Ask and ye shall receive...big time!

Yesterday I asked you to recommend RPG titles you considered essential for a course devoted to the subject. Today - 30 comments and 11 email responses later - my head is spinning with ideas, and my course outline is overflowing with possibilities, far too many to cover in a single semester. These are the best problems I've had in quite some time! :-)

Thank you very much.

As I noted earlier, I've been teaching for many years, but it never occurred to me to construct a syllabus in this way. As an extension of this blog and a survey of community wisdom and experience, it makes perfect sense to proceed like this, especially given the limits of my own expertise. I've played many RPGs over the years, but I certainly can't claim first-hand experience with every significant title, and my memory of many games has dimmed. Your suggestions regarding the Ultima series were particularly helpful in this regard.

Several useful questions have arisen that I can address here. Some of my responses reflect comments I posted earlier:

• I will definitely post the final complete version of the syllabus here. It will include a bibliography and an outline of assignments and readings. I will also post a preliminary draft for comments.


• Wabash College, where I teach, does not offer courses online. Sorry. I am working on a project with other educators that may culminate in such course offerings, but I can't say much more about that now.


• I do intend to spend time on D&D and its roots in literature and mythology. I will likely assign King and Borland's "Dungeons and Dreamers" and Barton's "Dungeons and Desktops" (thanks, Chris!) which do a nice job of covering the rise of D&D and computer game culture. We'll also read some Tolkien. When I mentioned that I wanted to get to the games as soon as possible, I meant that I didn't want to spend two weeks reading epic poetry and another week studying the D&D Player's Handbook before ever starting a game. That said, in the past I have invited veteran D&D players to class, and my students have observed them playing a session and engaged them in Q&A. If I provide some background and context in advance, this works very well.


• I agree that students needn't finish every game, but I will require them to complete certain ones in order to comprehend the full experience intended by the designers. I think it will be important to choose at least one or two games that all of us will play in order to have some common experiences to discuss. What I've learned about this kind of teaching is that students are apt to exceed the boundaries of the assignments, often going farther or taking on additional games on their own. This rarely happens when I teach literature...which is a separate subject for vigorous discussion!


• Providing save files that enable entry at various points is a good idea that never occurred to me. This could come in very handy for extremely long games like Morrowind, for example. Not that I would assign Morrowind. Or maybe I would. ;-)

Finally, several of you wondered about the parameters of a course on the history of role-playing games, and what exactly defines an RPG? Is the Legend of Zelda an RPG? What constituent elements will I use to define what's "in" and what's "out"?

Well, that's a very good question, and it's one that will underlie all the work we do in the course. At the risk of dodging the question, I will expect my students to develop their own definitions of what constitutes an RPG by thinking hard about what exists at the core of these games and the experiences they offer. I want to ensure a certain flexibility in the content of the course to allow a student to study, if he wishes to, the RPG elements in a sports game, for example, and how they relate to the role-playing aspects of more traditional RPGs. I have a fairly solid notion of what I think an RPG is, but I expect my students will challenge my preconceptions as vigorously as I will challenge theirs. Well, maybe not quite as much.

I'll return soon with a list of titles and some ideas on how to proceed. Again, many thanks for your ideas and your interest in this work.

Comments

[Denis]

One course that sticks in my mind at Wabash, and it was supposed to, was my ENG 397, which was critical reading. The course opened up with us plainly asking what is Literature with the capital L.

We'd revisit that question every so often to see how it changed after dissecting our four pieces of work (The Tempest, Benito Cerino, Ode to a Grecian Urn, and The Yellow Wallpaper) through different schools of thought.

While you aren't working with critical theories, it might be useful to see exactly what assumptions everyone has in the beginning of the course. I'm assuming this will be your Freshmen Tutorial? In which case, the people signing up for the course are ones who play role-playing games anyway and probably have pretty firm opinions themselves.

I cannot fully remember how often the question was implemented, but it was often in the backdrop, popping up in random discussions. Perhaps Rosenberg can better remember.

[Anias]

I agree with Denis about the benefits of allowing the very subject of the course to evolve and clarify in the students' minds as the course progresses.

Count me among those who will be very curious and grateful to see the final version of the syllabus you create.

[OmarDa]

So your college doesn't offer distance learning. That's okay. How about putting your lectures up on YouTube? Tell your Dean that information wants to be FREE!!

