If you are coming to FuturePlay 2007 you probably know that one of our keynotes will be Cory Ondrejka of Linden Lab
Episode 23 of t6 featured am interview with Cory Ondrejka, VP of Product Development for Linden Lab of San Francisco, the creators of Second Life.
Glyn Heatley and I sat down via Gizmo (to phone) with Cory Ondrejka and talked about everything Second Life. We discussed academic applications of this virtual world, research applications, and even UFO abductions (virtual ones...).
The folks at Linden lab are visionaries, no question about it and you can tell talking to a guy like Cory.
This is just another example of how games are not only entertaining but can have emergent properties of their own. Thanks Cory!
(note: Glyn had some mic problems, he may have actually turned off the mic... so Dave had to do a lot of signal processing to get this one out, so there may be some points that are a bit rough).
Enjoy the interview.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
Frans Mäyrä Keynote
The paper sessions are great at FuturePlay, and so are the keynotes. Over the next week or so I will shine the spotlight on the different keynote speakers. Here is a short summary of Frans Mäyrä's upcoming keynote at FuturePlay 2007, his title is"The Role of Digital Play in a Society: The Case of Finland"
During the last few decades, we have witnessed fast-paced changes taking place in contemporary societies, much of them related to the adoption and use of information and communication technologies. Digital games often appear to play a particular role in this development, taking the everyday use of computers beyond the more restricted work-related functions and opening ways for interactive media to become a truly popular cultural, global phenomenon. Yet it is hard to make any precise claims about the exact role computer and video games currently hold in a society. Many of the most commonly quoted demographic figures are produced by entertainment industry organisations and are not based on reliable academic studies. As the methodologies used in producing such core data are not open for peer-review, it is difficult to say whether our perception of games and digital play in a wider societal context is tilted or accurate.
In his Future Play conference keynote professor Mäyrä will present some of the findings from a nation-wide survey carried out in Finland by the University of Tampere Games Research Lab. Focusing on such fundamental issues as how many and what sort of people are actually playing digital games, what kind of playing styles or use of time for gameplay are common among them, and which games are most popular in different age and > gender groups, he will paint a picture of a Western, late industrial society and its involvement in digital play. Mäyrä will also discuss the methodological challenges related to gathering and analysing such data, and point out further directions for study into the socio-cultural research of games and players.
During the last few decades, we have witnessed fast-paced changes taking place in contemporary societies, much of them related to the adoption and use of information and communication technologies. Digital games often appear to play a particular role in this development, taking the everyday use of computers beyond the more restricted work-related functions and opening ways for interactive media to become a truly popular cultural, global phenomenon. Yet it is hard to make any precise claims about the exact role computer and video games currently hold in a society. Many of the most commonly quoted demographic figures are produced by entertainment industry organisations and are not based on reliable academic studies. As the methodologies used in producing such core data are not open for peer-review, it is difficult to say whether our perception of games and digital play in a wider societal context is tilted or accurate.
In his Future Play conference keynote professor Mäyrä will present some of the findings from a nation-wide survey carried out in Finland by the University of Tampere Games Research Lab. Focusing on such fundamental issues as how many and what sort of people are actually playing digital games, what kind of playing styles or use of time for gameplay are common among them, and which games are most popular in different age and > gender groups, he will paint a picture of a Western, late industrial society and its involvement in digital play. Mäyrä will also discuss the methodological challenges related to gathering and analysing such data, and point out further directions for study into the socio-cultural research of games and players.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
T6 Flashback 8 - An Interview With Jim Parker
For episode 20 of t6 I interviewed FuturePlay attendee Jim Parker.
Dr. Parker is a specialist in computer perception (vision, hearing) for intelligent interfaces. His special interest is the use of perceptive interfaces in interactive video games, especially for teaching. His research includes vision and hearing, gesture, and gaze, and he has designed and built computer games for teaching. Jim initiated the computer games concentration and the computer game programming class at the University of Calgary.
Two of his current projects are the I'powahsin project. (Teaching aboriginal langauges using computer games) and Turtle Island a Massively Multiplayer online game (virtual universe) modeling the aboriginal world of a thousand years ago.
Dr. Parker heads the digital media lab at U of Calgary.
Enjoy.
