The Playing Club

This is an extra-curricula seminar series that will operate outside normal teaching hours (the proposed timeslot is 4pm-6pm on a Wednesday) throughout semester 1.

There is no assessment and it will not contribute towards your grades or credits. It is your responsibility to balance this with your degree workload.

You will, however, be expected to commit fully to the project. If you don't attend regularly, we'll assume you no longer want to take part and will give your place to someone else.

Each week you will receive a copy of a game. It is your responsibility to take care of this game. If it is lost or damaged you will be required to replace it. If you don't bring your copy back, we won't give you the next game.

You will be expected to be running hardware of a reasonable standard. We cannot supply any PC hardware. There may be occasions where we will supply console hardware - the same responsibility for care and replacement is expected of you in these cases. If games require special patches or emulators for older titles, we will supply and check these applications.

There's no written work involved. You will, however, be expected to read any papers we give you alongside playing the game. We're not expecting you to read a book a week, but if you don't do the reading, you won't get much out of the discussion.


Interested in computer games? Thinking about postgraduate study? The playing club is an extra-curricula seminar designed for undergraduates interested in games studies. The format is simple: 10 weeks, 10 games; you play, we discuss. Each week you will be given a key computer game from across the spectrum of genres and the history of the medium. Alongside this, a research theme or topic. After a weeks' play, we get together and talk, developing an understanding of the central themes of games research and preparing you for entering postgraduate study in this exciting new field, including the MSc/MA by Project (Computer Games) proposed for 2008/9 start. We'll provide the games, topics and access to internationally published games researchers and developers working right here in the University. You provide the commitment to ten weeks of critical play and discussion. Topics include: Rules and gameplay structures; ludology and comparative media approaches; time and space in games; immersion; play and players; story; fun; cultures and economies; social and politcal dimensions...
	Rules, regulations and how it's all going to work: This is an extra-curricula seminar series that will operate outside normal teaching hours (the proposed timeslot is 4pm-6pm on a Wednesday) throughout semester 1. There is no assessment and it will not contribute towards your grades or credits. It is your responsibility to balance this with your degree workload. You will, however, be expected to commit fully to the project. If you don't attend regularly, we'll assume you no longer want to take part and will give your place to someone else. Each week you will receive a copy of a game. It is your responsibility to take care of this game. If it is lost or damaged you will be required to replace it. If you don't bring your copy back, we won't give you the next game. You will be expected to be running hardware of a reasonable standard. We cannot supply any PC hardware. There may be occasions where we will supply console hardware - the same responsibility for care and replacement is expected of you in these cases. If games require special patches or emulators for older titles, we will supply and check these applications. There's no written work involved. You will, however, be expected to read any papers we give you alongside playing the game. We're not expecting you to read a book a week, but if you don't do the reading, you won't get much out of the discussion. The more you put in, the more you get out.
How to apply Click here to download the application form, fill it in and return it by the end of term (Friday 6th June 2008). We'll let you know if you're in the Club over the summer, along with the confirmed dates and times.