Category Archives: First Readers

Nintendo is a company that makes money. According to Financial Times in 2007 Nintendo made 1.6 million dollars per employee. Nintendo is a company that has not changed much throughout the years. Nintendo figured out a process that works for … Continue reading →

A game which seemingly has no story is the game “Don’t Look Back” by Terry Cavanagh. At first I thought it was a poor alternate version of Super Mario Bros. You start at a grave and have to keep moving … Continue reading →

Ralph Koster makes an interesting point in making the distinction that “Games are not stories.” He goes on to expand on this idea, saying that “Games are external–they are about people’s actions. Stories (good ones, anyway) are internal–they are about … Continue reading →

It is strange that Espen Aarseth seems to disregard these trappings of the game in favor of analyzing the abstract models of games, stating that it means nothing to change the skin of a game.  He uses the example of chess, where the … Continue reading →

I thought that Aarseth’s article regarding games as stories or texts was fascinating. He mentioned that because of the “academic discovery” of games, they have been pressured to fit into an “acceptable” form of art or literature. But why not … Continue reading →

After reflecting on the three articles, I’ve come to see the importance of stressing the difference between stories and games. Koster makes the comparison of the two on page 88 and though he only states the differences briefly, it is … Continue reading →

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 →

The “Genre Trouble” article by Espen Aarseth was packed with interesting ideas that had my mind firing off in different directions throughout the piece. Below are some of the big ideas of the article and the connections I made to … Continue reading →

At the end of ‘Combat in Context’, Montfort asks three questions pertaining to the videogame Combat: Is it violent? Is it a narrative? What story does it tell? Though he comes to the conclusion that Combat lacks a narrative form … Continue reading →

Before every road trip we go on, my ten year old brother makes a list and packs the important things that he needs for the trip. For most people, this might include a toothbrush and fresh clothes. But my brother … Continue reading →

I sat in Metro fingering my copy of John Keat’s Letters when a bundle of boys tumbled through the doors.  As the initial seating negotiations dragged on, their father leapt up and enthusiastically produced three gaming chips.  Immediately the hubbub … Continue reading →

In playing the three different versions of Pac-Man it is interesting to see how even a simple game like that can evolve over time.  Most of the changes can be seen in the graphics department but subtle changes transform the … Continue reading →

In the article, “Racing the Beam”, the author brings up the concept of midway games. Midway games “rely on partial reinforcement-a type of operant conditioning that explains how people become attached (and possibly addicted) to experiences. Partial reinforcement provides rewards … Continue reading →

Whenever I think of play, I always think of the nature programs that I used to watch as a kid.  There would always the offspring of mammals such as lions or bears playing and roughhousing.  While human play is more … Continue reading →