Ludicidal Tendencies

Tomo Isoyama sent over this poster for a new Fine Arts course in visual expression for games which looks really interesting. It is part of the new Fine Arts minors (2D and 3D) for game art.

Here is the description in case you can't read it in the flyer: Art & Technology: Visual Expressions in Video Games and Interactive Genres introduces and examines various types of visual expressions used in video game and interactive genres through hands-on design and illustration exercises. Topics such as illustration techniques, character and object design, interface design, and narrative and level design will be introduced in both 2D and 3D environments. Emphasis will be placed on the understanding of the hierarchy and the unity of the visual elements within any given environment in relation to their usability and aesthetics, as well as on their cultural, sub-cultural, and international context as contemporary critique.

Posted by at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by at 2:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Peter's post about his machinima class made it onto Kotaku today. In an interesting moment of irony, the gamers there are debating about whether or not machinima should be considered a valid topic of study for university students. It is certainly funny when academia can be considered less conservative than the game community.

Last week Kotaku also featured a report from Living Game Worlds III at Georgia Tech, where Sam Roberts and I discussed Slamdance one more time. This time with Ian Bogost and Celia Pearce. Also, Katie Salen and I gave keynotes and Ashley York presented Darfur is Dying for Susana Ruiz, as she wasn't able to make it.

Posted by at 9:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here is a good opportunity to get involved in the new Sandbox Video Game Symposium at Siggraph. I was there last year and it was a great two-day conference in connection with Siggraph. It is a smallish event and would be a good opportunity to meet people working in games amidst the chaos that is Siggraph.

Stan Rosenbaum (srosenba at andrew.cmu.edu) is the volunteer chair and he is looking for any students or faculty who would be interested in helping out. Stan asked that you fill out the volunteer form (below) and reply to him directly.

Volunteer Options:

Please choose which time you would like to volunteer (all volunteers will work an equal amount of time).
* Saturday, August 4th
* Sunday, August 5th
* Either day
* Both days

Please choose the appropriate selection regarding your preference for volunteering.
* Registration
* Session Facilitator
* Exhibits Hall Attendant
* LAN Party Monitor
* Technical Support

In the event we cannot accommodate your first volunteer choice, please choose a second option.
* Registration
* Session Facilitator
* Exhibits Hall Attendant
* LAN Party Monitor
* Technical Support

Posted by at 4:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For those of you who aren't going to be playing Cruel 2B Kind on Saturday the 21st, here is an interesting opportunity.

A Virtual Game Jam will take place in Second Life on TC Educator
Island (http://slurl.com/secondlife/TC%20Educator/125/194/25)
starting at 12 p.m. EST on Saturday, April 21 and ending on Sunday, April 22, when participants share their work at 1 p.m. EST (10 a.m. PST).

The Virtual Game Jam is an opportunity for game developers
(professional, hobby, or aspiring) to gather for 24 hours and
create games in Second Life. It is open to developers of any skill
level and any location. Oh, and you should have an account with
Second Life by the time the game jam begins.

More information is available at http://columbia.edu/~cce2110/vgjam

To RSVP, please contact Carla Engelbrecht at carlaeng at gmail.com or contact Carla Coppens in Second Life.

The Virtual Game Jam is hosted by Teachers College Educator Island in Second Life and LearnPlay at Teachers College. TC Educator Island is operated by Teachers College, Columbia University.

Posted by at 8:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here is a notice about the six-month, paid Disney "Think Tank" Internships that will be starting up in the summer. John Banayan (johnb at algert dot com) of our BA program is currently doing this same internship, so if you're interested, you might check in with him for more info.

Disney Interactive Studios Think Tank
Disney Interactive Studios (DIS) has an internship in our Creative Development department, the “DIS Think Tank”. The DIS Think Tank provides a unique opportunity for creative and game design students to get hands-on, real-life experience in the interactive entertainment industry and have a little fun.

The Think Tank revolves around high concept development for original and existing IP as well as other various production projects. The DIS Think Tank is a full time (40 hours/week), paid internship that runs for 30 weeks. It is based in our Glendale, California office. We do offer relocation assistance. If you are interested in working in the video game industry or finding out more about the industry this is an excellent and rare opportunity to get your foot in the door.

 Do you spend countless hours playing video games?
 Are you a walking encyclopedia of video games?
 Are you planning for a career in the video game industry?
 Have you recently completed your degree and are looking for an opportunity into the gaming industry?

If so, Disney Interactive Studios is looking for you!

We are seeking smart, innovative and highly creative recent college grads with backgrounds in:

• Game Design
• Creative Writing
• Art
• Animation
• Marketing/Business

You must be an avid game player with effective communication skills, the ability to take direction and above all the talent to make it cool.

We are recruiting now for our next session that begins June 25th. To apply, send your resume to internships at distudios dot net.

Posted by at 7:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)