Inaugural Humanities Games Symposium presents field-defining scholarship 

A symposium on September 13–14 at Snowbird Utah brought together scholars from the University of Utah and other institutions to present groundbreaking and field-defining work in games humanities.

Presentations at the symposium explored a range of interdisciplinary topics, including the representation of the ancient world in games like Assassin’s Creed (Alexis M. Christensen, World Languages and Cultures), the ethics of microtransactions (small in-game purchases) and their psychological impacts on game-players (Eliya Cohen, Philosophy and Games), as well as the connections between modernist investments in artistic form and contemporary video game criticism (Nathan Wainstein, English).

In the final presentation, Thi Nguyen (Philosophy and Games) explored the question of why mechanical scoring systems are so gratifying in games, yet so frustrating in real life.

This event capitalized on the University of Utah’s preeminent position in the study of games: the U’s Division of Games is one of the top games design programs in the country, while the College of Humanities is home to some of the top scholars advancing new knowledge of the aesthetic, ethical, and philosophical dimensions of games.

This interdisciplinary work highlights the profound importance of games for contemporary society and culture. According to Scott Black, Director of the Tanner Humanities Center and organizer of the symposium, “Games are one of the most important cultural forms of the twenty-first century and hugely popular with our students. It’s important for scholars in the humanities to study and help us understand this vital and dynamic form of art and storytelling. The symposium emphasized how much the study of games has to offer the humanities and how much the humanities has to offer the study of games.”

To help us understand games, the interpretive and analytical methods of humanities disciplines—such as philosophy, history, rhetoric, and literary studies—are essential. Humanistic inquiry not only helps the public gain new understanding of games, but also helps game designers themselves develop their creative abilities.

Hollis Robbins, Dean of the College of Humanities, highlighted this synergy: “Humanities scholarship done well is flexible enough to welcome the study of new forms and technologies. With Utah’s top-ranked Division of Games, we are in a strong position to attract the top scholars working on games from a humanistic perspective. This symposium’s scholarship on game aesthetics and ethics shows the intellectual payoff of investing in games humanities.”  

The symposium was sponsored by the College of Humanities and the Tanner Humanities Center. Videos from the symposium will be available on the Tanner Humanities Center’s website in the coming weeks.