July 01, 2009
July Meeting with Shira Chess on Gender & Play
The next meeting will be the week of July 13th. Shira Chess will be presenting her dissertation research on gender and play. The meeting will be the week of July 13th (exact date & location TBD).
Can't Get No Play! Women, Productivity, and Video Games
As women and girls gain a foothold in the video game market we are challenged by demands of this emerging audience. On the one hand, new audiences are encouraging new kinds of gaming, but at the same time gender stereotypes are often not far behind. In my dissertation I examine video games in light of a relationship between women, play, and productivity. Specifically, I look at several video games and advertising campaigns that target women audiences, and consider some of the implications and stereotypes that are counterpart to these very gendered forms of play.
Shira Chess is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Language, Literature, & Communication at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and will be defending her dissertation on gender and video games this fall. She is currently working as an apprentice designer at 1st Playable Productions. Some of her research and writing can be found on her web site at http://www.shiraland.com.
Posted by IanStead at 03:55 PM | Comments (0)
May 04, 2009
Notes from the Chris Crawford Workshop & Keynote at the Game Symposium
Chris Crawford gave two presentations on Saturday during the Symposium at RPI. "On Interactive Storytelling" and
"Interactivity: The Sine Qua Non of Computing (not the tangent qua non of computing)"
See below for notes from the talk by Chapter Coordinator Jonathan Mintz:
Continue reading "Notes from the Chris Crawford Workshop & Keynote at the Game Symposium"
Posted by IanStead at 06:22 PM | Comments (0)
Games from the Game Fest @ RPI
Game Fest:
Students from RPI, RIT and Catholic High in Troy had games on display.
RPI
Left Arrow Moves Left
http://www.arts.rpi.edu/~ruiz/EGDFall08finalprojects/laml.html
Alien Surgeon
http://www.arts.rpi.edu/~ruiz/EGDFall08finalprojects/as.html
RIT Student Projects
1. I Am Telekinetic by Brian Souillard
'I Am Telekinetic' is a platformer with experimental mechanics. You must learn how to use your unique psychic powers to reach the top of the skyscraper. The game is controlled with the WASD keys and the mouse.
Game: http://host-a.net/Nightshade/iamtelekinetic.exe
2. Viking Bazooka Bloodbath by Brian Souillard
'Viking Bazooka Bloodbath' puts the most powerful weapon ever invented in the hands of one of the most ferocious warriors the world has ever known. The result is an arena fighter that pits a single viking against literally hundreds of knights and archers. The viking can utilize eight different attacks with his bazooka, and a unique health system allows him to survive nearly any number of attacks. The game features four different modes, each with its own rules.
The game was created for TIGSource's Video Game Name Generator competition, where it placed fifth out of 48 entries. The online publication, Russell's Quarterly, said this of it: "The game is well balanced, creative, and has no major flaws as far as I can ascertain; it provides surprisingly deep game play for its scale and type."
Game: http://www.yoyogames.com/games/show/33776 (download link is in the sidebar on the right)
3. Barren Earth by Max Wunderlich Hall, Melissa Fuss, Ryan Walters, Blake DeBerto, Tim Lusk, and Rob Yates
'Barren Earth' is an RPG that can be played in 15 minutes or less. For a throwback to oldschool RPGs, the world is viewed from the top down, however the battle system requires skill and reflexes! Whether you choose to specialize with the hands-on weapon system or dig into the pattern-based magic system, you have to keep your character healthy and well-equipped. The world is randomly generated each time you start a new game, and with a unique play style for each of the seven character classes, there's plenty to keep an RPG fan coming back!
Game: 'Barren Earth' is not currently available for download, but a finished version will eventually be posted to http://www.csh.rit.edu/~bluemage/barrenearth.
Troy Catholic High
http://sandboxgamemaker.com/component/content/article/5-latest-news/12-the-exciting-adventures-of-master-chef-ogro-sandbox-rpg-released.html
Posted by IanStead at 06:10 PM | Comments (0)
April 21, 2009
2009 Game Festival & Symposium at RPI
The Game Fest & Symposium at RPI is back for it's 6th year! Student projects from RPI and other area schools will be on display in the EMPAC building on the RPI campus Friday from 5-9 PM. Stop by the Albany IGDA table where we will have games created at the Global Game Jam and information from IGDA events at GDC last month. After the Game Fest, everyone is invited to meet for an informal gathering down the hill at Holmes and Watson for food and drinks (open till 11 PM). The Symposium on Saturday will also be at the EMPAC building with a series of talks including a workshop and keynote by Chris Crawford.
