Game Studies

🏫 Media Studies 360 at UVic
🎓 Intended for 40 undergraduate students
📆 Spring 2026 at the University of Victoria
🪑 M and Th, 1-2:20pm | 1.5 units | prereq: AWR
👨🏻‍🏫 Taught by Jentery Sayers (he | him) | jentery@uvic.ca
🗄️ Office hours: M and Th, 11:45am-12:45pm, in CLE D331

Prospectus

The Prospectus prepares you for your Final Project in this course: either the Essay Option or the Exhibit Option. Note that you don’t need to commit to one of those options to complete this assignment, but you should carefully review both options and ask me any questions you have about the Final Project before you proceed.

This assignment is open-book, meaning you are allowed to use the course website, the class notebook, your own notes, recordings of class sessions, the library, books, journal articles, games, and the internet to address the prompts.

Please cite your source material.

Download and Complete the Prospectus Template

Please download the prospectus template (DOCX format) and complete it in a word processor such as Microsoft Word, Google Docs, OpenOffice, LibreOffice, or Pages for Mac.

Format

The prospectus template contains ten prompts. Please respond to all of them. I will mark the Prospectus holistically rather than giving each response a separate mark.

The Ten Prompts

Provide a working title for your Final Project. No worries. It will probably change by the time you submit the Project.
Use no more than 200 words to talk about a game you might play for your Project. Explain why it interests you, describe the context of its production and release, and explain its cultural, political, social, technical, or aesthetic significance.
Use 2-3 sentences to describe the group who will most likely be your Project’s intended audience, including their interests and expectations. What do they know? What do they care about? What are some of their habits? Be specific.
Use no more than 200 words to describe an area or topic within Game Studies that you want to address in your Project. (Look at unit titles for each day in the schedule if you’re unsure where to begin.) Tell me why it matters to you and explain how it will help you narrow your inquiry. What questions will it help you ask now? What questions will it help you save for later? Be specific and draw upon the class notebook.
Use no more than 200 words to describe a problem in Game Studies that will likely motivate your Project. Who or what, for instance, has been overlooked? Misinterpreted? Privileged or marginalized? Be specific and draw upon the class notebook.
Use 2-3 sentences to share a goal you want to achieve via your Project. What do you want to learn? What question are you aiming to address? What do you hope to change? Be specific.
Use no more than 200 words to identify a Module 1 concept and explain its potential relevance to your Project. Support your remarks with at least one secondary source referenced in the notebook.
Use no more than 200 words to identify a Module 2 concept and explain its potential relevance to your Project. Support your remarks with at least one secondary source referenced in the notebook.
Use no more than 200 words to identify two Module 3 concepts and explain their potential relevance to your Project. This response will be somewhat conjectural since we haven’t completed Module 3. Don’t hesitate to point to concepts scheduled for later in March.
Use no more than 200 words to outline your plan for completing the Final Project. What will you do first? Where will you go next? What don’t you know that you need to know soon? What will you prioritize, and what will you do near the end? Be sure to identify what’s within and beyond the scope of your inquiry (that is, what you do and don’t have the time and resources to address in this course).

Assessment

Your mark for the Prospectus constitutes 20% of your final mark in this course.

I will use the following criteria to assess your responses.

The degree to which they:

Address each aspect of the prompt.
Directly engage and even enhance the course material.
Are supported by a convincing use of detail and examples.
Apply theories, findings, publications, and terminology from the course material, including lectures, class discussions, the class notebook, and research referenced in that notebook.
Communicate synthetically and make connections across the course material.

I will use the following rubric, based on UVic’s official grading system, to assess your responses.

89.5-100 (exceeds all expectations): the responses are compelling; they address all the prompts and apply course terminology; they enhance the course material, including lectures, class discussions, the class notebook, and our engagements with games; the use of examples is clear, focused, convincing, and inventive (original insight)
79.5-89 points (exceeds some or most expectations): the responses are compelling; they address all the prompts and apply course terminology; they correspond with the course material, including lectures, class discussions, the class notebook, and our engagements with games; the use of examples is clear, focused, and convincing
69.5-79 points (meets or mostly meets the expectations): the responses address all the prompts and apply course terminology; they correspond with the course material, including lectures, class discussions, the class notebook, and our engagements with games; the use of examples is often convincing but may warrant some clarification
59.5-69 points (meets some expectations): the responses address some of the prompts and apply some course terminology; they correspond with some of the course material, including lectures, class discussions, the class notebook, and our engagements with games; the use of examples warrants some clarification
49.5-59 points (does not meet the expectations): the responses do not correspond much, if at all, with the course material or the prompts
0-49 points: no responses or incomplete responses

12 points will be deducted from the overall mark if no references are included at the end of the Prospectus (see “Citing Your Sources”).

8 points will be deducted from the overall mark if the references at the end of the Prospectus are not formatted according to an established citation style (see “Citing Your Sources”).

5 points will be deducted for every source that’s used in a response but is not included in the references section at the end of the Prospectus (see “Citing Your Sources”).

1 point will be deducted for every 25 words over the prescribed word count.

You do not need to meet the word count in each response to earn a high mark.

I also recommend using first-person language and writing from the first-person pov. That perspective makes it easier for you to explain your decisions and share what you’re learning.

AI Tools

I do not recommend relying on generative AI or other AI tools to respond to this assignment. AI-generated responses tend to be generic, and they lack self-reflection, which is a key element of the work you’re doing here. AI results can also be biased and incorrect. It is your responsibility to ensure that the information you use from AI is accurate. You should also pay attention to the privacy of your data. Many AI tools will incorporate and use any content (including copyrighted materials, original work, and personal information) you upload, paste, or share with them. In short, relying on AI could create more work for you in the end, and it tends to hinder and even “deskill” the learning process.

All sources, including AI tools, must be properly cited. (Language for this policy was drawn from language used at the University of Washington.)

Citing Your Sources

Please do not forget to cite any material from which you draw ideas or examples. This includes games, videos, podcasts, websites, magazines, streams, and AI tools (if you decide to use them) as well as academic publications such as monographs and journal articles. You are welcome to use your preferred citation style (MLA, Chicago, or APA, e.g.).

What to Submit

Please download the prospectus template (DOCX format), complete it, and submit it as a DOCX, ODT, PAGES, or PDF file containing your answers and references. You are also welcome to attach media files, including gameplay footage, if you wish.

When to Submit It

A response to the Prospectus is due by 1pm on Monday, March 16th, but there is a grace period. I will deduct five points for every business day I receive the Prospectus after 1pm on Tuesday, March 17th. I will close the submission portal for the Prospectus at 1pm on Monday, March 30th, and cannot accept any submissions after the portal is closed. I will not accept any submissions by email.