Art Games and Virtual Worlds

Art Games are interactive experiences set within virtual worlds that are designed by an artist, but that are activated by the live input of participants. Unlike commercial videogames that focus on entertainment, action, or combat, art games highlight experimental narratives, immersive experiences, and complex ethical and political questions, while at the same time emphasizing artistic expression, aesthetic concepts, and creative inquiry. In this hands-on course, students will utilize a professional indie game development platform and will learn fundamentals of computer programming, 3D modeling, character and scene design, cinematography, and performance. Through projects, experiments, lectures, readings, and field trips, this course teaches students to create their own original artistic art games and virtual worlds. Projects may be compatible with augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). No prior programming experience is needed.