The Art of Making Games cont.
Aphra Kerr

Recent news has put a rather interesting spin on our discussions on game network about the art of making games and game authorship. I was in the US when the ‘Hot Coffee’ story broke surrounding Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (GTA:SA). Along with a number of US academics, we googled ‘Hot Coffee’ and viewed the codes and contentious scenes. It was in fact unclear to what extent the scenes exceeded the current rating of the game in the US, which already stated that the game contained strong sexual content (see www.esrb.org). Continue reading →

Some weeks ago, a friend of mine – a faculty member in the Department of Communication and Culture here at Indiana University – invited me to give a guest lecture on videogames in her undergraduate course on new media. When I asked about possible topics, she replied that just anything would be fine: projects I’m working on, debates within the discipline, media “convergence,” mainstream criticism of game violence … sky’s the limit. Continue reading →

The Pleasures and Dangers of the Game: Up Close and Personal

Tanya Krzywinska

I’m on my way to Iron Forge from the night-elf outpost of Astranaar; it’s quite a journey, involving running, catching a boat and flying on a hypogryff. My bags are full of booty robbed from the newly slain and I’m looking to trade it for a stave with better stats. Sitting astride the hypogryff, I type my elation to guild friends about the sensational experience of flying over the spectacular patchwork world of Azeroth in real time. My mind teems with choices between tasks, sorting what has priority in amongst a host of competing demands. Continue reading →

The Quiet Revolution: Three Theses for the Future of Game Studies

Frans Mäyrä

There is an ongoing, mostly silent revolution taking place in our culture and society. The realm of imagination and creativity, or skills for problem-solving and construction are no longer restricted in the tangible physical world. Extension and investment of modern life and energy into digital puzzles and parallel universes presents modern universities with a major challenge. We must take these popular realms seriously, or face loss of both intellectual and social relevance. To meet the demands presented by these changes, there is need for a new discipline, and also more general reformation in academia. Continue reading →

Gosu Game Studies

by Henry Lowood

A recent Gamespot feature article explored the relationship between academic game studies and commercial game development in considerable depth. It also considered whether game designers are benefiting from critical studies. These issues are important and timely. Yet, after reading the article I became uncomfortable with measuring the success of game studies by their impact on game design. Continue reading →

“Between a rock and a hard place”

by Tony Manninen

I am a gamer. I enjoy immensely play and games. The thrilling atmosphere of a LAN party is something to look forward to, playing with other people provides endless sources of enjoyment. My heart pounds when designing a new game, and when seeing it enjoyed by others. Games are interesting, entertaining, challenging, frustrating and everything else imaginable. There is no escape. Games have been, games are, and they will be strong part of my life – in both a hobbyist and a professional context. Continue reading →

Hardcore: What is it?
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