Author Archives: bgilroy1

Portal and Procedural Rhetoric

Posted on April 27, 2011 by bgilroy1

One of the first things I noticed about Portal is the way Chell (the main character) is shepherded throughout the various levels by GLaDOS. While at first this makes sense in the context of the testing center, once Chell (spoiler) … Continue reading →

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Odds and ends

Posted on April 20, 2011 by bgilroy1

http://applesandtea.blogspot.com/2011/03/id-like-side-of-nostalgia-please.html As we were talking about video game cannon, I thought this person had some nice reviews of older games. I think however that both old and newer games need to be included in whatever game cannon we develop. I … Continue reading →

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Novice vs. expert players

Posted on April 19, 2011 by bgilroy1

Expert plays spend most of their time developing their skills as gamers rather than other skills, such memorization of 19th century poetry, biology, or Harry Potter spells. A novice player enjoys games for brief periods of time and does not … Continue reading →

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“They made me do it.”

Posted on April 1, 2011 by bgilroy1

Simon Penny seems to articulate that games, as simulations, train users in skills that would be helpful to violence. Raessens also mentions the connection between simulation and reality before dropping to to go to his main point of documentary games. … Continue reading →

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Response: Gender and WoW

Posted on March 30, 2011 by bgilroy1

All these discussions of gender and games made me consider how Schleiner’s assertion of Lara Croft as vehicle for cross-dressing fits into the more popular World of Warcraft series. I read a few different articles about who plays what gender … Continue reading →

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Top 5

Posted on March 24, 2011 by bgilroy1

1) You must use specific words or terms in order to move forward in the game. There are many options, but a limited way to express these options. 2) You have to visualize the game more. There are no provided … Continue reading →

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ThisIsNotTom

Posted on March 22, 2011 by bgilroy1

www.thisisnottom.com/ This is an interactive narrative featuring riddles and clues that the interactor has to solve in order to advance the story. It isn’t strictly an IF game or a regular video game because it uses images as clues, but … Continue reading →

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XKCD anyone?

Posted on March 16, 2011 by bgilroy1

http://xkcd.com/873/ I thought this was a funny perspective on first person shooter games.

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Music facilitates play.

Posted on February 28, 2011 by bgilroy1

Music seems to serve a lot of variable functions in video games. While there are diegetic and non-diegetic elements of music in games, it also acts to create an atmosphere for the game. Some games are more stressful, such as … Continue reading →

Posted in First Readers | 3 Comments

The Great Gatsby

Posted on February 16, 2011 by bgilroy1

The Great Gatsby- The Game That’s right. Remember that novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the one with all the symbolism you had to read in high school? It’s back. And now it’s a game. At first, all I could do … Continue reading →

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Gilroy- First Reader for Feb. 1

Posted on January 30, 2011 by bgilroy1

Koster talks about how games all teach us something, whether that something is a skill applicable to modern life or an obsolete skill that once was necessary to learn. Pac-Man at first seems to be about map exploration, but I … Continue reading →