ABSTRACT
Most students walked into the classroom in second half of their second year, exactly halfway through their degrees. Although the students were passionate about games, in many cases they lacked faith that games were worth talking about beyond calling them ‘good’ or ‘bad’ and giving them scores. Although Games as Texts does not put player experience-or related concepts like embodied play and player agency-at the forefront of the people analysis, they acknowledge that the player cannot be separated from the game object because its systems cannot be put into motion without an audience. Analyzing games is complex and informative, and, by approaching games as texts through the lenses of literary theories, the people intend to elevate games as an artistic craft that produces cultural artefacts rather than simply consumer products. The authors aim to provide historical context around literary theories, as well as definitional information and practical examples that will allow they to apply these theories in their own work.
