By the end of the semester, you will understand the notion of fear in a network of artistic, cognitive, and emotional states and expressions, you will be able identify how video games are capable of instilling fear in players, and you will be sensitive to the fact that fear, as a psycholudic concept, is roused in a constant player-game interrelation.

Two on-campus 90-minute-sessions for introductions, followed by five on-campus 180-minute-sessions of presentations and play analysis.

Critically explore fear as a psycholudic concept. Learn about the nuances of fear as a cultural, narrative, and intimate conceptfrom an interdisciplinary game studies perspective. Present, play, and discuss key artworks of the genre and analyse their shared motifs, tropes, and mechanic design strategies. Supplement your understanding with theoretical texts on game analysis. Examine what a ‘survival horror experience’ is and how it can be captured in game design. Realise your own contribution to survival horror videogames based on your analytical insights.

The seminar draws from various artistic and intellectual sources. All mandatory texts, mainly in the shape of theoretical secondary reading, are provided on Moodle. You are expected to buy or otherwise familiarise yourself with the primary works relevant to your individual assignments.

The seminar features four central assessments:Session OrganisationSession ProtocolOral Exam Seminar participationYou must pass each of the assignments in order to pass the seminar!

Session Organisation: Plan and host a seminar session, including its selection of topic, theory reading, and primary work. (Worth 30% of the final mark)Session Protocol: Compose an extended handout that summarises and supplements a class session, including its mandatory reading. (Worth 30% of the final mark)Oral Exam: Participate in an oral exam to demonstrate your knowledge of course contents and ability to critically engage them. (Worth 30% of the final mark)Participation: regularly attend the seminar and participate in homework exercises and seminar tasks. (Worth 10% of the final mark)Detailed instructions for each assignment are provided during the first seminar week.

All assignments must fulfil a minimum standard to be considered for a positive evaluation. They must……not be written by an AI or generative language tool.…display seminar-appropriate command of English.…contain formal features as defined by their assignment instructions.…reference all their sources correctly. Use the Chicago Manual of Style Author/Date format.I may reject a paper if these criteria are not met and demand a revision. Revised papers that fail to meet the minimum standard receive a 5/F (fail grade).Assignments fulfilling the minimum standard are graded according to the following criteria:Idea (connection to assignment, quality of main idea, reasonability…)Coherency (argumentation, logic, structure, transition between contents…)References (quality, quantity, application of sources considered, evidence…)Style (Correct usage of key terminology, fittingly abstract or concrete…)Expression (academic tone, grammar, syntax, spelling…)An assignment that is severely flawed in one or several of these areas receives a 5/F (fail grade). Attendance:Attendance during the first session is mandatory for seminar participation.You are allowed to miss three ninety-minute-sessions without giving any reasons.You are allowed to miss a fourth session if you provide a valid reason (e.g. a doctor’s appointment) and provide an extra assignment for the missed session.General remark on expulsion:Academic misconduct leads to expulsion from class.Missing more than four sessions may lead to expulsion from class. Severe violation of the university’s or the master programme’s Code of Conduct may lead to expulsion from class.