For me, critical media studies have become a set of survival skills for the 21st century. In a world riddled with advertising, misinformation and propaganda, the ability to read and discern truth from fiction and intent from interpretation, has rarely seemed so important. Since the widespread uptake of computers, understanding media as literally dynamic software, and even as sites of social interaction, has become crucial. Using popular media such as videogames as the context takes the student’s interests seriously, and grants me access to their attention, imagination, and hopefully, their trust.
When designing and delivering courses, my aim is to increase my students’ awareness of their own environment, to add greater meaning to their past-times, and equip them to deal with whatever comes next. For students who go on to develop their own games (or make other types of art) they can do so from a much broader, more sophisticated perspective. For those that pursue other goals, they will at least be less susceptible to spurious media narratives they will no doubt encounter.