Writing [Publications]
Recent Publications: [Print]
Critical Gameplay: Design Techniques and Case Studies, Designing Games for Ethics: Models, Techniques and Frameworks, [view in Safari Books]
|
|
The Philosophies of Software,Handbook of Research on Computational Arts and Creative Informatics |
|
|
|
Studying the Philosophy of Software: A Framework for Examining How Digital Design Affects the Arts, the International Journal of the Humanities, Volume 8, Issue 4, pp.279-286
|
|
Recent Publications: [Online] |
|
|
|
Winning: A Guide to Finding Game Competitions for Independent Developers and Students, Game Career Guide, September 2009 (monthly feature series) |
|
Educational Fantasy, Game Career Guide, October 2009 |
|
Nonlinear Narrative in Games: Theory and Practice, Game Career Guide, August 2010 "When it comes to writing for video games, there are a few decisions that need to be made before you even begin brainstorming about plot points, characters, or dialogue. Even if the genre and style has been determined, there is a bigger question about the story that must be answered: Will this be a linear or nonlinear narrative?" |
|
Selected Conference Papers |
|
|
|
User Testing of a Language Learning Game for Mandarin Chinese (with Dr. Jeannie Duchere and Dr. Martha Castenada). 30th international Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (2012) Abstract: Polyglot Cubed is an educational game to facilitate the learning of multiple languages. The game is an implementation of contemporary theories in motivation, education and entertainment. This document provides the results from a formal user evaluation of the game. Results indicate favorable interest in the game as a tool for learning Mandarin Chinese. |
|
Player Performance and in Game Advertising Retention (with Dr. James Coyle). 8th international Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology ( 2011). Abstract: In game advertising or IGA is an increasingly common means of promoting brands and products. This study seeks to understand the effectiveness of in game advertising by understanding player retention of brand messages. The researchers created a controlled environment and 3D car racing game, embedding in game advertising and measuring player performance and advertising retention. The study produces a highly detailed view of the relationship of brand retention, player ability, and engagement. |
|
Discomfort Design: Critical Reflection through Uncomfortable Play, 17th International Symposium on Electronic Art(2011) Abstract: Consider that uncomfortable moment in life when people discover a playful experience ceases to be worth playing. Just as an arm is broken on the playground, or a relationship can no longer be mended, there are explicit moments when art transgresses some unforeseen territory leaving us with fear of its potential. This paper explores the potential of taboo game design. |
|
Understanding the Art Practice of Critical Gameplay Design, 17th International Symposium on Electronic Art(2011) Abstract: The paper explores the recent growth in critical gameplay, an application of critical design to the production of computer games. This paper outlines play pedagogy and game rhetoric, relating critical design practices to the creation of computer games. It attempts to explain the art practice of critical game design, providing a brief digital game history and identifying prominent creative works in this relatively new space.
|
|
The Poetics of Game Design, Rhetoric and the Independent Game. 5th international conference of the Digital Research Association (DIGRA) - 2011 Abstract: This paper approaches the question about games as art from a fundamentally different perspective. Instead of asking questions of visual aesthetics and pursuing analogies to film or commercial arts, it demonstrates an even clearer analogy to poetic forms. Allying common practices in independent games in particular, this paper serves as an illustrative demonstration of the poetics of game design, emphasizing the poetic properties of independent game designs. It frames game design in terms of the rhetorical devices used to create an experience. Such framing is useful to independent game designers, developers of persuasive and critical gameplay, and archivists seeking an effective way to catalog digital games that is driven by structure instead of subject or play mechanic. |
|
|
|
Games as Teachers, 7th Annual International Digital Media and Art Association Conference (IDMAa), Ball State University, 2009 Abstract: This paper seeks to outline a set of fundamental observations about the instructive nature of video games. It stands as a resource when considering the content of games, the design intentions, and the games’ relationship to general society. It is, as asserted in this paper, true that games introduce fundamental approaches to problem solving and conflict resolution. These introductions serve as a kind of prescription which may be translated into philosophical approach. This paper outlines three instruction-related characteristics of video games. These are the games tendency to require learning for efficacy, understanding over recitation, and diagnosis the system. These three observations are then related to two solutions, the use of appropriate win conditions and the use of direct agency through computer-vision technologies. |
|
The Development and Testing of gReader: A Universally Designed, Device-Independent Email Client, The Second International Conferences on Advances in Computer-Human Interactions, IARIA/IEEE Proceedings - Conference Proceedings |
|