Dr. Parker is a specialist in computer perception (vision, hearing) for intelligent interfaces. His special interest is the use of perceptive interfaces in interactive video games, especially for teaching. His research includes vision and hearing, gesture, and gaze, and he has designed and built computer games for teaching. Jim initiated the computer games concentration and the computer game programming class at the University of Calgary.
Two of his current projects are the I'powahsin project. (Teaching aboriginal langauges using computer games) and Turtle Island a Massively Multiplayer online game (virtual universe) modeling the aboriginal world of a thousand years ago.
Dr. Parker heads the digital media lab at U of Calgary.
Enjoy.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Arcademy Games Awards Prize Packages Annoucned
This stuff just keeps on showing up in my inbox, and, well, I am passing it on to you, cuz well, that is just what I do...
Category: Future Indie Games
Arcademy Games Awards 1st prize: Total value more than $5,000
A one-day usability session and analysis by the Microsoft Games User Research group, just like that used for games such as Halo 3 and Mass Effect. Your game will benefit from the same scientific testing techniques in Microsoft Game Studios’ state-of-the-art research labs.
An analysis of game ergonomics and playability provided by Bug-Tracker, providing proven quality assurance and testing for functionality, localization and compatibility.
Software package from Groove Games, a unique Internet publishing label for independent games and game makers. “We are a band of professional game makers committed to publishing truly original and exciting titles on our own terms. We want to give any and all game makers the opportunity to publish their games, find their audiences - and perhaps make their fortunes.”
SSMIC – ½ day consultation and review of business plan by the award-winning IT Incubator and Algoma U partner. SSMIC is an internationally recognized catalyst for growth in the information technology (IT) and knowledge based sectors.
Copy of the Game Production Handbook, written by the lecturer Heather Chandler.
Arcademy Games Awards 2nd prize
Copy of the Game Production Handbook, written by the lecturer Heather Chandler.
Hardware prize package from University of Ontario Institute of Technology and Algoma U.
Category: Future Serious Games
Arcademy Games Award 1st prize: Total value more than $5,000
An analysis of game ergonomics and playability provided by Bug-Tracker, providing proven quality assurance and testing for functionality, localization and compatibility.
Software package from Groove Games, a unique Internet publishing label for independent games and game makers. “We are a band of professional game makers committed to publishing truly original and exciting titles on our own terms. We want to give any and all game makers the opportunity to publish their games, find their audiences - and perhaps make their fortunes.”
SSMIC – ½ day consultation and review of business plan by the award-winning IT Incubator and Algoma U partner. SSMIC is an internationally recognized catalyst for growth in the information technology (IT) and knowledge based sectors.
Copy of the Game Production Handbook, written by the lecturer Heather Chandler.
Arcademy Games Awards 2nd prize
Copy of the Game Production Handbook, written by the lecturer Heather Chandler.
Hardware prize package from University of Ontario Institute of Technology and Algoma U.
Category: Future Student Games
Arcademy Games Awards 1st prize: Total value more than $5,000
An analysis of game ergonomics and playability provided by Bug-Tracker, providing proven quality assurance and testing for functionality, localization and compatibility.
Software package from Groove Games, a unique Internet publishing label for independent games and game makers. “We are a band of professional game makers committed to publishing truly original and exciting titles on our own terms. We want to give any and all game makers the opportunity to publish their games, find their audiences - and perhaps make their fortunes.”
SSMIC – ½ day consultation and review of business plan by the award-winning IT Incubator and Algoma U partner. SSMIC is an internationally recognized catalyst for growth in the information technology (IT) and knowledge based sectors.
Copy of the Game Production Handbook, written by the lecturer Heather Chandler.
Arcademy Games Awards 2nd prize
Copy of the Game Production Handbook, written by the lecturer Heather Chandler.
Hardware prize package from University of Ontario Institute of Technology and Algoma U.
Category: Future Indie Games
Arcademy Games Awards 1st prize: Total value more than $5,000
A one-day usability session and analysis by the Microsoft Games User Research group, just like that used for games such as Halo 3 and Mass Effect. Your game will benefit from the same scientific testing techniques in Microsoft Game Studios’ state-of-the-art research labs.
An analysis of game ergonomics and playability provided by Bug-Tracker, providing proven quality assurance and testing for functionality, localization and compatibility.
