Gundolf S. Freyermuth studied Comparative Literature at the Free University, Berlin. He wrote his M.A. thesis on the aesthetics of modern theater and his Ph.D. thesis on the impact of the techno-cultural process of digitalization on the arts, entertainment, and communication.

Prior to his academic career, Freyermuth worked as a writer, editor, department head, reporter, and head reporter for several German magazines and as a freelance writer covering literature, film, and digital media from the US West Coast. In addition to more than 20 books, he has published about 500 papers, essays, and articles. He also directed documentaries and wrote scripts for radio plays and feature films.

From 2004 to 2014, he was a professor of Comparative Media Studies at the ifs international film school Cologne, where he continues to teach as an Associate Professor.

Since 2012, he co-edits (with Prof. Dr. Lisa Gotto) the series “Bild und Bit. Studien zur digitalen Medienkultur” (“Image and Bit. Studies in Digital Media Culture”).

Since 2015, he has been, together with Prof. Björn Bartholdy, chair of the Program Board of “Clash of Realities–International Conference on the Art, Technology, and Theory of Digital Games.”

Since 2018, he has been a member of the Academy of Finland’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) of the Centre of Excellence in Game Culture Studies at the University of Tampere (Finland).

Since 2019, he has been a member of the award committee for the promotion of “Digital Games and Interactive Content” of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW.

Since January 2020, he has been a visiting professor at the University of Manchester. In the past decade, Freyermuth has been lecturing on digital games and game studies all over the world, inter alia in Los Angeles (University of California Los Angeles; California State University Long Beach), Hong Kong (Lingnan University), Shanghai (Shanghai Theater Academy), Budapest (University of Film and Theatre), Vienna, Klagenfurt, Brussels, Maastricht, and Paris.

Academic CV: download link

Personal Website: www.freyermuth.com

Intro

Gundolf S. Freyermuth’s teaching concentrates on the development of new artistic and communicative practices, new forms of linear and non-linear audiovisuality, cross- and transmedia, network culture, and the emergence of a new digital media dispositive.

B.A. Digital Games

In the seven-semester B.A. program Digital Games, seminars on Media and Game Studies follow a clear didactic dramaturgy: The classes of the first half of the program impart basic knowledge of the history of media and the arts and their theories with a focus on analog and digital games. In the second half of the program, students deal in-depth with current topics in game studies.

Semester 1: After an introduction to procedures and methods of scholarly work in general and particularly in media and game studies, we investigate the history and theory of digitalization and the emergence of digital games. We analyze how games evolved to become a defining audiovisual medium of the 21st century, with their cultural function more and more comparable to the role that theater played in the 18th and 19th centuries and cinema and television occupied in the 20th century.

Semester 2: The seminar introduces the students to the social and cultural, technological, and aesthetic history of modern times, from the Renaissance to the early days of industrialization. We discuss the development of new visual and audiovisual media as well as relevant cultural and aesthetic theories concerning the arts and specifically games as well as changes in how people worked and played.

Semester 3: The seminar begins where the second semester ended and continues the introduction to the media and arts of modern times from the early days of industrialization to the digital present. We first concern ourselves with the process of industrialization, then digitization, and above all, the changes in work and play in the transition from analog to digital culture.

In summary, the first three semesters will provide students with a basic knowledge of the history and theories of analog and digital media and arts with specific regard to games. Students will also acquire essential abilities to analyze critically and historically contextualize aesthetic theories as well as works of audiovisual art, specifically digital games.

In the second half of the program, this knowledge and these skills will be refined with regard to the current production of digital games.

Semester 4: The seminar introduces the students to the pervasive industry practice of aesthetic adaptation. Already the very first digital games were adaptations of analog games. Later, innumerable works of literature and movies were adapted into games. And, of course, vice versa, many games were turned into novels or films. We will analyze these processes of adaptation and investigate how, under the conditions of digital culture, the long-standing practice of adapting single works of art more or less randomly is complemented by the new practice of transmedia storytelling and transmedia producing.

Semester 5: no instruction (mobility window).

Semester 6: In the last Media and Game Studies seminar of the B.A. program, students have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the central points of the contemporary discussion of digital games, such as the mutual influence of digital games and artificial intelligence or virtual and augmented reality.

Semester 7: no instruction (B.A. thesis).

