Video Gaming course popular at Peking University, China
Screenshot from Pear Video
As the new semester begins, a select course at Peking University has been gaining popularity with students.
Screenshot from Pear Video
"The course was originally intended for 120 students, but when the first class started, there were about 200 students trying to get into the classroom, there weren't even enough places for everyone to sit," said Chen Jiang, the course teacher and deputy professor of the School of Electronics Engineering & Computer Science. "We had to find a bigger classroom in the end."
Screenshot from Pear Video
The name of this course is General Theory of Electronic Games. According to Chen, the course is not meant to challenge any academic convention or traditional thinking, but to focus on the gaming market in China. The game industry has grown in recent years, attracting a growing number of employment opportunities for graduates.
"So it’s not about teaching them how to play games, but to cover all the major topics of the game industry, including development, technology, industry information, publicity and players’ psychology," said Chen.
Screenshot from Pear Video
As well as the theoretical side of the teaching process, the course will also invite some experts from giant game developers in China like Tencent and NetEase, to give lectures and interact with students.
Another interesting thing is that some of the syllabus will be taught by a game developing team. Also some students may have a chance at a closer look into professional gaming competitions.
Screenshot from Pear Video
Chen hopes that after studying the course, students will have a rough idea of the ins and outs of the gaming industry.
He also said jokingly that the course might help "improve your appreciation for good games and help you spot the badly developed ones".
Screenshot from Pear Video
According to the 2017 China Game Industry Development Report, the annual revenue of the gaming industry in China is 219 billion yuan (34.7 billion US dollars), which is a 23 percent increase compared with last year.