Games Boom Despite Food & Fuel Costs

Today is the release date for the fourth installment in the Grand Theft Auto titles, otherwise known as GTA IV. This highly popular, sex and violence saturated series has generated plenty of publicity (mostly negative) for its publisher, Rockstar Games. Some interesting factoids can be gleaned from an article in the New York Times by Matt Richtel.

Richtel focuses on several college students and twenty-somethings who profess to barely have enough money to eat each month, but are more than willing to shell out $60 for GTA IV (or $90 for the collectors’ edition). Sales of five million copies are expected in coming days.

The so-called addictive nature of games is also brought up, with quotes from the only academic in the article:

“When gamers are in it, it’s like a druglike state. It feels so good,” said Jennifer Aaker, a professor at the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley. She said players face constant challenges and receive instant feedback, a superstimulating artificial environment.

Not only is the play experience emotional, but the purchase is emotional, too, Professor Aaker said. Players want to be the first to buy the game and master it, sweeping aside the matter of affordability.

“The last thing that comes to mind is: ‘Can I afford it?’ That question isn’t even on the radar,” Professor Aaker said. “The question is: How fast can I buy it?”

Not mentioned, but clearly related to the popularity of the series is its wide-open world approach, wherein players are not required to follow any set rules or instructions. Instead, players can simply do what they want in the environment. Such approaches are also popular in MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft.

Another interesting tidbit Richtel referenced in the article is the fact the gaming industry is booming despite hardships felt elsewhere such as rising food and fuel costs. Sales of consoles and titles are up across the board; GameStop excels while other retailers suffer.

References:
Richtel, M. (2008, April 29). For gamers, the craving won’t quit. New York Times. [Online.] Available: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/29/technology/29game.html?

A New Chapter Book on Virtual Learning

I opened the mail the other day and found a new book I’ve been expecting: Virtual Reality: Concepts and Applications, edited by Pramod Rao and Sameer A. Zodgekar. Way back in July last year, I noted that the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India University Press picked up an article of mine, “The (Virtual) Classroom of Tomorrow” that originally ran in TechEdge. The article focuses on the educational aspects of Active Worlds, Second Life and Dr. Greg Jones’ Created Reality Group classrooms.

The book is divided into two sections, Concepts and Applications. My article leads off the applications section, which also has several other fine chapters. Find the complete table of contents here. If you’re in the states, and you don’t mind waiting for overseas delivery, the book is only $16.50.

CFP Date Change for the ACM SIGGRAPH Sandbox Symposium

The date has been changed for the call for papers for the ACM SIGGRAPH Sandbox Symposium. The new date is April 25.

The third annual ACM SIGGRAPH Sandbox Symposium on videogames calls for papers, panel proposals, and presentations. We are looking for work that describes or illustrates innovative research in videogame theory, practice, methodologies, and criticism. Video games are a singular technological medium, comparable in cultural impact to the telephone, television or the Internet. What are the creative, technological, and commercial challenges facing this medium today and in the future? How do we relate engaging stories and worlds that leverage advances in technology? What is the continuing impact of this medium on individuals and society?

More on their site: http://sandbox.siggraph.org/

 

CFP: DIGITEL 2008

2nd IEEE International Conference on Digital Games and Intelligent Toys Based Education (DIGITEL 200

November 17-19, 2008, Banff, Canada
http://www.ask4research.info/digitel/2008/

Submissions due: May 30.

Games for Change Early Registration Open

Suzanne Seggerman posted the following on the Serious Games Listserv today:

The 2008 Fifth Annual Games for Change Festival early registration
launched today! Please join us at Parsons the New School for Design
in NYC for our annual event bringing together non-profits, educators,
game designers and activists of all stripes to explore the growing
movement and emerging field of games for social change.

We are pleased to announce our closing keynote this year will be the
Honorable Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, scheduled for 4pm on June 4th.

As well as leading scholars Jim Gee and Henry Jenkins in a keynote
conversation on June 3rd at 4:30pm.

Featured panelists include: Jim Gasperini, creator of Hidden Agenda
and Chris Crawford of Balance of Power and Balance of the Planet
fame; Ken Eklund, creator of World Without Oil; Michael Levine
Director of the Joan Ganz Cooney Center; Shelley Pasnick, head of the
Center for Children and Technology, Mary Flanagan Director of the
Tiltfactor Lab, Tracy Fullerton of USC’s EA Innovation Lab, and
representatives from Participant Productions, the MacArthur and
Knight Foundations, PBS, and Electronic Arts, among many others.

You will find our usual excellent blend of provocative panels,
informal working groups, funders meetings, ample networking
opportunities and the ever-popular Expo Night where you can see and
play the new games firsthand, sponsored by Microsoft.

Check out the festival site here:

http://www.gamesforchange.org/conference/2008/index.php

And don’t forget the pre-festival workshop for newbies on June 2nd. We are happy to announce that this beginners workshop for non-profits new to the field, Let The Games Begin: A 101 Workshop for Making Social Issue Games was a MacArthur Foundation DML Competition award winner out of more than 1000 applicants! A separate registration for that day will be available from the festival site on April 9th.

We are thankful for the generous contributions of our sponsors AMD
and Microsoft, as well as Parsons the New School for Design.

We look forward to seeing you all there!

