Salvatore Cordova

As a growing, hybrid form of art, experimental video games deal and intersect with themes of politics and society, architecture, design, storytelling; they subvert common commercial tropes of popular games, and more. Students will play, analyze, and discuss a variety of recent and older games, increase their literacy with the field, and apply the ideas learned in creating their own games or interactive digital artworks. Access to a Mac or Windows computer for playing and developing games is required. Workshops will be taught for the Twine and Unity 3D (C#) game creation tools. No prior experience required.

As a growing, hybrid form of art, experimental video games deal and intersect with themes of politics and society, architecture, design, storytelling; they subvert common commercial tropes of popular games, and more. Students will play, analyze, and discuss a variety of recent and older games, increase their literacy with the field, and apply the ideas learned in creating their own games or interactive digital artworks. Access to a Mac or Windows computer for playing and developing games is required. Workshops will be taught for the Twine and Unity 3D (C#) game creation tools. No prior experience required.

Video game music spans and pushes the boundaries of music, both popular and avant-grade. Music and sound effects contextualize the events of a game, heightening the immersive experience for players.

Critical listening and analysis sessions will cover a gamut of music cues from alt, indie, art, and AAA games. Lectures will examine what makes a successful soundtrack and how music and sound are used to augment gameplay and storytelling. Through composition assignments and critiques, students will hone their sound and music production skills while learning about the unique challenges of writing for games.

Assignments range from genre specific music production, to creating adaptive music cues, to implementing music and sound into a game environment.