[TEST] Hamlet on the Holodeck – Janet Murray (1997)

An instant classic the moment video games became the focus of academic inquiry. Murray picks up a shotgun and blasts you with a bunch of terms so that inevitably some of it strikes you. — read on

Making Sense of Software (1993)

On my way through Alex Stockburger's dissertation (PDF) I came across a short essay by Ted Friedman called "Making Sense of Software" which he apparently wrote in 1993. In describing SimCity he fields Jameson and Harvey arguing that the game reflects on "the dilemma of making sense of space under late capitalism." To Harvey's question as to "how can spatializations [...] represent flux and change?" Friedman argues that video game software can help in "constructing cognitive frameworks." He continues by explaining how during game play a person "comes to think of one's self as an organic extension of the software, and the software as an extension of one's consciousness." And makes the connection between "individualism and perspectivism" in the Renaissance. But the real gem in all this is hidden in one of the footnotes:

"...learning how to play computer games is a process of learning a distinct semiotic structure. To some extent, this language, like that of Classical Hollywood narrative, carries over from one text to the next; initiates finish one game and can comfortably start to play on a new one. But in some ways, every new computer game is its own world, a distinct semiotic system, and it is the very process of learning (or conquering) that system which drives interest in the game.

Game Design: East vs. West

On camera angles:

"I think that most Western games are made for the audience, whereas many Japanese games are made to invite the player into the designer's world," says James Clarendon of Breakaway Games [...] For instance, camera control tends to be handled very differently in American and Japanese games. "Many Japanese titles fix the camera for a better cinematic presentation, while good Western titles allow the player to look around the environment for better gameplay," says Clarendon.

The WoW herd

Non-sarcastic: It seems like a great idea to 'help' people get started and move along in a large world filled with adventure. Like proper customer service that answers questions such as: "What do I do now?" And beyond that, these 'cruise directors' aren't just helping to navigate through a game, but help you organize and digest the overwhelming nature of new media. Sarcastic: After spending $50 at retail and another $15 a month, you'd think that people would have half an idea of what to do. RPG adventure games don't just jump you from the shadows. Could it be that these ubiquitous shepherds are the last and only line of defense a game company has to keep you from canceling out of frustration? Clearly, subscriber numbers can only grow so much, and customer retention is what subscription-based revenue is all about.

"We like to call our quest designers the cruise directors of "World of Warcraft." Because, like on a cruise, you always have a menu of things to do. We give you a little itinerary of activities, and you can choose to do all of them or just wander off the beaten track and explore and do none of them. That's totally up to you. But we never want you to feel like you don't have something you can do."

Hamster video game

Creative interaction between hamster and contemporary media technology. Creepy music though. — read on

Gold Farming

MTV - a well-known distributor of truth and reality - looks into goldfarming, dramatically titled "The Real Cost of Gold Farming." On a serious note, without yelling "Outsourcing," what exactly would a virtual sweatshop look like? click for video — read on

Crappy new video game search engine.

Cool idea, great tool. If only they'd make it work properly. Standing by for update... http://gazerk.com/ — read on

Futurist guy reverse-engineers Buddhism. Big deal.

A future society will very likely have the technological ability and the motivation to create large numbers of completely realistic historical simulations and be able to overcome any ethical and legal obstacles to doing so. It is thus highly probable that we are a form of artificial intelligence inhabiting one of these simulations. To avoid stacking (i.e. simulations within simulations), the termination of these simulations is likely to be the point in history when the technology to create them first became widely available, (estimated to be 2050). Long range planning beyond this date would therefore be futile.