The Game Grid

Thanks to Sean Sharp for passing this along to me (and the group)...A discussion of how to utilize WordPress & various plug-ins to "gameify" course work & grading...

Great article! Would be great to participate in a gamified classroom!

I'm reading this book right now...Here is the blurb from MIT: "For many players, games are entertainment, diversion, relaxation, fantasy. But what if certain games were something more than this, providing not only outlets for entertainment but a means for creative expression, instruments for conceptual thinking, or tools for social change? In Critical Play, artist and game designer Mary Flanagan examines alternative games-games that challenge the accepted norms embedded within the gaming industry-and argues that games designed by artists and activists are reshaping everyday game culture. Flanagan provides a lively historical context for critical play through twentieth-century art movements, connecting subversive game design to subversive art: her examples of "playing house" include Dadaist puppet shows and The Sims; her discussion of language play includes puns, palindromes, Yoko Ono's Instruction Paintings, and Jenny Holzer's messages in LED. Flanagan also looks at artists' alternative computer-based games, examining projects from Persuasive Games and Gonazalo Frasca and other games created through the use of interventionist strategies in the design process. And she explores games for change, considering the way activist concerns-among them Darfur, worldwide poverty, and AIDS-can be incorporated into game design. Arguing that this kind of conscious practice-which now constitutes the avant-garde of the computer game medium-can inspire new working methods for designers, Flanagan offers a model for designing that will encourage the subversion of popular gaming tropes through new styles of game making, and proposes a theory of alternate game design that focuses on the reworking of contemporary popular game practices."

Looks like a great read! I'm adding this to my Amazon book list.

WATCHING A MUSICIAN IN THE THROES OF AN IMPROVISATIONAL SOLO CAN BE LIKE WITNESSING AN ACT OF DIVINE INTERVENTION. BUT EMBEDDED MEMORIES AND CONSPIRING BRAIN REGIONS, SCIENTISTS NOW BELIEVE, ARE THE TRUE SOURCE OF AD-HOC CREATIVITY.

Interesting TED talk on using gaming to find solutions to real world problems.

Urgent Optimism + Social Fabric + Blissful Productivity + Epic Meaning = Super Empowered Hopeful Individuals. Great lecture!

I heard this great hour segment on gaming during my drive back to Eugene. It inspired me to join this group!

"One middle school is teaching its students by having them design and play video games."

The facilities are following scholar­ship. Games are now used in English classes studying interactive narratives, media-studies classes looking at the cultural impact of violent games, as well as courses in game design offered at about 300 colleges. "The argument is really pretty simple," says David S. Carter, an engineering librarian at Michigan. "We have faculty who are doing stuff involved in video games, so the library needs to be doing something to support that teaching and that research."

This appears to be an extension of the "Influence of Gaming" transcript

Trepidity writes "Controversy continues over the seemingly unstoppable trend of 'gamification' (something we've discussed previously). The University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business held a Gamification Symposium entitled 'For The Win' this week, indicating apparent academic respectabili...

I'm pretty sure that this is what Jair was referring to at the game group session.

This is a great presentation on learning to play and playing to learn. Well worth the 15 minutes or so of exploration.

From HASTAC: "In the unsettledness of this field, this forum recognizes those disciplinary forces that frequently attempt to silo the study of digital games into a narrow set of purposes, such as edutainment or gamification, or relegates digital gaming completely into the margins of "low" or "pop" culture. We seek to address how games have contributed to the digital humanities specifically, and how they might impact its future. In other words, where is video game studies in the digital humanities? And more broadly where can we identify intersections in cultural criticism, video game studies, and video game development? "

Abstract This research examined relationships between children's information technology (IT) use and their creativity. Four types of information technology were considered: computer use, Internet use, videogame playing and cell phone use. A multidimensional measure of creativity was developed based on and test of creative thinking. Participants were 491 12-year olds; 53% were female, 34% were African American and 66% were Caucasian American. Results indicated that videogame playing predicted of all measures of creativity. Regardless of gender or race, greater videogame playing was associated with greater creativity. Type of videogame (e.g., violent, interpersonal) was unrelated to videogame effects on creativity. Gender but not race differences were obtained in the amount and type of videogame playing, but not in creativity. Implications of the findings for future research to test the causal relationship between videogame playing and creativity and to identify mediator and moderator variables are discussed.

The Game Play Festival celebrates "video game theatre'

From Slashdot pertaining to the pros and cons related to Wikipedia as the source for video game history: "Wikipedia requires reliable, third-party sources for content to stick, and most of the sites that covered MUDs throughout the '80s were user-generated, heavily specialized or buried deep within forums, user groups and newsletters. Despite their mammoth influence on the current gaming landscape, their insular communities were rarely explored by a nascent games journalist crowd. ... while cataloging gaming history is a vitally important move for this culture or art form, and Wikipedia makes a very valiant contribution, the site can't be held accountable as the singular destination for gaming archeology. But as it's often treated as one, due care must be paid to the site to ensure that its recollection doesn't become clouded or irresponsible, and to ensure its coalition of editors and administrators are not using its stringent rule set to sweep anything as vitally relevant as MUDS under the rug of history."

Moving Learning Games Forward

Article on upcoming exhibit at Smithsonian

"You've probably heard the word gamification by now; I noticed several sessions on the topic at CCCCs. It's also more or less the subject of Jane McGonigal's book Reality is Broken, which I just managed to finish reading a few days ago. I intend to review the book in an upcoming podcast segment for Armchair Arcade Radio, but suffice it to say this book is a must-read if you're interested in "big picture" stuff concerning videogames. For now though, I want to think about how gamification and some of McGonigal's observations could improve wikis."

Thanks to Jher for passing this along...

"Most games are naturally social, which means gamification depends on that other ubiquitous Web trend, social networking. Sure, go ahead and play Solitaire. But most of us take a certain pleasure in besting the competition--whether it's the Philadelphia Phillies or some ugly troll in World of Warcraft."

Gamification is a hot topic, with big brands and startups alike trying to leverage the power of points, badges, levels, challenges and rewards to engage users, generate virality and solve problems. Join Gabe Zichermann, Gamification Expert and Author as he discusses some of the main ways that gamification will change your business. He'll share examples of gamification done right - and done poorly, and give you a preview of some of the amazing content that will be shared at the upcoming Gamification Summit in San Francisco