he “Games and Toys Assignment” 1

Subject:WritingPrice:4.87 Bought3

Share With

he “Games and Toys Assignment” 1. Once again this assignment will require you to be a bit more on your own in ?nding the resources to help you write your essay. Games and Toys is a very broad category, but as we discussed with the Sport Assignment, you should steer clear of including physical exerDon as a de?ner of these topics. Choose one “game” or “toy” to examine, using the list of prompts below. 2. Discuss your chosen game or toy and the readings/podcasts during class on Apr. 13. To prepare the essay: Pulling from your own research of the game/toy, the lectures, readings, and the discussion in class prepare an essay considering some or all of the following quesDons no you do not need to answer all of these. See the rubric for speci?c details about form and ?ow of the paper. Essays should be about 2000 words. Papers are due by noon on Apr. 16. Consider: You will need a minimum of 3 sources for your paper. These should be scholarly or primary materials. Because of the nature of the research, museums, company websites, and the game itself, are all appropriate sources. The game/toy itself is a primary source for the purposes of this assignment but be sure to consider how it is to be cited. The bibliography should be in MLA or Chicago style. • What do we learn about age, class, race, gender, or naDonality from your choice? • Is the item chosen by the person playing with it, for the person playing with it? • What is the materiale is needed for the game/toy? (Do you need a computer? Do you need a lot of space? Do you need other component parts? Is it single player/mulDplayer)? • Are there socio-cultural rules that govern the item? • Historically when do we see this item? Where? In the context of this class: • - What linkages can you make between this item and “naDon”? What does it tell us about popular culture (in the context [Dme/geography] when the game/toy is played with)? What about today, is the game/toy common today? If not, what does that tell us? o Think about the element of elite cultural v. popular culture. Is this item “popular” or is it elite and out of the reach of the masses. Why is this important to understand? Has that changed over Dme (how/why)? • How is idenDty shaped by the item? Whose idenDty? (the players’, the populaDon from which the item emerged? Does the item assume idenDDes of others? • Inward and Outward IdenDDes? o What outward idenDty is shaped? o PerformaDve idenDty? - How does idenDty get performed at the Dme v. now, vis a vis the item? o What inward idenDty is shaped? (sense of self) Going beyond • If your item is sDll “in vogue,” how does the post-World War II world impact the item? What role does mass markeDng play in the item’s history? Or, conversely, does the item go out of fashion, so to speak, because of these things, or other signi?cant historical events? • Has who plays with the item changed at all? (For example, it used to be child’s game, but it o_en played by adults today). • What does the game/toy assume about society at large, and what does society at large assume about the game? • What can the game do for society beyond “entertain” … is it something that helps humanity in some way (unintenDonally or not)? Explain. [For example, think about the World of Warcra_ example]. • • -