Focusing on the aesthetics of computer games, this course aims to raise the students' awareness of the most important computer games and allows them to understand why these games can be considered the most important. The course will provide students with the foundational knowledge that allows them to participate in scholarly and critical debates, and, to engage in a historically aware creative practice. Taking this class, the students will become aware of computer game genres, hardware platforms, and historical eras, in terms of their impact to different trajectories of computer game aesthetics.  Questions asked in class include: What makes a computer game good? How have cultural, material, and socioeconomical aspects affected the development of computer game aesthetics? What makes a computer game important in the history of computer games? Can bad games be important?

Teaching and learning activities emphasize independent close-playing session as well as contextualizations of games within cultural history. Students will be exposed to a selection of contemporary and historical computer games on a variety of platforms, using both current equipment and emulator software, and will be required to play the games and document and reflect on their experiences and present their reflections in class. Documentations may take the form of reflection essays, videos, images, etc. The games to be played will be contextualised in lectures focusing on individual historical eras, platforms, socioeconomic situations, etc.