Units / ATS2280
ATS2280 · Video games: Industry and culture
2026 Handbook6 credit pointsLevel 2Media
Last checked: 23 Aug 2026 UTCOverview
Video games have become a major media industry, generating large revenues and exerting an ongoing impact on older media forms. From game consoles to social media platforms to mobile devices, they account for an increasing share of media experience and have taken a central place in a number of key debates about the role of media, from issues of gender and violence to addiction and the nature of art. This unit will introduce the field of Games Studies by discussing a number of key debates, themes and theories concerning the operation of the games industry; the experience of gaming; the cultural impact of games; and games' relationship with other, older media forms.
Areas of study: Communications and media studies Digital humanities Media
Offerings
| Campus | Teaching period | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Clayton | First semester | Teaching activities are on-campus (ON-CAMPUS) |
| Caulfield | First semester | Teaching activities are on-campus (ON-CAMPUS) |
Assessment
The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.
| # | Assessment | Type | Weight | Hurdle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quiz | Quiz / Test | 15% | — |
| 2 | Media task | Artefact | 15% | — |
| 3 | Creative Task | Exercise | 35% | — |
| 4 | Essay | Written | 35% | — |
Within semester assessment: 100%
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Requisites
The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.
Learning outcomes
- demonstrate a familiarity with video games as an object of academic investigation;
- draw upon experiences of gaming in order to develop new perspectives on the role of media in society and everyday life;
- critically engage with current debates about ethical and other dimensions of game playing;
- think critically about game playing and communicate the results of this critical thinking in appropriate scholarly language.
Workload
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.
| Activity | Duration |
|---|---|
| Tutorials | 24 hours |
| Lectures | 12 hours |
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