Software package from Groove Games, a unique Internet publishing label for independent games and game makers. “We are a band of professional game makers committed to publishing truly original and exciting titles on our own terms. We want to give any and all game makers the opportunity to publish their games, find their audiences - and perhaps make their fortunes.”
SSMIC – ½ day consultation and review of business plan by the award-winning IT Incubator and Algoma U partner. SSMIC is an internationally recognized catalyst for growth in the information technology (IT) and knowledge based sectors.
Copy of the Game Production Handbook, written by the lecturer Heather Chandler.
Arcademy Games Awards 2nd prize
Copy of the Game Production Handbook, written by the lecturer Heather Chandler.
Hardware prize package from University of Ontario Institute of Technology and Algoma U.
Category: Future Serious Games
Arcademy Games Award 1st prize: Total value more than $5,000
An analysis of game ergonomics and playability provided by Bug-Tracker, providing proven quality assurance and testing for functionality, localization and compatibility.
Software package from Groove Games, a unique Internet publishing label for independent games and game makers. “We are a band of professional game makers committed to publishing truly original and exciting titles on our own terms. We want to give any and all game makers the opportunity to publish their games, find their audiences - and perhaps make their fortunes.”
SSMIC – ½ day consultation and review of business plan by the award-winning IT Incubator and Algoma U partner. SSMIC is an internationally recognized catalyst for growth in the information technology (IT) and knowledge based sectors.
Copy of the Game Production Handbook, written by the lecturer Heather Chandler.
Arcademy Games Awards 2nd prize
Copy of the Game Production Handbook, written by the lecturer Heather Chandler.
Hardware prize package from University of Ontario Institute of Technology and Algoma U.
Category: Future Student Games
Arcademy Games Awards 1st prize: Total value more than $5,000
An analysis of game ergonomics and playability provided by Bug-Tracker, providing proven quality assurance and testing for functionality, localization and compatibility.
Software package from Groove Games, a unique Internet publishing label for independent games and game makers. “We are a band of professional game makers committed to publishing truly original and exciting titles on our own terms. We want to give any and all game makers the opportunity to publish their games, find their audiences - and perhaps make their fortunes.”
SSMIC – ½ day consultation and review of business plan by the award-winning IT Incubator and Algoma U partner. SSMIC is an internationally recognized catalyst for growth in the information technology (IT) and knowledge based sectors.
Copy of the Game Production Handbook, written by the lecturer Heather Chandler.
Arcademy Games Awards 2nd prize
Copy of the Game Production Handbook, written by the lecturer Heather Chandler.
Hardware prize package from University of Ontario Institute of Technology and Algoma U.
The Arcademy Games Awards at Future Play 2007
Future Play 2007 is proud to host the first annual Arcademy Games Awards, to recognise new and emerging talent in game design.
The Arcademy Games Awards will be awarded to the first and second place selections in the Future Play 2007 International Games Competition, in the following categories:
Future Indie Games-- this category is for games that experiment with new game technologies or design concepts.
Future Serious Games-- this category is for games that are not necessarily built for pure entertainment purposes (i.e. Serious Games), such as games that are for learning purposes.
Future Student Games-- this category is for students who have built an original, entertainment game title and wish to show off their talents, earn publicity for their school, gain personal recognition, and perhaps even find a publisher for that game.
Thanks to new sponsors who have offered generous support, Future Play 2007 is pleased to offer the Arcademy Games Awards to participants in the Future Play 2007 Games Competition.
Winners will be selected at the International Judging Reception on Friday, November 16th, at the Novotel Toronto.
The Arcademy Games Awards will be awarded to the first and second place selections in the Future Play 2007 International Games Competition, in the following categories:
Future Indie Games-- this category is for games that experiment with new game technologies or design concepts.
Future Serious Games-- this category is for games that are not necessarily built for pure entertainment purposes (i.e. Serious Games), such as games that are for learning purposes.
Future Student Games-- this category is for students who have built an original, entertainment game title and wish to show off their talents, earn publicity for their school, gain personal recognition, and perhaps even find a publisher for that game.
Thanks to new sponsors who have offered generous support, Future Play 2007 is pleased to offer the Arcademy Games Awards to participants in the Future Play 2007 Games Competition.
