AAS 4909
Japanese Video Games · 3 credits · Spring 2027
About this course
This course offers a critical exploration of Japanese video games from the 1970s to the present, examining them not merely as entertainment but as cultural texts that reflect and shape narratives about identity, gender, labor, nationalism, and technology in postwar and contemporary Japan. Through scholarly readings, gameplay analysis, and class discussion, students will develop tools to analyze games as ideologically rich media. The course includes guest lectures from leading figures in game studies, industry, and translation, providing insight into the production, localization, and global reception of Japanese games. By studying titles such as Pac-Man, Street Fighter, Yakuza, Catherine, NieR:Automata, and The Legend of Zelda, students will gain a deeper understanding of how Japanese video games engage with themes of nostalgia, politics, collective memory, and transnational fan cultures. Students will receive credit for AAS 4909 or JPS 4909, not both. These courses may substitute for each other within the F-replacement option.
Seat status as of Oct 3, 4:49 AM ET. Seats can change between refreshes.
Chill Rank compares professors using Rate My Professors reviews, from Chill to Brutal. What each rank means