This event is free and open to the public. See below for directions and the full agenda for Friday & Saturday's events.
DIRECTIONS
Friday, April 24, 5-9 PM
Game Fest @ EMPAC Building, RPI Campus
The RPI Gamefest in the evening on Friday, April 24th will take place in
Level 5, Studio 1 of the EMPAC Building on the south-western corner of the RPI Campus. The location of the EMPAC building is on the map below. See official directions to the building on the the EMPAC website.
Friday, April 24, 9-11 PM
Informal Albany IGDA Gathering @ Holmes & Watson, 450 Broadway
After the Game Fest there will be an informal gathering between 9-11 PM at Holmes and Watson that is just down the hill from campus at 450 Broadway in downtown Troy. See the map below for walking or driving directions to Holmes & Watson from the EMPAC building.
Saturday, April 25, 9:55 AM - 4 PM
Symposium @ EMPAC Building, RPI Campus
The Symposium which takes place during the day on Saturday April 25th will also be in the EMPAC Building in Level 5, Studio 2. Read further for the agenda or check the Symposium website.
View Albany IGDA Event Locations in a larger map
Parking
Parking for RPI events can be found on the streets surrounding the RPI campus (Sage Ave, 15th Street, 8th Street and College Ave) and in campus parking lots after 5 PM.
Parking for Holmes & Watson is available on Broadway and is walking distance from the EMPAC building, Parking for Holmes & Watson is available on Broadway and 4th Street.
More information and the full agenda from the official RPI Game Fest website is copied below:
2009 Game Festival & Symposium
For the past five years, the Annual Game Festival and Symposium succeeded due to the quality of the student games, and the themes and caliber of speakers that are the focus of the Symposium. Our consistent purpose is to expand students' game development skills and to increase their understanding of potential career options in games and simulation.
This year, the Festival will be held in Rensselaer’s new Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC). Student games will be exhibited on Friday, April 24, and on Saturday, April 25, our guest speaker, Chris Crawford, Co-founder, Storytron: Interactive Storytelling (Storytron.com), will hold an Interactive Storytelling Workshop and Key Note Address. We encourage students from Rensselaer and beyond to participate in this student competition. Games & Simulation faculty will select the games for exhibition from among those submitted and cash prizes will be awarded to the top five teams, sponsored for the second year by Vicarious Visions. There is no fee for attendance or participation.
Keynote Speaker - Chris Crawford
Chris Crawford, the noted computer game designer and writer, developed a number of important games since the 1980s, founded The Journal of Computer Game Design, organized the Computer Game Developers’ Conference, wrote De Re Atari and The Art of Computer Design, and, most recently, developed the authoring tool Storytron and its beta development system Swat.
Venue - Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center
EMPAC’s grand opening was held in October 2008. It was hailed by The New York Times as a “technological pleasure dome for the mind and senses...” EMPAC is much more than a performing arts center: it is a laboratory that will enable artists and scientists to independently and collaboratively advance research projects at the intersection of art and technology.
Friday, April 24 2009
Student Exhibition: 5:00 PM to 9 PM,
EMPAC - Level 5, Studio 1
Student Exhibition & Exhibition Tables (Recruitment and Clubs)
Saturday, April 25 2009
9:55 AM Introductions:
EMPAC – Level 5, Studio 2
Marc DeStefano, Clinical Professor, Cognitive Science
Welcome / Workshop 10AM -12 PM
Welcome / Introductions: John P. Harrington, Dean, HASS
Workshop - Interactive Storytelling, Chris Crawford
Lunch for Seminar Participants 12 -1 PM
Key Note Address 1:05-1:50 PM
Algorithmic Thinking and Designing Interactivity, Chris Crawford
Break 1:50-2:00 PM
Poster Session 2:00-3:30 PM
Students / Clubs / Programs
Vicarious Visions Student Challenge Awards Ceremony 3:30-4:00 PM
Posted by IanStead at 10:35 AM | Comments (0)