Winners will be selected at the International Judging Reception on Friday, November 16th, at the Novotel Toronto.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
More On The Student Experience at FuturePlay
Gavan Acton is a graduate of Algoma's Computer Science programme and has been to each and every edition of FP. He has also been a frequent guest on T6. I emailed Gav the other day and asked him a few questions about his experiences at FP 05, 06 and his hopes for the 07 conference in Toronto. Currently, Gav is a grad student in Computer Science at UWO.
Dave Brodbeck: Gavan what are your best memories of past FuturePlay conferences?
Gavan Acton: My first Futureplay experience was completely insane. Futureplay 2005 - I went down not really knowing what to expect from the speakers. I was blown away by the keynotes. Their depth of knowledge, clarity of ideas and perspectives really got me thinking. When I left the conference, my head chewed on their ideas for weeks.
I still remember the ride home after the conference vividly, I sat in the back seat of the van thinking of how to apply so much of what I had heard over the last couple days into a new gaming experience. The result was some of the fundamental game mechanics that we later used in a game called Flux( that won a few awards at Dare to Be Digitall and Futureplay 2006.
Presenting and pitching a game to Clint Hocking was pretty dam cool. I also really enjoyed the games competition and not because I had a game in it. There is always so many interesting games that make you look at gaming differently. Last year there was this one game made for the blind that blew me away. You basically had to ski down this mountain only using your ears to guide you. I found the experience very visceral and left me thinking about a whole set of new game mechanics that could make use of senses other then the visual. Very interesting stuff and definitely not conventional.
DB: What are you looking forward to this year?
GA: What you are looking forward to
More of the same from the last two years. That would be spectacular. I am really looking forward to the panel "Players Gaming the Play, Toolsets, and Creativity in and around Games". I love the possibilities of new online worlds that seriously engage a player with a gameplay but also with content provide by both the game studio and players themselves. Online gaming communities have so many possible avenues of interesting entertainment, it's future is exciting. This panel looks to talk about some of these issues. I am also reading a fantastic book by one of the panelists(Katherine Isbister), it should be interesting to hear her speak.
The other panel that looks awesome is "Games for Immersive Learning in other Subjects". The panelist line up looks fantastic. The conversations will definitely be interesting.
Did I mention Keynotes? I am pumped.
DB: Do some name dropping, who have you met at FuturePlay?
GA: Ha. I am terrible with names. Let me dig up some business cards. ;-)
Clint Hocking (Ubisoft - Splinter Cell anyone?)
Micheal Mateas ( Co-Creator of Fascade - Ranked third most influential AI game according to aigamedev.com )
Ernest Adams ( The man with the insane hats! and a ton of game design books)
Ken Perlin ( Inventor of Perlin Noise - used in Half Life 2 a so many other games for NPC character motion and emotion expression).
Ricardo Rademache (Insane Physicist meets creator of WOW type learning world)
I really could keep going but wont. Futureplay has always pulled amazing people from both the industry and Academe. Luckily not many of them have rabies, so you can just go talk with them. Its not like GDC were its almost impossible to talk with anyone because your all crunched like sardines. It definitely has a relaxed feel.
DB:What was your experience like as an undergraduate at FuturePlay 05 and 06?
GA:My experience as an undergrad was fantastic. I walked around like a tourist, taking in as much as I could and all the while being a little awestruck. Although I have played video games my whole life, I had no idea the depth of creative thought that goes into them. Everything from the player experience, to the economics, to the legal, psychological and moral issues are all discussed. Futureplay definitely got my feet wet to the gaming world.
DB: Now you are a graduate student, do you expect your experience to be any different this time around?
GA: Ha good question. It will definitely be different in that I have much more experience in games now. Having been had the opportunity at Dare to be Digital to apply what I learned at Futureplay, I can listen with the experience of real game development. This will help me get a better understanding of the possible application of the speakers ideas. More then that, now that I have a very specific research area in AI for games, I will definitely be attending specific research presentations within my field.
Other then that, my guess is that I will be as blown away as I have been previous Futureplay conferences.
DB: At FuturePlay 2006 you spoke about your experience at Dare to Be Digital, was that a little scary?
GA: Public speaking can be scary. I always try to use coping mechanisms like drinking and/or dressing up in a Halo Master Chief suit. For whatever reason, I find imagining the crowd naked to be terrible distracting...Honestly, having presented the game 200 times over the course of 10 weeks at Dare, speaking in public becomes much easier. My nervousness fades after the first 20 seconds or so and then... i just look awesome in an armor suit. ;-)
Dave Brodbeck: Gavan what are your best memories of past FuturePlay conferences?
