Gaming: the culture, economics and science of play
Syllabus
Chapter 1
Beating Games as Fast as Possible
Speedrunning demands precise exploitation of glitches and sequence breaks to minimize game completion times. Techniques such as the backwards long-jump to bypass Super Mario 64's endless stairs, the Ganondoor trick in Ocarina of Time to warp directly to the final boss, and the Saving Corruption Finish glitch in Pokémon Yellow demonstrate how players manipulate game mechanics and routing strategies. Understanding these methods enables players to develop optimized routes that leverage game memory manipulation, timing methods like IGT and RTA, and accepted glitch usage rules to achieve record-breaking runs.
Chapter 2
When Gaming Becomes a Problem
Plenty of people worry their gaming is a problem, but the clinical bar is far higher than a busy week. This view holds that a gaming disorder means impaired control, gaming crowding out everything else, and continuing despite real harm for at least twelve months. Using that stricter standard separates genuinely harmful patterns from normal enthusiasm.
Chapter 3
Keeping Old Games Alive
Maintaining access to vintage games requires repairing and restoring original gaming hardware while creating exact digital backups of physical media like cartridges and discs. You will learn how to diagnose common hardware issues such as power jack faults, safely clean corrosion and contaminants, replace failing components, and image fragile game media to prevent data loss from degradation. Balancing authentic gameplay on original consoles with emulation ensures both preservation of cultural context and continued accessibility despite hardware obsolescence.