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Jessica Mulligan sounds off on creating interactive stories in persistent worlds.

Posted by cloo @ 02:53 AM EST [Link]

Via Lars Konzack, Ludologica (Jan 11, 03): "Lots of theory, no analyses. That's how computer game studies are developing at the moment. We need to make analyses in order to justify the theories made - or maybe find out whether or not they are true. Otherwise we are just making a lot of statements without any substance." In spirit, here here! But having just collected a bunch of tips on methodologies (via the DiGRA list), I'd say things are changing. There's lots of folks out there in the trenches.

Posted by cloo @ 10:14 PM EST [Link]

Breaking news! I've been invited to present at the "Life by Design: Everyday Digital Culture" symposium to be held at UC Irvine April 10-12, 2003. The paper in question? "A Feminine Mindstorms Robotics" (to be posted soon):

Initially conceived as a children’s toy, the Lego Mindstorms Robotics Invention System is increasingly used by adults for both serious prototyping and creative play. What is particularly interesting about Lego Mindstorms is that it offers women the opportunity to participate in an embodied computing environment that supports theoretically women-friendly programming concepts such as constructionism and bricolage. So where are the female hobbyists and artists? How can we develop a feminine/feminist Mindstorms robotics practice that subverts the male agency of the product and creates a discourse surrounding women and robotic play?

A little bit of rhetoric, a little bit of feminism, a lot of techno-play. Not so much agency...I think I needed a bit of a breather ;-)

Posted by cloo @ 10:24 PM EST [Link]

As I move further along in my thesis work, I've begun to butt up against the problem of how to document a gameplay experience. Up to this point I've been attempting to take notes of my own experiences, which I'm just about to jettison (as unless I sprout Shiva-like arms overnight, its extremely disruptive and awkward.) I've made up for what I've missed in any given scenario by replaying or reflecting, both of which are rather weak if I'm trying to analyse a given scenario-- in a game, the second go around is of course different, and its not like I'm analysing a static text where I can expect that experience to remain constant. I could use an audio recording device, but then I'm trying to do two very different tasks at once. Video is awkward-- what I could really use is a snaggit-type tool that could handle extended game experiences (my memory of snaggit is that it was best suited to small tasks). I'll have to explore this option.

A nice media grab I could edit and annotate (even on the fly) would be pretty swell right about now.

Anyway, that's the physical difficulty-- I don't even want to think about methodological issues right now. Torill Mortensen 's Playing With Players: Potential Methodologies for MUDs looks pretty good to start though.

Posted by cloo @ 11:47 PM EST [Link]

For your Health and Safety: The Game Manufacturers Association's Questions and Answers about Role-Playing Games (circa 1991).

Posted by cloo @ 07:30 PM EST [Link]

Art and Play: a cool site devoted to artistic explorations in games. Found via Natalie Boorchin's posting on Greg Costikyan's weblog-- how's that for lineage!

Posted by cloo @ 07:27 PM EST [Link]

Time formerly spent blogging has been taken up by two New Year pastimes-- playing with toys and reorganizing.

In the former category, time is spent playing with my new Mindstorms RIS 2.0, and iPod. Already I've uploaded half my musical library while grooving out to the Spy Music station. With the RIS I have started making homebrew sensors-- with a hack GSR sensor made a bizarre sort of biofeedback musical instrument that amuses me greatly (the sounds it makes is very 80's video game).

In the later category: I need to rewrite my thesis plan, that's for sure. I didn't add anything to the lab for the entirety of 2001! (although the Mindstorms work *could* conceivably fall in that category.) Still haven't added *scratch* space. Still haven't extended the template so I can add more frequently travelled links (to blogs and such)...eek...

Posted by cloo @ 06:56 PM EST [Link]

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