Game Studies (GAME) Charles University

Overview

This interdisciplinary program focuses on digital and also non-digital games as a medium, and builds on media studies and related fields, such as sociology, anthropology, or film studies. Become familiar with the game history, current trends and practices in the game industry and player communities! Find a career in the game industry as marketing or localization specialists, analysts, or community managers. You can also become a researcher, journalist or specialist in public institutions.

Game Studies focuses on the interdisciplinary study of digital and (to a lesser extent) non-digital games as a medium. It will provide you with interdisciplinary knowledge of digital games as a medium, as well as their relationships to other media. You will become familiar with the history and current trends in digital and non-digital games and with the current practices both within the game industry and player communities. You can apply up-to-date social-scientific and humanistic approaches to games and conduct critical analysis of individual game titles, trends, and phenomena. 

The curriculum builds primarily on the media studies tradition, while also drawing from other related fields, such as sociology, anthropology, or film studies. The program looks at games as texts and cultural products, as well as at game production (the game industry) and reception (player communities). Its goal is therefore not to educate future game developers, but rather experts on the social and cultural aspects of games.

The Game Studies program is primarily designed for graduates of Bachelor’s programs in social sciences and humanities, as well as other fields related to game production (e.g., computer science, information science, or art).

As a graduate of this program, you will be able to communicate about games and their potential and risks to specialized audiences as well as the general public. You will be equipped to work in the game industry (or a related industry, such as VR or esport) as analysts, marketing specialists, community managers, or localization specialists, or you can become game journalists, game specialists in public institutions (such as museums or libraries) or academic researchers.