Gavan Acton: My first Futureplay experience was completely insane. Futureplay 2005 - I went down not really knowing what to expect from the speakers. I was blown away by the keynotes. Their depth of knowledge, clarity of ideas and perspectives really got me thinking. When I left the conference, my head chewed on their ideas for weeks.
I still remember the ride home after the conference vividly, I sat in the back seat of the van thinking of how to apply so much of what I had heard over the last couple days into a new gaming experience. The result was some of the fundamental game mechanics that we later used in a game called Flux( that won a few awards at Dare to Be Digitall and Futureplay 2006.
Presenting and pitching a game to Clint Hocking was pretty dam cool. I also really enjoyed the games competition and not because I had a game in it. There is always so many interesting games that make you look at gaming differently. Last year there was this one game made for the blind that blew me away. You basically had to ski down this mountain only using your ears to guide you. I found the experience very visceral and left me thinking about a whole set of new game mechanics that could make use of senses other then the visual. Very interesting stuff and definitely not conventional.
DB: What are you looking forward to this year?
GA: What you are looking forward to
More of the same from the last two years. That would be spectacular. I am really looking forward to the panel "Players Gaming the Play, Toolsets, and Creativity in and around Games". I love the possibilities of new online worlds that seriously engage a player with a gameplay but also with content provide by both the game studio and players themselves. Online gaming communities have so many possible avenues of interesting entertainment, it's future is exciting. This panel looks to talk about some of these issues. I am also reading a fantastic book by one of the panelists(Katherine Isbister), it should be interesting to hear her speak.
The other panel that looks awesome is "Games for Immersive Learning in other Subjects". The panelist line up looks fantastic. The conversations will definitely be interesting.
Did I mention Keynotes? I am pumped.
DB: Do some name dropping, who have you met at FuturePlay?
GA: Ha. I am terrible with names. Let me dig up some business cards. ;-)
Clint Hocking (Ubisoft - Splinter Cell anyone?)
Micheal Mateas ( Co-Creator of Fascade - Ranked third most influential AI game according to aigamedev.com )
Ernest Adams ( The man with the insane hats! and a ton of game design books)
Ken Perlin ( Inventor of Perlin Noise - used in Half Life 2 a so many other games for NPC character motion and emotion expression).
Ricardo Rademache (Insane Physicist meets creator of WOW type learning world)
I really could keep going but wont. Futureplay has always pulled amazing people from both the industry and Academe. Luckily not many of them have rabies, so you can just go talk with them. Its not like GDC were its almost impossible to talk with anyone because your all crunched like sardines. It definitely has a relaxed feel.
DB:What was your experience like as an undergraduate at FuturePlay 05 and 06?
GA:My experience as an undergrad was fantastic. I walked around like a tourist, taking in as much as I could and all the while being a little awestruck. Although I have played video games my whole life, I had no idea the depth of creative thought that goes into them. Everything from the player experience, to the economics, to the legal, psychological and moral issues are all discussed. Futureplay definitely got my feet wet to the gaming world.
DB: Now you are a graduate student, do you expect your experience to be any different this time around?
GA: Ha good question. It will definitely be different in that I have much more experience in games now. Having been had the opportunity at Dare to be Digital to apply what I learned at Futureplay, I can listen with the experience of real game development. This will help me get a better understanding of the possible application of the speakers ideas. More then that, now that I have a very specific research area in AI for games, I will definitely be attending specific research presentations within my field.
Other then that, my guess is that I will be as blown away as I have been previous Futureplay conferences.
DB: At FuturePlay 2006 you spoke about your experience at Dare to Be Digital, was that a little scary?
GA: Public speaking can be scary. I always try to use coping mechanisms like drinking and/or dressing up in a Halo Master Chief suit. For whatever reason, I find imagining the crowd naked to be terrible distracting...Honestly, having presented the game 200 times over the course of 10 weeks at Dare, speaking in public becomes much easier. My nervousness fades after the first 20 seconds or so and then... i just look awesome in an armor suit. ;-)
Sunday, October 14, 2007
T6 Flashback -7 Video Games Are Good For You
After the FuturePlay 2005 Conference in Lansing Michigan I was fortunate enough to interview Dr. Jim Gee, who presented at FP 05.