Suzanne

New Journal Issues Open Call for Papers

I’ve mentioned Dr. Rick Ferdig over at U. Florida several times before, especially after he published a paper of mine in a special issue on educational videogames for the Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia. Recently he announced a new journal dedicated to the field: the International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations. IJGCMS has an open call for papers here. The editorial board is also coalescing, and details on contacting Dr. Ferdig regarding editorial service are available on site.

Coin-op Kiddie Rides Make a Comeback

Occasionally I’ll take a break from blogging about videogames and discuss one played in RL. Most recently, I noted an article about the world’s last pinball manufacturer, for instance. Now, Raymund Flandez over at The Wall Street Journal writes about old style coin-op kiddie rides making a big comeback, thanks to some TLC from Kiddie Rides, USA.

The company buys up the old coin-op rides, once ubiquitous outside grocery stores and elsewhere, restores then sells them for $2,000 - $6,000 to nostalgic baby boomers or companies seeking unique décor.

Denver D’Rozario over at Howard University gets a nice quote, noting that marketing vintage games requires a special touch:

Authenticity and uniqueness of the product needs to be a part of the appeal of the nostalgia market, says Denver D’Rozario, a marketing professor at Howard University in Washington. But “you’ve got to show me how it’s different today” as well. “Some products have to be “restaged or redesigned,” he says, “to appeal to a different generation — the children or grandchildren of the baby boomers. They have to strike a balance.”

 

References:
Flandez, R. (2008, March 25). Nostalgia helps put old kiddie rides back in play. The Wall Street Journal. [Online]. Available: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120641207836961459.html

Beyond the Online: Critical Collaborations and Dialogues Among Anthropological Approaches to Video Games

As video games are increasingly becoming a venue through which interactive entertainment and education occurs, a variety of academics have begun turning a critical eye towards this medium. These investigations have contributed much to our understanding of the cultural specificities and the incorporation of the media into everyday practices by its users, especially in the area of online video gaming in virtual worlds. While anthropology and allied disciplines have shown significant interest in examining the ways in which cultures and subjectivities become articulated through virtual worlds and internet-based video game media, there are many more possible arenas of investigation.

This panel seeks to explore some of these possibilities that emerge when the scope of an anthropology of video games broadens to encompass 1) the inclusion of other disciplinary approaches to video games, such as cultural studies, media studies, education, and history; 2) collaborations with, and investigations of, the global video game industry—its publishers and developers, localizers and middlemen, marketers and modders; and 3) engagements with video game users who often appropriate the media in unanticipated and emergent ways. In doing so, we seek to query the utility of disciplinary boundaries in relation to the study of video games—What does anthropology have to contribute to the study of video games? What can other disciplines teach us? In addition, we seek to explore what forms of useful collaborations with industry experts and users could possibly emerge when the anthropology of video games is expanded to encompass a global industry.

Panel will convene at the American Anthropological Association annual meetings, San Francisco, Nov. 19-23, 2008. See http://dev.aaanet.org/meetings/presenters/index.cfm for more details.

E-Learn 2008 Deadline Approaching

The coordinators of E-Learn 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada have re-issued a call for papers. Deadline is April 29. Read more here.

Tagged: What I Believe

Tim Holt over at the Intended Consequences blog tagged me a while back with the “This I Believe” theme for educational technology. This is a good exercise, because it’s important for all of us in the education business to sit down and think for a minute as to why we’re doing all the stuff we’re doing. I can’t do as good a job at this as Tim has, but I’ll give it a shot:

- I believe that computers and related technology are not necessary for students to learn in school, but they make certain things easier for both students and teachers (if they know what they’re doing), and often add a higher level of interest and excitement for the students.

- I believe that education at its most basic level is communication; that education cannot take place without communication. In that regard, any technology/device that enhances or propels communication can (and probably will) be appropriated by stakeholders for educational purposes.

- The most intriguing form of educational technology to me is the instructional videogame. I believe that placing learning objectives within a gaming environment can open venues for students, including recalcitrant ones, otherwise unavailable. As such, educational gaming offers a nifty tool for teachers in the encouragement of their students toward attaining certain objectives, including some not easily assessed on standardized exams.

- I believe there is no one “cure-all” or panacea for teachers to get their students to obtain higher test scores. Any company offering such is selling a fake bill of goods. What does lead to higher test scores includes good teaching by the teachers and good studying by the students. To wit: the technology or software or program is not necessarily what causes higher scores directly; rather, it is the teacher and the students using the product that results in higher scores. With that in mind, I firmly believe educational technology can and often does play a significant role in this process, and many products can help teachers and students in attaining those scores.

- Finally, I have learned a bit about educational research in the pursuit of my doctorate. I think the majority of debate regarding research would disappear if those arguing understood the basics of research and its implications. To wit: researchers in the social sciences can never “prove” anything, only add to the body of research supporting one conclusion or another. In that regard, the “soft sciences” are weaker than the “hard sciences,” but the notion behind understanding research precludes accepting any statement without question. This can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on the educator. So, anyone who claims research “proves” a component of educational technology is beneficial in some way (or, conversely, detrimental) should be considered suspect. What one should say is, research supports the use of a particular technology (or does not support it). Nothing is ever “proven” in the social sciences.