Game History. Hardware, Art, Technology, Society
Jogi Neufeld
Institute of Arts and Society,
Experimental Game Cultures
2026W,
Lecture with Practical Exercises
(VU),
2.0 ECTS,
1.0 semester hours,
course number S04436
Description
Digital Games I: From PDPs to LLM NPCs - Introduction and Perspectives
The first games on computers were created during the Cold War with the aim of making new technologies understandable through play. These approaches fueled the university hacker scene, which spawned the first mass-produced games and allowed the medium to become the largest economic factor in the entertainment industry and a driver of innovation in many areas of life over the last fifty years.
The course explains technological, cultural and socio-political aspects of game development using practical examples and highlights the interactions with neighboring cultural techniques.
What did students in the 1970s hack, how did independent studios emerge in the 1980s, what role did the internet play from the 1990s, what were the consequences of the democratization of tools in the noughties and is vibe coding the latest level in this continuum?
After historical basics, current possibilities and challenges of independent game development will be illustrated and the use of game-based techniques in the coming years will be discussed.
The findings will be transformed into game concepts and prototypes in a workshop setting, providing preparation for the Angewandte Game Jam in the summer semester of 2027.
Key Words
Game History, Game Studies, Game Theory, Game Development, Interactive Art, Media Art, Electronic Media, Design, Discourse
Dates
Thu, 15 October 2026, 13:30–17:30
Seminar Room 30
Thu, 12 November 2026, 13:30–17:30
Seminar Room 30
Thu, 03 December 2026, 13:30–17:30
Seminar Room 30
Thu, 10 December 2026, 13:30–16:30
Seminar Room 30
Course Enrolment
From 31 August 2026, 09:00 to 15 October 2026, 12:00
Via online registration
Curriculum Allocation
Transformation Studies. Art x Science (Bachelor): Focus! Transformation Areas: Media Transformation 162/2025UBA-040.50
Experimental Game Cultures (Master): Free Electives: Free Electives 536/2021UMA-080.80
Cross-Disciplinary Strategies (Bachelor): Science and Technology: Deepening / Application 700/2026UBA-002.20
Co-registration: not possible
Attending individual courses: not possible