Teaching Games as Text: The Advantage (Part 2 of 4)
This is the second in a four-part series that reflects on a Composition II course taught in Spring 2013 called 20th Century PC Games. You can read part 1 of this series here. Here’s the thing about teaching games as text: it works. But, interestingly, it seems to work betterContinue Reading
A Survival Sandbox
There has been a recent blooming of games that place players in narrative-free survival situations (often called “survival sandboxes”). There’s something about the thrill of living when you should be dying. Often, much about these games are taboo in the classroom- hopeless violence, unacceptable language. But games can be studiedContinue Reading
The Microhistory of EVE Online
The largest battle in the history of EVE Online took place last month on January 27, 2014. EVE Online is a game built on war and destruction but this battle (dubbed the Bloodbath at B-R5RB) was so massive in scale that it caught the attention of mainstream media outlets likeContinue Reading
Assassins Creed Week Part V: When They Get It Wrong
Welcome to Assassin’s Creed Week presented by Play the Past, where for a whole week, Play the Past will push content on the most popular historical video game series ever. Part I introduced the Week and asked why Assassin’s Creed mattered, Part II examined slavery and native relations in the series, Part III explored the portrayalContinue Reading
Assassins Creed Week Part IV: Grand Narratives
Welcome to Assassin’s Creed Week presented by Play the Past, where for a whole week, Play the Past will push content on the most popular historical video game series ever. Part I introduced the Week and asked why Assassin’s Creed mattered, Part II examined slavery and native relations in the series and Part III exploredContinue Reading
Assassins Creed Week Part III: Women of the Past
Welcome to Assassin’s Creed Week presented by Play the Past, where for a whole week, Play the Past will push content on the most popular historical video game series ever. Part I introduced the Week and asked why Assassin’s Creed mattered and Part II examined slavery and native relations inContinue Reading
Assassins Creed Week Part II: Native Relations and Slavery
Welcome to Assassin’s Creed Week presented by Play the Past, where for a whole week, Play the Past will push content on the most popular historical video game series ever. Part I introduced the Week and asked why Assassin’s Creed mattered. Part II of the Assassin’s Creed Week series will look atContinue Reading
Assassins Creed Week Part I: Introduction
Welcome to Assassin’s Creed Week. After my plans for reading week fell through, I figured I would put some time into finally writing out some thoughts I have had on the Assassin’s Creed series and never had the chance to put to digital paper. So from Monday to Friday thisContinue Reading
Teaching Games as Text: Introduction (Part I)
This will be the first in a four-part series that reflects on a Composition II course taught in Spring 2013 called 20th Century PC Games. The course’s primary goal is to teach students academic writing conventions (as a continuation of Composition I), but it is also designed to do soContinue Reading
Nazism in Video Games
Enemies within the scope of the real world are difficult to choose for video games. With science fiction games, like Halo, or fantasy games, like Skyrim, universally acceptable enemies like aliens or dragons can be used without any sort of outcry from the public. Some modern shooters have turned toContinue Reading