Introduction to Game Research (IGR) takes both theoretical and practical look on games. Although the course focuses on video games, the concepts and methods learned during the course can be applied to any kind of games. The course has three major themes for the seven lectures:

1. Games as formal systems, game types and different game genres
2. Usability and playability of games, game user experience
3. Game design, prototyping, playtesting, and evaluation methods