Where Learning Gets Hands-On: UTA Libraries and Faculty Bring Game Studies to Life

Walk into a college classroom expecting a lecture, and you might be surprised by what you find in UTA Libraries’ newly renovated Basement. 
 

Students may be playing a video game. Others might be analyzing how a game makes an argument, creating a short video, designing an esports tournament, or working together on a project. 

 
It may not look like a traditional classroom, but that is part of what makes the experience meaningful. 

 
Doug Stark, Assistant Professor of Technology and Digital Media in the English Department, is using Libraries’ spaces and resources this semester for two courses, Game Studies and Esports. 

 
The partnership between Stark and the Libraries demonstrates what can happen when faculty expertise and library resources come together to support student learning. The Libraries offer more than access to books, databases, and research materials. Its spaces, technology, and staff help faculty create opportunities for students to apply what they learn in class. 

Studying games by playing them 

 
Game Studies introduces students to the research methods scholars use to study games. Throughout the course, students examine how scholars define games and learn approaches including close analysis, virtual ethnography, production studies, critical making, and posthumanism. 

 
Then they put those methods to work. 

 
A Monday class might introduce a concept or research method. On Wednesday, students apply it to an actual game. 

 
One example is procedural rhetoric, which examines how games make arguments through the actions and procedures they require players to perform. Students also practice close play with games such "Passage” developed by Jason Rohrer and examine social interactions in virtual worlds such as "Roblox." 

 
"In debating how we study this thing called a game, we end up also learning the game of scholarship and research more generally," Stark said. "The goal is not simply to teach students how to talk about video games. I want them to understand how researchers ask questions, build knowledge, and communicate what they learn." 

 
Stark added that students also create short-form videos that explain concepts and research methods in roughly 60 to 90 seconds, giving them practice turning complex ideas into clear, accessible content. 

Learning the business of esports 

 
Stark's Esports course approaches games from a different angle, focusing on the skills and careers within the industry. 

 
Part of UTA's esports certificate, the course brings together students from different academic backgrounds and examines game design, training and coaching, broadcasting and streaming, business models, and collegiate esports. 

 
Each unit allows students to put the material into practice. 

 
Students analyze "Fortnite" before developing a tournament design. They use an aim-training platform as inspiration for their own training regimen. They study esports broadcasts and produce short clips. They also develop a product pitch to put business knowledge into practice and interview a gamer to understand the local and collegiate esports community better. 

 
The projects give students work they can add to their professional portfolios. 

The Libraries' Basement provides the space where much of that work can happen. Students can work with technology, experiment with ideas, collaborate with classmates, and build skills as they work toward the goals of their courses. 

A partnership that puts students first 

 
The technology and space are important, but the people who make those experiences possible are just as important. 

 
Chloé Bennett, Creative Spaces and Services Librarian, sees the impact of the partnership in the way students respond to the courses. 

 
"Students' first reaction is always enthusiasm for video games instead of class," Bennett said. "Doug brings brilliant expertise in the field of media analysis that has them just as enthusiastic about learning." 

 
That enthusiasm can become part of the learning process. Students are taking something they already enjoy and learning to look at it differently, ask deeper questions, and understand it through an academic lens. 

 
The Libraries are expanding its ability to support that teaching through the newly renovated Basement classroom. 

 
"With better capacity and better equipment, we hope to continue to reach classes and professors who would never have thought of video games as a resource for their study," Bennett said. 

Making that possible requires more than a renovated room. Library staff work with faculty to identify spaces and resources that align with their teaching goals. They help coordinate classes and support the technology and equipment students use. 

 
That behind-the-scenes work can change what faculty members can do in their courses. A professor can bring an idea to the Libraries, and staff can help figure out how to make it work. That is the heart of the partnership. 

Turning enthusiasm into opportunity 

 
The value of this approach is simple. Students are putting what they learn into practice. They are conducting research, creating content, designing esports events, and building work they can use in a professional portfolio. 

 
That hands-on experience helps students connect what they are learning in class to the skills they will need after graduation. 

 
Both courses also incorporate components of Adobe micro-credentials and the Google Professional AI certificate, giving students opportunities to develop skills in video production, research organization, and content development. 

 
Those experiences help connect classroom learning with the world students will enter after graduation. 

 
"When students are enthusiastic about the way they're learning, they retain content better," Bennett said. "They take studying more seriously, and they're more likely to apply their studies in a way that benefits their career and community." 

 
That is what makes the partnership between faculty and UTA Libraries so meaningful. 

Faculty bring their expertise and ideas. Libraries' staff bring the resources, technology, space, and support to help bring those ideas to life. Students get an opportunity to turn what they are learning into something they can do. 

 
Sometimes learning starts with a book or a journal article. 

 
Sometimes it starts with a question. 

 
And sometimes it starts with picking up a controller and realizing there is much more to a game than simply playing it.