Author Archives: sshapir1

expert players vs. novice players

an expert video game player is someone who is able to consider their diegetic surroundings and components of the game beyond just how they play it. They figure out how to get extra points and understand the logistics of the … Continue reading

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Video Games as a Cultural Artifact

I was fascinated by Heather Chaplin’s article on Henry Lowood’s “Video Game Canon” idea. I think video games should absolutely be preserved and that it’s a great concept. These aren’t teenagers or random people picking the games, these are extremely … Continue reading

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What video games are your kids playing?

This interesting article by PBS discusses how most parents have no idea what video games their kids are playing. It addresses Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, the boys at the center of the Columbine Massacre, and the games they played … Continue reading

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Top 5 Distinguishing Features- Katie, Rachel, Sarah

1. No sound or music exists 2. Movement is constricted to the four cardinal directions 3. Story and its components are open-ended and entirely dependent on the player and his or her imagination 4. Gaming system-player interaction is entirely text-based … Continue reading

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Interactive Confusion

Before reading Nick Montfort’s article, I watched his video explaining Interactive Fiction. I thought it was fascinating- the idea of having a machine smart enough to recognize text rather than pre-programmed controls was very interesting to me. It seemed to … Continue reading

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Video Games and Storytelling+Humor=Awesome.

This is a really really neat way to present the evolution of video games and storytelling. This video lecture on Youtube is by a professor who wanted to do more than just talk to his students about video games and storytelling. … Continue reading

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Thoughts on “Genre Trouble”

I was absolutely fascinated by Espen Aarseth’s piece titled “Genre Trouble.” His approach to video games is completely different than most writers’ pieces regarding electronic gaming; he digs down to the root of the game and considers where the plot … Continue reading

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Sarah S- Seeker 2/3/2011

http://www.gamejudgment.com/are-video-games-the-downfall-of-society This website offers an interesting blog entry by Anthony Arvizu. Arvizu, an avid gamer, believes that video games are unrelated to the societal issues that they are often linked to, including violence, bullying, and anti-social behavior. He also provides … Continue reading

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