 255: Video Games and/as Literature course within the English department.
The goal of the redesign was to infuse sustainability by introducing key ideas related to sustainability and eco-criticism as they relate to the study and play of video games. This was done through the incorporation of readings and activities related to these topics, as well as the incorporation of other elements of sustainability in education, such as systems thinking and place-based reflection.
Blair, Skurczak, and Gallant worked together to ensure the resulting units addressed all three pillars of sustainability: environmental, social and economic. Through teamwork and self-examination, the co-design team reimagined not only the content of the course but also its pedagogical approach.
Redesign for sustainability integration
The co-design team focused on two units to explore how games show and shape our relationships to one another, to land and to things. The redesigned activities encouraged different modes of learning such as varied readings, a small group discussion, a class-wide discussion and a free-writing exercise, among others.
Unit 9
Cultural materialism, Global ecologies, and Video games
Unit 9 was redesigned to introduce students to key concepts related to capitalism, globalization, resources and supply chain. To put the theory into action, Blair and the student partners decided to include a supply chain analysis exercise that examines Nintendo Switch and Breath of the Wild (2017). Through this exercise, the group aimed to foster students' practice of systems thinking which involves analyzing the interconnections between different domains. They were prompted to consider how individuals and groups could engage ethically and sustainably within supply chains.
Unit 10
Eco-criticism, Constructions of nature, and the Fetch quest in video games
Unit 10 was designed to introduce key concepts related to the construction of nature and relations to the land. Theoretically, this was done through the reading of Julietta Singh’s “Errands for the Wild” and Dennis Jansen’s “The Environment at Play: Confronting Nature in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and the ‘Frostfall’ Ecomod.”
To bring the learning to the local context, the team included a place-based exercise that asks students to reflect on their own relationship to land and environment through free-writing guided by prompts. The team also designed an “errand” type of exercise in which students are tasked with collecting a resource or a natural object that fits in their hand and bringing it back to class. This was done to foster experiential learning through embodiment, and to help students think more critically about some of the key terms introduced in Julietta Singh’s article such as colonial errands and fetch quests.
Assessments and feedback
Assessment
The assessment activities were designed to offer students choice and a variety of means to demonstrate their learning. More specifically, students will:
- Complete 250-word forum prompts on the assigned readings and games.
- Have the option to apply terms and concepts from the unit as part of a 500-word project proposal and a 250-word annotated bibliography.
- Have the option to apply terms and concepts from the unit as part of their final paper (a conventional academic paper of 6-8 pages) or project (a combination of a creative output and 3-4 pages of critical writing).
- Complete a short reflection on the semester’s learning and compile evidence of engagement/participation throughout the term, as part of an assignment called the “Learning Dossier”.
Feedback
As part of the assessment plan, the co-design team planned opportunities to provide and gather student feedback. These opportunities include:
- Responses to essay prompts that can be reviewed in relation to engagement, comprehension, and application of key ideas.
- Two survey questions that will be added to the end-of-term feedback survey.
Examples of redesigned or created teaching resources
The co-design team created several teaching and learning resources:
Redesign summary
Instructor
Assistant Professor Kelsey Blair
Student partners
Ennie Skurczak and Brett Gallant
ENGL 255: Video Games and/as Literature
- A 200-level English course that introduces students to the field of video games studies from the perspective of cultural studies, emphasizing the narrative, communicative, and performance elements of video games.
- Between 55-75 students take this course per term.
- The course consists of 2.5-hour in-person classes with cluster lectures followed by activities and discussion.
- The course assessment structure includes a midterm exam project proposal, final project, Learning Dossier (forum posts, attendance, participation, reflection).
Goal
The goal of the redesign was to infuse sustainability into a class that would not normally include sustainability topics. Introduce students to key ideas related to sustainability and eco-criticism as they relate to the study and play of video games.
Redesigned units
The redesign focused on two units in week 9 and week 10 of the course:
- Unit 9: Cultural materialism, Global ecologies, and Video games
- Unit 10: Eco-criticism, Constructions of nature, and the Fetch quest in video games
Sustainability lens or Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The redesign included three spheres of sustainability: environmental, social and economic.
More specifically: Responsible consumption and production, Life on land, Industry innovation and infrastructure, Systems thinking, Place-based reflection, Future thinking.
Sample learning outcomes
By the end of the two units, students should be able to:
- Articulate several key terms related to sustainability and eco-criticism.
- Apply key terms to analyze the video game industry and video game texts.
- Think critically about the intersections between video game narratives, game mechanics, and sustainability themes.
- Reflect on their relationship to the environment and sustainability as these relate to the study and play of video games.
- Generate ideas that interrogate how sustainability goals might integrate into the practice and study of video games.