Post-Escapist
New Media Writing Paper

Write a 7-10 page paper about a work of New Media from a "post-escapist" viewpoint. 

Though the sample pieces we will read will focus on video games, you can write on any New Media genre.

Choice and Focus of Topic

Be as specific and focused as possible in your choice of topic. In writing, it's much more effective to make a lot out of a little, rather than to speak in sweeping generalities and summaries. Examples and details are not decoration or mere support, but the heart of your paper.

If you're writing about a video game, select a particular version of the game or focus on one aspect of the game to help you choose concrete detail.

If you're writing about some other form of New Media, make your points by describing a particular instance or example of that form in detail (a specific meme, for instance, and not memes generally), rather than talking about a digital environment or community in the abstract.

"Post-Escapist" Perspective

Post-Escapism refers to a way of looking at, writing about, and analyzing a piece of New Media, rather than the nature of the piece itself. In your essay, be sure to understand this approach and take this perspective consistetly. See this diagram as a reminder or preview of a class discussion on post-escapist approaches.

Being Informed by Class

While you may or may not include citations or quotations in your essay--according to your the genre and voice you choose--your essay should clearly be informed by the class readings and discussions: understandings of critical ideas and terms, knowledge of history, awareness of issues and debates, etc. Avoid writing about your topic as you might have before taking this class.

Three Dimensions of Writing

As a writer, consider your choices among the following dimensions of voice, authority, address, stance, purpose, etc.

Consider these dichotomies or binaries not as stark black-and-white choices, but as dimensions: sliding scales or spectrums that you could map on a semiotic field.

60-Word Abstract at the Top

At the top of your paper, in italics, write an abstract of 60-90 words which describes your essay's point or purpose, and how your essay combines and uses the following elements to achieve them:

50-Word Endnote at the Bottom

At the end of your paper, include a 30-60 word endnote that explains how the course readings, discussions, and projects informed your writing of the paper.

Readings

We will read a number of sample pieces from the book The State of Play as examples of "post-escapist" new-media criticism. In reading these texts, we will consider questions like the following to help us, as writers, to make decisions about our own pieces.

Guidelines