Game Studies Academic Journals
For the requirement of citing at least 5 academic articles, they should come from any of the following journals (note that the URLs below are just to the journal home pages for general info about them; you would use UBC's Library portal to search for articles within these journals, and you can ask UBC Library staff how to perform. article searches on their website if this process is unfamiliar to you):
Game Studies: This open-access journal is one of the leading publications for game studies research. Website: http://www.gamestudies.org/ Links to an external site.
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication: While not exclusively focused on games, this journal often publishes research related to online gaming and social aspects of gaming. Website: https://academic.oup.com/jcmc Links to an external site.
New Media & Society: This journal explores the impact of digital media, including games, on society and culture. Website: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/nms Links to an external site.
Games and Culture: A journal dedicated to exploring the cultural and social aspects of games. Website: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/gac Links to an external site.
Journal of Gaming & Virtual Worlds: This journal focuses on virtual worlds, simulations, and games. Website: https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/intellect/jgvw Links to an external site.
Simulation & Gaming: This journal covers a wide range of topics related to simulation and gaming in education, training, and research. Website: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/sag Links to an external site.
International Journal of Computer Games Technology: It focuses on technological aspects of games, including graphics, AI, and hardware. Website: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijcgt/ Links to an external site.
Journal of Virtual Worlds Research: It explores virtual worlds, including MMORPGs and virtual reality. Website: https://www.jvwr.net/ Links to an external site.
Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies: While not exclusive to games, it covers various aspects of new media, including digital games. Website: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/con Links to an external site.
Games and Economic Behavior. This journal focuses on the economic aspects of gaming, including topics like virtual economies and game theory. Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/games-and-economic-behavior. Links to an external site.
Student Essay Examples
I have changed the essay parameters over the past years (and will likely do so in the future), so some of these example student essays may not conform. 100% to the current assignment parameters, but they are still good examples for the main aspects of the assignment. In general, these are good examples of the how to structure the essay into sections related to the main thesis argument that has been organized around the author's own conceptual framework of high level concepts via which the analysis is performed.
Unveiling the Layers of Destiny, Choice, and Morality in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Links to an external site.
Labyrinth of Ethics: Navigating Morality in Shin Megami Tensei IV Links to an external site.
Deliberate Practice and Avoiding Choking In Competitive Valorant Links to an external site.
Portal: Empowering Players Through Strategic Game Design Links to an external site.
Bloodborne: an experience driven by a single complex emotion Links to an external site.
Minecraft: More Than Just a Game Links to an external site.
Building Paradise During a Global Pandemic: The Therapeutic Benefits of Animal Crossing: New Horizons Links to an external site.
Where To Find Ideas For Your Research Essay
Regarding where you get ideas from, for your overall position/thesis (& the 3 high level concepts etc.) good sources would be:
• concepts from the course lectures and readings
• the selection of academic journals focused on game studies in the list above
• you can also read/skim the Week 8 example essays (Optional Resources section, under the various thematic headings to find ideas) for concepts and argument types to explore in your essay
• as you do your research (doing searches for Google Scholar sources etc.) you may come across theories, ideas, conceptual frameworks etc. that you find interesting and you can also grab ideas from those sources as well
• most of the Canvas modules end with a section of links called "Further Reading & Exploring" which may provide additional key concepts to explore in your paper
Resources on Writing Thesis Statements
If you're not used to writing thesis statements, I find that just doing a YouTube search on 'how to write a thesis statement' yields pretty decent resources, e.g.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFp1uGTXo4Q Links to an external site.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV62aVWkDPY Links to an external site.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-mfhDcccU0 Links to an external site.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yXLw6EGLIo Links to an external site.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27pa8_WAU_k Links to an external site.
Another YouTube search you can do would be "how to write a research essay outline" however I myself never use outlines and not everyone does, so I don't want to ask you to do this unless it's the kind of thing you personally find useful.
You can also run your thesis statement ideas by the instructor for feedback.