Dr. Gee received his Ph.D in linguistics from Stanford University in 1975. He started his career in theoretical linguistics, working in syntactic and semantic theory, and taught initially in the School of Language and Communication at Hampshire College in Amherst Massachusetts. He went on to do research in psycholinguistics at Northeastern University in Boston and at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Holland.
As his research focus began to switch to studies on discourse analysis, sociolinguistics, and applications of linguistics to literacy and education, he took a position in the School of Education at Boston University, where he was the chair of the Department of Developmental Studies and Counseling. From Boston University, he went on to serve as a professor of linguistics in the Linguistics Department at the University of Southern California and, later, served as the first Jacob Hiatt Professor of Education in the Hiatt Center for Urban Education at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts.
In 1998, he became the Tashia Morgridge Professor of Reading in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. From 1989-1992, Prof. Gee was a co-director of the Mellon Foundation funded Literacies Institute in Newton, Massachusetts, an organization that sponsored joint teacher and researcher research on language and literacy. From 1995-1998, he was co-director of a Spencer Foundation funded research project at Clark University that ran a community-based after-school science project for culturally diverse urban middle-school children.
Prof. Gee’s work over the last decade has centered on the development of an integrated theory of language, literacy, and schooling, a theory that draws on work in socially situated cognition, sociocultural approaches to language and literacy, language development, discourse studies, critical theory, and applied linguistics. Prof. Gee’s recent work has extended his ideas on language, literacy, and society to deal with the so-called "new capitalism" and its cognitive, social, and political implications for literacy and schooling.
More recently, he has engaged in research on learning and literacy in video and computer games. He has published widely in journals in linguistics, psychology, the social sciences, and education and is a member of the editorial board of twelve journals. In 1989, the Journal of Education, one of the longest running journals in education in the United States, published a special issue devoted to reprinting his early essays on literacy.
His books include Sociolinguistics and Literacies (1990, Second Edition 1996); The Social Mind (1992); Introduction to Human Language (1993); The New Work Order: Behind the Language of the New Capitalism (1996, with Glynda Hull and Colin Lankshear); and An Introduction to Discourse Analysis: Theory and Method (1999); and Power Up: What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy (to appear in 2003).
Direct Download Link
Dr. Gee received his Ph.D in linguistics from Stanford University in 1975. He started his career in theoretical linguistics, working in syntactic and semantic theory, and taught initially in the School of Language and Communication at Hampshire College in Amherst Massachusetts. He went on to do research in psycholinguistics at Northeastern University in Boston and at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Holland.
As his research focus began to switch to studies on discourse analysis, sociolinguistics, and applications of linguistics to literacy and education, he took a position in the School of Education at Boston University, where he was the chair of the Department of Developmental Studies and Counseling. From Boston University, he went on to serve as a professor of linguistics in the Linguistics Department at the University of Southern California and, later, served as the first Jacob Hiatt Professor of Education in the Hiatt Center for Urban Education at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts.
In 1998, he became the Tashia Morgridge Professor of Reading in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. From 1989-1992, Prof. Gee was a co-director of the Mellon Foundation funded Literacies Institute in Newton, Massachusetts, an organization that sponsored joint teacher and researcher research on language and literacy. From 1995-1998, he was co-director of a Spencer Foundation funded research project at Clark University that ran a community-based after-school science project for culturally diverse urban middle-school children.
Prof. Gee’s work over the last decade has centered on the development of an integrated theory of language, literacy, and schooling, a theory that draws on work in socially situated cognition, sociocultural approaches to language and literacy, language development, discourse studies, critical theory, and applied linguistics. Prof. Gee’s recent work has extended his ideas on language, literacy, and society to deal with the so-called "new capitalism" and its cognitive, social, and political implications for literacy and schooling.
More recently, he has engaged in research on learning and literacy in video and computer games. He has published widely in journals in linguistics, psychology, the social sciences, and education and is a member of the editorial board of twelve journals. In 1989, the Journal of Education, one of the longest running journals in education in the United States, published a special issue devoted to reprinting his early essays on literacy.
