Summer Session 2022 Course Information

ENG 110 – Myth, Legend and Folklore for Storytellers and Gamers

We explore the question: Can video games save folklore?

Video games are changing the experience of storytelling, and the stories they tell are rooted in ancient patterns and themes. Traditional stories are “good to think with” and so are video games. The European fairy tale will be a centerpiece of the course. Students can expect to read … and play ... stories from a variety of oral, written, and digital genres.

Students will engage in critical, creative, and intensive study of folk tales, tale type classification, and folklore theory. Students will identify, explore, and critique the genres, procedures, and tropes used by video games to construct stories. In discussion, written work, and group gaming sessions, students will be introduced to principles of critical thinking. Games covered include “A Dark Room,” “With Those We Love Alive,” “What Remains of Edith Finch,” “Undertale,” and “Moonhunters.” Students will gain competency in the three pillars of game design – lore, characters, and plot – and create their own digital text adventure on the Twine platform.