Game Studies is a field of study that focuses on understanding games and how they work. It's like studying how movies are made or how books are written, but specifically for games.
So, what is a game? A game is something you play. It can be a physical game like tag or hide-and-seek, or a video game like Minecraft or Fortnite. Game Studies looks at all types of games.
Game Studies scholars like to think about what makes games fun and engaging. They want to understand how games are designed, how people play them, and what impact games have on our lives.
For example, have you ever played a game where you had to make choices that affected the story or the outcome? Game Studies scholars call this "player agency," and they want to know how it affects the player's experience.
Game Studies also looks at things like the history of games, the culture of gaming, and how games are marketed and sold.
In short, Game Studies is all about understanding games from every angle - how they work, why people play them, and what they mean to us.