In my previous two blog posts on defining games, I wrote first on the topic of why people define games, and then on the topic of why people (academics in particular) trying to define games is ultimately very problematic. While I would argue that we should abandon the hopeless task of trying to create game definitions to be used in academic discourse, I feel that it would be morally irresponsible of me to leave the problem of how to study games unaddressed having now refuted its most commonplace solution. In this third and final blog post, I hope to address … Continue reading Defining Games Pt. 3: What Can Be Learned From Game Definitions?

Previously, I brought up the topic of why people try to define what a game is, concluding that this urge arises in order to address the very real problem of being unable to have productive discourse pertaining to games without a shared definition in place. While this logic does seem it make sense, I believe it is ultimately deeply flawed. Thus, the question for this blog post is as follows: What’s wrong with defining games? The answer to this question lies predominantly in the fact that I do not believe it is possible, as many hope to accomplish through creating … Continue reading Defining Games Pt. 2: What’s Wrong With Defining Games?

There have been many times during our class discussion where our conversations have boiled down to two people having conflicting ideas of what constitutes a game. At these points, constructive conversation tends to reach a standstill, and is replaced with a cycle of disagreeing opinions until someone suggests trying to find a middle ground definition. Interestingly, this isn’t unique to our class. Just about every non-design based class on games I’ve been in has, at one point, attempted to come up with a definition for what a game is. In fact, this phenomena can be seen in the works of … Continue reading Defining Games Pt. 1: Why Do We Try to Define Games?

There you are, rushing through the citadel on a race to stop Saren before he allows the colossal Reaper, Sovereign, to achieve its goals. This was part of the first title in a game series that earned a special place in the hearts of gamers worldwide. From there on, it was history. Stopping the ancient Reapers and uniting the galaxy behind the singular goal of stopping a galactic cycle of destruction poised as preservation, we saw the world through Commander Shepard’s eyes. But now, we’re stuck here with a big budget rush job that has no place being mentioned with the presence … Continue reading The Day Mass Effect Died

In addition to thinking about how habits influence our decision-making– it’s also interesting to consider the ways in which gaming in general could influence decision making. Many people say that violent games can make a person more violent. Touching on themes from Gaming as Career Development, games could actually just influence how a person reacts to violence. First person shooter games could help potential soldiers think faster in dangerous situations, it could also affect how likely any gamer reacts to people in pain or in other dangerous situations. If gaming is mainly used to escape from the realities of life, … Continue reading choice and habits (cont.)

It has been interesting to think about gaming being used for more ways than just “fun”. Even so, this brings up the question as to what is fun? Problematizing the word “fun” Games like Peacemaker is part of a new generation of games that immerse people in the situations that give full real-time political crises involving Palestine and Israel. This conflict is inherently militaristic and allows for an educative experience that informs potential violence that inevitably ensues. Using this program could be positive as it instructs users to be educated on a conflict that many people are confused about. What’s … Continue reading Career Development in Gaming (cont.)