ENG 150

Mythology for Game Designers (3 Cr.)

Prerequisite: ENG 110

Description: The power of myth resides in its ability to touch the essence of our humanity and put meaning into our lives. Artists, filmmakers, game designers, and writers have appropriated elemental mythological premises and updated them to create modern myths accessible to contemporary audiences. Whether we are playing a roleplaying game wherein the task is to rescue the princess and save the planet, reading the latest cyberpunk novel, or watching an animated Disney classic, the power of mythology touches our psyches. This course is an overview and analysis of cross-cultural mythology presented as poetry, prose, film, drama, and game. This class will provide an in-depth discussion of the idea that myths have influenced cultures of the past and continue to inform and influence our culture today. It also will examine the practical use of myth. Additionally, it will emphasize the monomyth of the hero’s journey and how a game developer may redefine the archetypal figures and adventures therein and incorporate them in a game design. One central aim of this course is to identify the many characteristics of the hero and suggest reasons why the hero is such a common figure in disparate traditions.