Between August 12th and 23rd 2019, Utrecht University is organizing two separate, but consecutive and interrelated summer schools on digital games and play in contemporary society and culture, supported by the Center for Game Research, and conducted by senior staff members from the Department of Information and Computing Sciences and the Department of Media & Culture Studies, the University of Arts, as well as affiliated institutions.
The first summer course “Game Design and Development” (August 12-16) provides a step-by-step introduction to making games in the industry-standard game engine Unity, accompanied by workshops and lectures on topics like entrepreneurship as well as (serious) game design. Students will form teams and create a game of their own on a “games for good” topic, tying into the ongoing public and academic debate about the benefits of games in promoting e.g. wellbeing and a sustainable lifestyle. Expert feedback on the content as well as the design process will be provided by experienced game designers.
For more information, including a day-to-day program, and to apply online, visit https://www.
The second summer course “Applied Games – A Multidisciplinary Research Perspective” (August 19-23) offers an overview of current research perspectives on the complex phenomenon of Applied Games, which range from (digital) serious games over interactive digital narratives (e.g. in journalism or activism) to playful interventions and pedagogies. Each day is dedicated to a different angle, starting with applied game analysis, moving on to games for learning, games in environmental communication and policy-making (Eco games), narrative aspects of Applied Games, and finally games and play experiences that involve the whole body. Apart from the interactive workshops, joint social activities with the UDS summer school ‘Exploring Culture Through Data’ and a tour of the Mo-Cap Lab at Utrecht University round off the program.
The detailed curriculum, describing all modules of the summer course, has just been uploaded on the Utrecht Summer school website. Thus, for more information and to apply online, visit https://www.
While each summer course can be followed individually, the two programs are designed to be complementary, so combining them provides an even more holistic perspective on the creation, interpretation and deployment of (applied) games in contemporary society and culture.