His books include Sociolinguistics and Literacies (1990, Second Edition 1996); The Social Mind (1992); Introduction to Human Language (1993); The New Work Order: Behind the Language of the New Capitalism (1996, with Glynda Hull and Colin Lankshear); and An Introduction to Discourse Analysis: Theory and Method (1999); and Power Up: What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy (to appear in 2003).
Direct Download Link
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
T6 Flashback -6 - The Student Perspective
Of course, FuturePlay is not just for people in the industry and academics, it is for students too. Each year we have many students, grad and undergrad, present papers and posters and/or enter the game competition.
After FuturePlay 05 I sat down at the Speakeasy with Algoma University students Gavan Acton, Glen Hamilton-Brown, Darren Schnare and Mack Khairi. These guys were at FuturePlay 05 and did a heck of a lot of work behind the scenes, but they also managed to take in a lot of the conference.
We talked about video game design and what they learned at the conference. They also talked about what games they currently play.
I told Darren that he would be pwned on xbox live. As he has never added me to his friends list I assume he is afraid of me, and not that he just does not like me...
Direct episode download
After FuturePlay 05 I sat down at the Speakeasy with Algoma University students Gavan Acton, Glen Hamilton-Brown, Darren Schnare and Mack Khairi. These guys were at FuturePlay 05 and did a heck of a lot of work behind the scenes, but they also managed to take in a lot of the conference.
We talked about video game design and what they learned at the conference. They also talked about what games they currently play.
I told Darren that he would be pwned on xbox live. As he has never added me to his friends list I assume he is afraid of me, and not that he just does not like me...
Direct episode download
Thursday, October 4, 2007
T6 Flashbacks- 5 - Sex, Lies and Video Games
From the Future Play conference 2005 in Lansing, Michigan.
Right after the Henry Jenkins/Ernest Adams sit down some folks gathered around and started just talking. Isabelle, Glyn, Henry Jenkins, Ernest Adams, Amanda Flowers, Andy Gilgallon, Patrick Schaffer, Keith Schaffer, Brenda Brathwaite and I discussed sex in video games. Andy and Amanda are from MSU while the Schaffer boys are from Ferris State.
Brenda is a 22-year veteran of the games industry, Brenda has worked on 20 published titles including the award-winning Wizardry series of role playing games and the award-winning Jagged Alliance series of strategy role-playing games. Most recently, she was lead designer on Playboy: The Mansion for Cyberlore as well as Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes for Atari. She has been interviewed extensively on women in the games industry and, most recently, on sex in games.
Brenda recently hosted the "Sexuality in Games" Roundtable at the 2005 Game Developers Conference and has been a guest lecturer at numerous colleges and universities. In her role as Senior Designer at Cyberlore Studios, she is frequently called upon to produce concept and proposal documents for all kinds of IP from the mild to the wild.
Brenda resides in western Massachusetts, home to the Indian Motorcycle Museum, the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Volleyball Hall of Fame none of which she has ever visited. Not surprisingly, Brenda spends her free time playing games and reading books about games.
She is also an avid collector of Playboy magazines and owns over 500 issues.
Direct Download
Right after the Henry Jenkins/Ernest Adams sit down some folks gathered around and started just talking. Isabelle, Glyn, Henry Jenkins, Ernest Adams, Amanda Flowers, Andy Gilgallon, Patrick Schaffer, Keith Schaffer, Brenda Brathwaite and I discussed sex in video games. Andy and Amanda are from MSU while the Schaffer boys are from Ferris State.
Brenda is a 22-year veteran of the games industry, Brenda has worked on 20 published titles including the award-winning Wizardry series of role playing games and the award-winning Jagged Alliance series of strategy role-playing games. Most recently, she was lead designer on Playboy: The Mansion for Cyberlore as well as Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes for Atari. She has been interviewed extensively on women in the games industry and, most recently, on sex in games.
Brenda recently hosted the "Sexuality in Games" Roundtable at the 2005 Game Developers Conference and has been a guest lecturer at numerous colleges and universities. In her role as Senior Designer at Cyberlore Studios, she is frequently called upon to produce concept and proposal documents for all kinds of IP from the mild to the wild.
Brenda resides in western Massachusetts, home to the Indian Motorcycle Museum, the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Volleyball Hall of Fame none of which she has ever visited. Not surprisingly, Brenda spends her free time playing games and reading books about games.
She is also an avid collector of Playboy magazines and owns over 500 issues.
Direct Download
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