In summary, the seminars of the second half of the B.A. program provide insights into current theories of media and game studies and help students, in preparation for their B.A. thesis, to theoretically reflect and discuss their creative work and to strengthen their academic presentation and writing skills.

M.A. Digital Games

In the three-semester M.A. program Digital Games, Media and Game Studies seminars and colloquia will familiarize students with central points of discussion in contemporary Game Studies and will help them to practice academic research, writing, and presenting in preparation for their M.A. thesis.

Semester 1: In the seminar, we examine digital games as a representative medium of our time by asking the question: How do games envision our future? How do they represent the people, societies, technologies, and cultures of the future? – In the colloquium, students will practice the research and presentation of scholarly topics in the three main fields of game studies, i.e., game design theory, social sciences approaches, and humanistic theories.

Semester 2: In the seminar, we will concern ourselves with developments in contemporary Media and Game Studies. Students will present and discuss theoretical texts that have either had a lasting impact on their position on digital games or have opened up significant new perspectives for their master’s project. – In the colloquium, students continue their first semester’s work by writing a paper based on the topic of their presentation. They will be mentored and receive feedback on their progress at different stages of the writing process.

Semester 3: no instruction (M.A. thesis).

In summary, the seminars and colloquia of Media and Game Studies are aiming to give students insights into current research and strengthen their ability to evaluate and discuss their creative work. In particular, students practice researching, preparing, and delivering academic presentations as well as research and writing academic papers.

M.A. Game Development and Research

In the four-semester further education M.A. program Game Development and Research, the seminars on Media and Game Studies have two objectives: firstly, to create a common ground of historical-theoretical knowledge for students who come from very different disciplines and cultures; secondly, to provide theoretical support for their practical project work.

Semester 1: Through a series of lectures, readings, and discussions, the seminar provides an introduction to fields of research and current issues in Media and Game Studies. In detail, students will gain an overview of the history of digitalization and digital games and explore the evolution of virtual reality and artificial intelligence in the context of digital games.

Semester 2: The seminar will introduce students to theoretical approaches relevant to their major semester projects. We will fuse academic and artistic perspectives to demonstrate how historical knowledge and theoretical concepts can influence and expand the creative praxis, particularly regarding the production of so-called Serious Games and the adaptation of linear content into nonlinear formats.

Semester 3: Students will familiarize themselves with central points of discussion in Media and Game Studies, particularly concepts and theories related to their M.A. projects, and present them in the seminar.

Semester 4: no instruction (M.A. thesis).

In summary, the instruction in Media and Game Studies aims to expand the student’s understanding and appreciation of the social, cultural, and academic contexts of game development. The students strengthen their ability to reflect and discuss their creative work from historical and theoretical perspectives and practice academic presenting and writing in preparation for their M.A. thesis.

M.A. 3D Animation for Film and Games

In the four-semester further education M.A. program 3D Animation for Film and Games, the seminars on Media and Game Studies have two objectives: firstly, to create a common ground of historical-theoretical knowledge for students who come from very different disciplines and cultures; secondly, to provide theoretical support for their practical project work.

Semester 1: The seminar focuses on the digitalization of audiovisual media. We investigate the essential elements of the digital turn, the relationship between digital cinema and digital games, the cultural and technological history of Virtual Reality, and the interdependence between Digital Games and Artificial Intelligence.

Semester 2: We investigate the similarities and differences of storytelling in fictional, non-fictional, and mixed (‘factional’) genres from both historical-theoretical and artistic-practical perspectives. Students will analyze storytelling in animated short films and games and present their results in the seminar.

Semester 3: In preparation for the M.A. thesis, students learn about the history and theories of academic and artistic research. As an example of the differences between academic and artistic research, we take the study and exploration of the future. Students research academic or artistic anticipations of future events, present an example in the seminar, and write a research paper on their chosen topic.

Semester 4: no instruction (M.A. thesis).

In summary, the instruction in Media and Game Studies aims to expand the student’s understanding and appreciation of the social, cultural, and academic contexts of game development. The students strengthen their ability to reflect and discuss their creative work from historical and theoretical perspectives and practice academic presenting and writing in preparation for their M.A. thesis.

Gundolf S. Freyermuth’s research concentrates on the history and theory of audiovisual media, particularly film and games, as well as analog and digital textuality, and network culture. Currently, he is pursuing several collaborative and individual research projects.

