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Abstract: "Macquarie University, in 2012, introduced two undergraduate coursework programs in the area of video games. These programs are a joint initiative of the Departments of Computing and Media, Music, Communication and Cultural Studies. The programs represent an innovative approach to curriculum structure in this area, combining technical, design and reflective critical practice to produce rounded graduates with a wide knowledge of issues and practices in interactive media. This paper describes the process of designing these programs, the aims and rationales guiding their design and their detailed structure. The central guiding principle behind the programs was that accomplished designers of interactive media, particularly video games, need both a sound technical background and an appreciation of the relationship between users, society and their designs. This is reflected in both the structure of the programs and the pedagogical approaches in the specialist units."

"The appearance of collaboration tools such as blogs, wikis, social media, and video games has altered the way individuals and organizations relate to one another.[i] There is no longer any need to wait on professionals to share material and report on new developments. Today, people communicate directly in an unmediated and unfiltered manner."

This seems the takeaway: ""We don't have a lot of control over how people interpret our findings," Bushman told Ars. ... Still, Bushamn suggests that the basic idea that virtual shooting can help improve real-world shooting performance shouldn't be that controversial at its core. "If you want to learn how to fly an airplane and you want to use the media to help you learn, what would be the best way: read a book about it, watch a TV program about it, or play a flight simulator video game?" he asked rhetorically. "Clearly the more interactive the media, the more you're going to learn. Does that mean by playing flight simulator you're going to be good enough to fly a real plane? I don't know, that's a relative decision, but better than if you'd watched a TV program or read a book about it, I would say.""

Using social media, hashtags and collaboration to find employment for recently laid-off game company employees.

A slide presentation illustrating game players as co-creators of game content

Abstract: "Lifespan is an Interactive Media and Game Development Major Qualifying P roject developed in the Unity game engine over the course of one year by six students. Lifespan is a first - person puzzle game in which the player affects objects in the environment by using a time - manipulation device. Designed with a unique spin on standar d puzzle games, Lifespan seeks to add realism, science, and nature to the environment with new and interesting mechanics."

Wordplay and the Discourse of Video Games: Analyzing Words, Design and Play Routledge Studies in New Media and Cyberculture, 2012 Publisher Description: In this timely new book, Christopher Paul analyzes how the words we use to talk about video games and the structures that are produced within games shape a particular way of gaming by focusing on how games create meaning, lead to identification and division, persuade, and circulate ideas.

"Editor's note: Ann DeMarle is director of the Emergent Media Center and associate professor of communication and creative media at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont. "(CNN) Talking about Champlain's game development degree programs.

The director of the Media Psychology Research Center posts a three part series on the value of video games for education and engagement http://www.pamelarutledge.com/2012/08/26/self-efficacy-and-problem-solving-in-video-games-part-i/ http://www.pamelarutledge.com/2012/08/28/the-positive-side-of-video-games-part-ii/ http://www.pamelarutledge.com/2012/08/29/the-positive-side-of-video-games-part-iii/

Enabling streaming of music from social media sites and integrating into online game play

Looking for sponsorship to save high school digital media awards in Canada, DIGIS

Announcement featuring Keith Zizza, recently appointed professor of practice in interactive media and game development

"SmartGlass, a software-based application that extends Xbox 360 experiences onto smartphones and tablets, does shine best when paired with television or movie entertainment. That's where programmers have fleshed out the most whiz-bang features at this time, but game designers have clever plans for this tech, too."

mentions "agreements with seven private video game and interactive media developers.'

Aimed at students who already hold degrees in other fields such as arts or computer science

"The University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) has launched the Center for Digital Games Research to study digital media and games from a multidisciplinary approach. Launched with seed funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the center brings together 30 faculty members with expertise in "human-computer interaction, virtual environments, simulations, social networks, data mining, interactive storytelling and narrative, media neuroscience and behavioral health," among others, according to a news release."

This is the blog of Games and Learning Alliance (GaLA), Network of Excellence for Serious Games, a project " to shape the scientific community and build a European Virtual Research Centre aimed at gathering, integrating, harmonizing and coordinating research on SGs and disseminating knowledge, best practices and tools as a reference point at an international level. The other key focuses of the project are: the support to deployment in the actual educational and training settings; the fostering of innovation and knowledge transfer through research-business dialogue; the development high-quality didactics on SG by promoting and supporting courses at Master and PhD level."

Abstract: "There have been tremendous ways of developing creativity, yet instead of traditionally formal instruction, games are the best media to spur creativity, as creativity can easily and spontaneously be evoked through games. On the other hand, metacognition is a good way to promote creative thinking, as metacognition which contains the abilities such as self-planning, self-monitoring, and self-evaluation can foster creative-relevant cognitive processes. Games are exactly the ideal platform that provides a playful context for metacognitive awareness prompting creative processes. Based on the advantages of games and that design is a creativity-relevant cognitive and constructive process, this research adopts the means of digital game-based learning (DGBL) to propose a metacognitive approach to inspiring creativity through a creativity game of players as game story designers."

Abstract :"This thesis deals with the analysis, design, implementation and testing of a video game prototype , which is intended for practicing lucid dreaming induction . R esearch i ndicates the potential of the video game medium in this end and the experimental game design has been the result of examining various study case s covering both video gam es and dreams , besides multiple lucid dreaming induction techniques . The design approach was more focused on creatively modif yin g existing techniques , in order to take advantage of the potential of the video game medium, than to simply copy them. This has led to establishi ng a set of formal design goals , with an emphasis on creating a game world simulating a dream, in which rehearsing can take place prior to sleep . The video game prototype is inasmuch an interactive training tool as it is an artistic video game experiment . With the aim of also tak ing the player experience into account, a set of aesthetic goals was also established , approached by the use of the MDA framework ( Hunicke , LeBlanc & Zubek, 2004) and the player involvement model - related to the concept of incorporation (Calleja, 2011)"