MAGAW 2017
Multiple Approaches to Game Analysis Workshop
4th-5th of May 2017, IT University Copenhagen
Queries about the workshop, email: magaw2017@yahoo.com
Espen Aarseth (IT University of Copenhagen), Emmanuel Guardiola (Cologne Game Lab, TH Köln), Jussi Holopainen (Centre for Game Design Research, RMIT University/RMIT Europe), and Curtis Maughan (Cologne Game Lab, TH Köln, Vanderbilt University) invite you to apply to a two-day, hands-on game analysis workshop.
Workshop Goal
In an attempt to develop a multidisciplinary game analysis toolkit, we are seeking a diverse spectrum of approaches to game analysis. By game analysis we refer to a systematic and critical identification of structures, elements and qualities of a game or genre.
Proposal Format
Applicants should submit a concise description of their preferred method of game analysis, no more than 250 words in length. Approaches to game analysis can be formal, empirical or qualitative in nature and should speak to a broad audience while featuring the applicant’s home discipline. Please send a description of your game analysis approach to magaw2017@yahoo.comby March 26th. The number of participants is limited.
Workshop Structure
Applicants who are accepted will be invited to the two-day game analysis workshop at IT University Copenhagen. Selected applicants will analyze a mainstream game during the workshop, but will not know in advance what game.
MAGAW 2017 will begin with the ‘big reveal’ of the game that will be the object of analysis. Participants will spend the rest of the day (Thursday May 4th) playing the selected game and analyzing it with their particular approach. The necessary equipment — consoles, PCs, portable devices, and copies of the game for each participant — will be provided.
On day two (Friday May 5th), participants will spend the morning reviewing the results of their analysis and preparing a brief recap. After lunch, participants will share their findings with one another and assess the efficacy of their methods by discussing such questions as: What worked? What could be improved? How might the diverse selection of approaches complement one another?
Important dates/info
Proposal deadline: March 26th
Notification of acceptance: April 7th
Workshop: May 4th-5th (IT University Copenhagen)
Workshop email: magaw2017@yahoo.com
Here is a sample of what an approach to game analysis might look like:
Approach to Game Analysis: Diegetic vs. Non-diegetic Sound
The combination of diegetic and non-diegetic sound is essential to establishing an immersive game world. Furthermore, sound cues often provide the player with a visceral form of feedback that shapes play development. This approach to game analysis revolves around key elements of sound information to catalogue the ways in which diegetic and non-diegetic sound are used to guide the player and enhance player experience. This analysis will include sound effects as well as soundtrack and/or score.
In my game analysis, I will create a catalogue of diegetic vs. non-diegetic sounds, and analyze how various sound information distinguish themselves from one another and how they work together. Employing the catalogue of sounds, I will then illustrate the ways in which diegetic and non-diegetic sound is implemented in the game of choice by breaking down a few key sequences of gameplay. I hope to approach answers to the following questions: What is the nature of the interplay between diegetic and non-diegetic sound in creating an immersive game world? What is the nature of the interplay between diegetic and non-diegetic sound in guiding the player? How does the interplay of diegetic and non-diegetic sound in video games differ from that in film or theater?