Collaborative Research Projects

Since 2015: “Clash of Realities—International Conference on the Art, Technology and Theory of Digital Games” (Yearly Research Conference, Co-Organizer). The conference is designed to be a unique place where theory and practice come together to establish an opportunity for interdisciplinary exchange and dialogue. Funded et al. by TH Koeln, Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, the City of Cologne, Electronic Arts.
For more information see: https://clashofrealities.com

Since 2018: “Literacy of Games, Literacy of Play: Imparting Media Competence in the Field of Analog, Digital, and Hybrid Games” (Lead Researcher). The project investigates essential elements of game literacy. Based on the theoretical research, the team developed, in cooperation with the Cologne City Library, a reusable, scalable, and open workshop format for the mediation of games literacy in informal learning settings. Funded by RheinEnergie Stiftung.
For more information, see: Literacy of Games Research Project Website.

Since 2020: “Project Holodeck – Virtual Reality Experience for Deutsches Museum” (Co-Lead Researcher). The interdisciplinary project team explores the creative affordances of virtual reality with the goal of creating, on approximately 70 square meters, an interactive visual-haptic museum installation, which can be experienced by several visitors simultaneously.

For more information, see: Project Holodeck Research Project Website.

Individual Research Projects

Since 2015: Monography Audiovisuality in Modern Times. From the Renaissance to the Present

Since 2018: Monography Digital Games. A Very Short History

Since 2019: Monography Die Erfindung der Zukunft. Eine Mediengeschichte

Utopian Futures. A Brief History of Their Conception and Representation in Modern Media—From Literature to Digital Games. In: Benjamin Beil / Gundolf S. Freyermuth / Hanns Christian Schmidt (eds.): Playing Utopia. Futures in Digital Games, Bielefeld: transcript 2019, p. 9-65.

Nach Santa Barbara. Feiern im Film; am Beispiel der Adaptationen von The Postman Always Rings Twice. In: Stéphane Boutin, Marc Caduff, et al. (eds.): Fest/Schrift: Für Barbara Naumann, Bielefeld: Aisthesis Verlag 2019, p. 269-276.

Games lehren und lernen in Deutschland. Neun Thesen zur Einleitung. In: Björn Bartholdy / Linda Breitlauch / André Czauderna / Gundolf S. Freyermuth (eds.): Games studieren – was, wie, wo? Staatliche Studienangebote im Bereich digitaler Spiele, Bielefeld: transcript 2019, p. 25-47.

Transmedia. Twelve Postulates. In: Clash of Realities 2015/16: On the Art, Technology, and Theory of Digital Games. Proceedings of the 6th and 7th Conference, Bielefeld: transcript 2017, p. 97-126.

Im Spiegel der Spiele. Games in der digitalen Kultur. In: Benjamin Beil, Philipp Bojahr, T. Sofie Taubert (eds.): Im Spielrausch. Streifzüge durch die Welten des Theaters und des Computerspiels, Glückstadt: Verlag Werner Hülsbusch 2017, p. 113-124.

Anpassungen eines Unangepassten. Bernd Eichingers Produktionspraxis medialer Adaptation – am Beispiel von Der Name der Rose. In: Filmkonzept 46/4 – Bernd Eichinger, 2017, p. 50-69.

Game Design and Game Studies. On Artistic and Academic Practice. In: Jörg Helbig, René Schallegger (eds.), Digitale Spiele, Köln: Herbert von Halem Verlag 2016, p. 50-76.

Wolfgang Menge: Authentizität und Autorschaft. Fragmente einer bundesdeutschen Medienbiographie. In: Gundolf S. Freyermuth, Lisa Gotto (eds.): Der Televisionär: Wolfgang Menges transmediales Werk. Kritische und dokumentarische Perspektiven, Bielefeld: transcript Verlag 2016, p. 19-214.

From Analog to Digital Image Space: Toward a Historical Theory of Immersion. In: Fabienne Liptay, Burcu Dogramaci (eds.): Immersion in the Visual Arts and Media, Leiden, and Boston: Brill Rodopi 2015, p. 165-203.

Games | Game Design | Game Studies. An Introduction. With Contributions by André Czauderna, Nathalie Pozzi and Eric Zimmerman. Bielefeld: transcript Verlag 2015.

For a full list of publications see http://freyermuth.com/publikationen