Ludicidal Tendencies

Noah Wardrip-Fruin just forwarded info on two interesting talks being given at UCSD next week --might be fun to get a carpool together. Unfortunately, I won't be the one driving, as some idiot rear-ended me this weekend. Let me know if anyone else might be interested!

What is Game Literacy?
On Wednesday, April 18, 2007, two international authorities will examine video gaming and literacy, from the perspective of the game maker and the player. Both talks will be delivered from 12 noon to 2PM in the auditorium of the San Diego Supercomputer Center, based at UC San Diego.

Who: Jesper Juul, one of the first recognized video game scholars, will discuss gaming literacy: conventions and cues that trained gamers understand, but which are incomprehensible to those with little prior video gaming experience. The title of his talk will be "Sorry, but you can't do that: How we make sense of video games."

Juul is a video game theorist and assistant professor in video game theory and design at the Centre for Computer Game Research in Copenhagen where he earned his Ph.D. His book "Half-Real" on video game theory was published by MIT Press in 2005. He also is a developer of multi-user chat systems and casual games.

Judith Faifman, an educator and co-director of the Digital Cultures Research and Design Group, will follow with a discussion on the impact of video games on modes of thought, and literacy in new media can promote social inclusion for students from low income and minority families. Her talk is titled "Thinking outside the game box."

Faifman has sought to integrate new digital cultures into existing educational environments. Her group currently is collaborating with the National Ministry of Argentina to develop youth media production. She currently is seeking to provide solid theoretical foundations for digital pedagogical practice for social inclusion.