[game_edu] Top Tens, Shameless Plugs and Gaming Culture

[Mike Reddy]

I guess the enthusiasm that lecturers who feel the need to expound on
the virtues of their schools (especially when not listed in any top ten)
is commendable. Maybe what it reflects is an insecurity and nervousness
about what is still a pretty experimental offering by Higher Education.
It is easy to understand how insecurity might arise: Pressure from the
'traditionalists' within institutions; concern over falling application
rates in these 'traditional' computing courses (art based courses
excepted); industry caution over the vocational value of specialist
degrees (still seen as a relatively untried commodity in the face of
'traditional' routes into games dev); and the shock of the new (just how
do we best teach games development). I would imagine, and have had
confirmed by colleagues, that Film Schools had similar experiences.

And yet, I think that big things will come from the games education
debate, which this list is so good for. I rarely encounter a digest that
doesn't open my eyes to something new. Maybe the chest beating is a
positive sign that we have hit adolescence and are just worrying that
our acne will impede our ability to get a date?

On the issue of universities that are 'good for gamers', two things
occur to me: 

1) Pro-gamers are increasingly becoming common (are we following Korea
here?) and just like Sports Science courses, there may be a place for
institutions to have even scholarships for the star high scorers.
2) Gaming culture is one that we prize at Newport (sorry, just
attempting to share practice here), not as a replacement for "gameogogy"
(not education through games, ludogogy, but specifically through making
them).

I share a room with a Computer Forensics lecturer. He says that there
can be Hacker communities that hit certain universities because they
want to learn hacking from the masters. Institutions that teach IT
Security try very hard NOT to get reputations as nests for hacking.
However, so long as gaming does not replace learning, it might signal to
prospective students a positive approach from the institution, and not
just a shameless attempt to boost bums on seats.


--
Dr. Mike Reddy, Future Technology, Games Development and A.I.,
Department of Computing,
Newport Business School, University of Wales, Newport, Allt-yr-yn
Campus,
PO Box 180 Newport South Wales NP20 5XR
Tel: +44 (0) 1633 432452 Fax: +44 (0)1633 432307 Mob: +44 (0)7971 170
199
Email: mike.reddy @ newport.ac.uk (remove spaces)