Updating

Well, I've finally got some passion back into the work I'm doing. It took forever, but it's there again. I feel like I did when I was in college-all eager and ready to do an assignment.

Someday when I get a change, I want to really think back about some of the choices I made that contributed to me losing my joy.

I'm going to do some major updates to this blog over next couple of months. The first thing I did do is change the heading of the blog to reflect where my thoughts are now.

More very soon.

It's nice to be back.

Starting again: Comps due May 1, 07

http://epistemicgames.org/eg/?cat=63

Place where it all comes together...

I heard about the a few months ago but couldn't find too much about it. Need to get this software and this may bring all aspects of my dissertation together.

NY Times Article: Microsoft has a starter kit for aspiring game designers

More research :

Machinima

Machinima.Com

Machinima. Fr

Alex Chan's French Riots Movie

MTV's Coverage of French Riots Movie

Google News

Simulation

University of Chicago:Theories of Media

Need to research Deleuz

Aesthetics and Video Games

I very much want to research this. My instincts tell me that the connection here is deeper than we've ever realized that we've experienced or understood.

Aaron Smuts: Video Games and the Philosophy of Art. This cite offers several articles and suggested readings concerning the ("forced") marriage of video games and aesthetics. This connects to Albert Murray’s work.

Arguements opposed to video games/ludology/popular culture

Rosen, Christine: Playgrounds of the Self
Critique of this arguement:
Alexander, Brian: New Atlantis Grapples with Gaming and Flops
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Kinder, Marsha: Playing with Power
Chapter 3 of this book deals with video games in a way that is an add-on to quasi-critical thoughts. But, the merit of this chapter is that it’s what I don’t want my work to be and it is a later 80’s early 90’s myopic conceptualization of the possibilities of technology.
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'Points of Entry' within the Bricaloge Approach:

As the qualitative research methodology I'll be using via the electronic multimedia dissertation I'm researching for, the bricaloge offers points of entry for way to inform my research (via enactivism). Here are some topics that, as I've been looking into video games, seem to inform my work. Further research needs to be done.
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In terms of my writing/documentary/electronic thesis composition style, I need to research Murray's thesis.
Murray, Albert: Blue Devils of Nada
In searching for my particular voice and style and tone, I think that Murray’s hypothesis that style is not stagnate, that it can have a critical fluidity as informed by a critical enactivist’s understanding of what it means to be can and should influence the work that comes of that being. Thus, my work and writing must be infused by fluidity and critical enactivist’s understanding…I’m not sure about the rest…I’m only beginning to hypothosize about this…
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Notes from Jan- June research:
I’m reading/have read these books because of the broad perspective they have and how each in its own way discusses education the ensuing connections to medicine, law, politics, regional conflicts, issues in nation development, assumptive policies, and public mental and physical health and concepts of democracy. I’m developing the connection to video games that situates all within a variety frameworks.

Friedman, Thomas. The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, 2005
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Sachs, Jeffrey, D. The End of Poverty, 2005
UN Millennium Project
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Cognitive Flexibility Theory

Drs. Spiro and Coulson, et al

See " Books" section for more titles.

Neuroscholar.Org

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History of Video Games

Research the information in the following sites:
From Pong to Pac Man
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NOTES FROM THE DOCUMENTARY "Video Game Invasion: The History of a Global Obsession"

Sex, Sexuality and Video Games

This is an interesting “point of entry” for discussing LGBTQI, sexuality, sociology, race, class, gender, economics, media literacy and medicine in creating and discussing video games. I haven’t been able to fully check out this IGDA cite.

LGBTI Human Rights Persoective

CleverMedia TV: Game Developers Rant

Some interesting "rants" about issues within the game industry.

Initial Resaerch: January 2006-June 2006

Video Game Research
January 2006-June 2006
General Overview of online research
&
Articles/books I need to acquire

I think the most surprising and interesting aspect of my research is my emerging understand of the field of “ludology”. This field is new to me in that I don’t know all of it’s historical situatedness, but what I find most interesting is it’s desire to not view video games exclusively through a pre-existing lens (ie. Film studies). Game theory must emerge out of the study of the games and the culture surrounding it and , I argue, game theory must also use a critical lens that understands, explains, and champions positionality. Thus, video game theory doesn’t appear to exist in a vacuum. It’s evolution can be more critically fluid. Critical theory evolution….

This website lists 3 essays (that I need to read) that deal with the evolution and definition of ludolody.
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CONCERNING VIDEO GAMES AND CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS- Reocurring names:

• Gee, James Paul

Academic Advanced Distributed Learning Co-Lab
This is an example of some of the issues I’d like to address in the early stages of my work. There are some areas that are less addressed that I’d like to focus on: methodology, systemic problems in education and how to address them, how do the curricular issues (ie. Video games and curric) resonate globally in respect to social justice issues?
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THEORY OF FUN:

Koster, Raph

Theory of Fun

I need to research this theory. There is a section of the book is what caught my attention…discussion about bridges…referring to my paper about cognitive flexibility and cog. dissonance and what makes people bridge things they’ve learned.
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Juul, Jesper

Lodologist and editor of Game Studies. Also has his own blog entitled "

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Squire, Kurt
Wrote articles entitled Cultural Framing of Computer Video Games that connects to my thoughts on curricular frameworks. Another article deals with curriculum and actual games when they enter the classroom

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