Computer and Video Game Archive
Research Support at the CVGA
Our archive supports research and teaching in the fields of game studies, game design, and related scholarship.
This includes wide-ranging academic work in fields such as computer science, music, art, architecture, and humanities.
- Check out our video game studies guide for information about using games in your research.
- Request to teach a class session with us.
- Fill out our research form to request priority status when reserving individual game stations.
Examples of scholarly work
Students and faculty have used our archive to enhance research in a wide range of disciplines. This has included topics in:
- Architecture. Comparing physical spaces versus digital spaces through games.
- English. Exploring violence in the media and apocalypses in games.
- Culture and society. Exploring how various cultures and groups are portrayed in popular media, including video games. For example, portrayals of Japanese culture, samurai, mafia culture, women, the LGBTQ+ community, and more.
- Game design. Using our game collection to find examples of scenes and mechanics that developers might employ in their own games.
- Language and area studies. Teaching and practicing verbal communication skills in a target language, and learning about informal language and popular culture in an area of study.
- Music. Exploring video game music to see how it affects the mood of a particular scene and aids in the narrative of the game.
- School of Information. Evaluating the collection to inform projects around creating a collection development policy, a needs assessment, and more.
Address
Fourth Floor, Room 4041
Shapiro Library
919 S. University Ave
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1185
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