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Assignment 2
Due: Friday, September 16, in class
Reading:
Chapter 1 or "Understanding Digital Culture," by Vincent Miller
"They say/I say", Introduction, Chapters 1 and 2, pp 1-39
Writing assignment
Background
In Miller's chapter 1, he presents arguments about whether videogames are like narratives or
like games. You will use this argument to practice summarizing a point of view and then
responding with your own argument on the subject. Because videogames encompass a large
range of different types of computer games and simulations, we will limit this paper to
discussing one or both of the following games: "Grand Theft Auto," or "Bioshock." If you
are not familiar with these games (e.g. from playing them yourself), then you should begin
by doing some research about them on the web. You can find descriptions of the plot lines
(Wikipedia is a good place to start for getting a thorough description of each game. You
can also go to the website for the companies that make the games: Rockstar games or 2kgames).
There are also lots of videos, trailers, etc. that you can find on the web.
Making an argument
1. In this assignment you will make an argument supporting one of the two possible answers
to the question, "Are videogames more like narratives or games?" You must choose one or the other
position to support (either videogames are more like narratives, or videogames are
more like games); you may not
argue that they are equally like both.
2. In your essay, first summarize the opposing view, using arguments outlined in Miller.
I.e. if you are planning to argue that videogames are more like narratives, you should outline
the arguments for why they are not consistent with the definition of a narrative and are more
like games.
3. After your summary of the opposing point of view, give your own argument for your position.
You may use information from Miller, but you should also be specific about the games from what
you have found out about them online (or from playing them).
4. Feel free to make use of the templates in "They say/I say" to introduce and discuss your
ideas and arguments. It is not required that you use the templates, but they may help if you
can't think of a way to present the summary or the argument.
5. The length of your essay should be 1.5 - 2 double spaced pages.
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Constance Royden--croyden@mathcs.holycross.edu
MONT 112G--Computers and Society
Date Created: September 4, 2011
Last Modified: September 4, 2011
Page Expires: September 4, 2012
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