It's the least you can do since we helped you with your syllabus. ;-)

[Korey]

I'm really interested to see how your students end up defining RPGs. As you pointed out, it's possible to talk about the RPG elements of a sports game, and I think almost any game can be considered a role-playing game if the definition is broad enough. But I also think there exists a specific RPG genre with its own unique elements.

And I can't wait to see the syllabus, not primarily for the games you choose, but to see what readings complement those choices.

[Peter Gault]

Audio recordings work too, as well as outlines.

Furthermore, in regards to the syllabus, I would highly recommend at least one assignment which involves a debate on the nature of video games. The strength of the Brainy Gamer comes not only from your posts, but the ensuing conversation. Having students either have a debate in class, or a recorded podcast, could allow for a deeper level of analysis unique to the Socratic format.

Also, if you were ever considering teaching in the north east, I would highly recommend coming to Bates.

[Corvus]

Blatant self promotion time, sorry. *kniw*

Some time ago I made an argument for Zelda being considered an RPG in a series of posts. It also touched on how difficult it is to pin down an accurate definition of RPG. The series started here: http://tinyurl.com/6fcs2y

[SpaceOddity]

As a long time lurker of your blog here, I like to come out of lurk mode to say that I applaud the way that you're approaching this.
Ever since the internet spread from being universities-only to main stream, things like what you're doing now, were an exciting potential. The internet as a worldwide brain, with knowledge to be tapped, sorted, shared and stored again.
You are really making it happen, well done and keep it up. :D

[Michael Abbott]

@SpaceOddity Thanks for your kind remarks. I'm enjoying this process very much - it sure beats sitting at a desk alone trying to pound out another syllabus. There's much to be said for the "worldwide brain," as you call it, and I'm definitely tapping into it.

Love your Spore site, by the way!

@Corvus Thanks for the link. It's not self-promotion if it's germane and helpful...which it is. :-)

@Peter I love your idea of a debate. My hope is that students will begin to stake out their own turf regarding the many issues bound to arise in the course over gameplay, design, narrative, etc. This kind of format forces them to articulate their views and defend their positions. Terrific. Thanks!

@Korey I'm excited about the related readings for the course. As with the games, there are too many good ones to choose from. I'm working on boiling it down to something close to manageable.

@Denis I'm talking to Rosenberg soon about the course you referred to. I want to achieve what he clearly achieved, and I intend to pick his brain about how he helped facilitate that in your class. Yes, the course will be a tutorial.

[Michel]

I think someone mentioned Super Mario RPG in a previous comment, and the more I think about it the more I think it should have a prominent place on the syllabus. Of all the RPGs mentioned Mario is the only one that began as another genre. It would be very interesting to examine how the gameplay elements that define Mario were modified and incorporated into a typical RPG system. It would be very useful in the discussions of what an RPG actually is. Is an RPG defined in part by a collection of items and wealth? No, you collect coins in Mario. So is it using gold/coins to purchase items and upgrades that makes an RPG? The games would also illustrate the difference between powering up and leveling up. And now that I'm thinking about this, is there a difference between the final Bowser fights in SMB and the turn based combat of Mario RPG? In the former, you're given a window in which to attack, and once you do damage (or fail to) your "turn" ends and bowser goes into attack mode putting you on the defensive. An argument could be made that the boss fights of every sidescroller Mario game have been turn-based.

[christopher hyde]

I really can't wait to see the syllabus. I've honestly never been that big of an rpg fan (though I've sure played Zelda, if that ends up counting!) but I wouldn't be surprised if checking this out sparks an interest in going back to some on my part. Really interested to watch this develop, and many thanks for sharing your class info.

[Michael Abbott]

@Michel You're really messing me up here, you know that? :P Seriously, your comment suggests our working definition of an RPG may be more arbitrary than we realize. I think the key will be identifying and classifying defining characteristics and then seeing where that leads us. Obviously, not every game is an RPG, but perhaps I ought to encourage the students to figure out where the lines need to be drawn...and why.

@Christopher Welcome to the RPG parade! :-) Believe it or not my own interest in the genre is much greater today than it was early in my gaming life. In many ways I think it's the richest and deepest of all video game genres...but that claim may land me in hot water with certain RTS or complex sim gamers.

[eurotransient]

That image of the cloth map from Ultima V just brought tears to my eyes... sigh! The hours I poured over that ridiculous map!

[Michael Abbott]

@eurotransient Me too, my friend. Me too. :-)