[game_edu] /Game Studies/: The International Journal of Computer Game Research has , just published its latest issue (Volume 10, Issue 1, April 2010)

[Suzanne Freyjadis]

Thank you for posting this, Jose!

I am looking forward to reading the articles. Are any of the authors on the
list?

Best,
Suzanne

Suzanne Freyjadis
Director
Game Education Summit
suzanne at gameeducationnetwork.com
512.619.4151


-----Original Message-----
From: game_edu-bounces at igda.org [mailto:game_edu-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf
Of Jose P. Zagal
Sent: Monday, May 17, 2010 4:56 PM
To: GAMESNETWORK at uta.fi; IGDA Game Education Listserv
Subject: [game_edu] /Game Studies/: The International Journal of Computer
Game Research has , just published its latest issue (Volume 10, Issue 1,
April 2010)

Apologies for crossposts.


-------- Original Message --------
Game Studies: The International Journal of Computer Game Research has 
just published its latest issue (Volume 10, Issue 1, April 2010).

All articles are available at http://gamestudies.org/1001

This issue of GS includes not only articles but also 4 book reviews, 1 
interview and 1 Call for Papers.


Articles

Diminutive Subjects, Design Strategy, and Driving Sales: Preschoolers 
and the Nintendo DS
by J. Alison Bryant, Anna Akerman, Jordana Drell

Abstract:
Designing for the youngest consumers is a daunting task for video game 
producers, who historically have focused on more “hard core” game fans. 
This article chronicles the research and design process involved in 
creating Nintendo DS games for a preschool audience. By integrating 
multi-method research into the creative process, game producers can 
better understand the game mechanics related to different technologies 
in the context of such young players. This research process is discussed 
not only with respect to how it was used to help develop DS games for 
preschoolers, but also in regard to the roles of exploratory and 
formative research in creating new titles, more generally, for this 
youngest set. In addition to a set of best practices from a process 
perspective, we discuss our key findings and design tips when it comes 
to preschoolers and their cognitive abilities, motor skills, and design 
preferences. By understanding the unique needs of preschoolers, we can 
continue to improve the interfaces that we create for them on any chosen 
system, and better integrate educational and other “serious” content 
into games for this target audience.

http://gamestudies.org/1001/articles/bryant_akerman_drell


Tags, Threads, and Frames: Toward a Synthesis of Interaction Ritual and 
Livejournal Roleplaying
by Sarah Wanenchak
Abstract:
What does online interaction look like? How does it fit with established 
theories of interaction? The examined setting is an online roleplaying 
game where the action is entirely transacted through text. The structure 
of observable interactions within the context of the game is explored. 
The paper concludes with an analysis of how the observed online 
interactions are understandable through traditional sociological 
conventions of face to face interaction.

http://gamestudies.org/1001/articles/wanenchak


Rarity and Power: Balance in Collectible Object Games
by Ethan Ham
Abstract
For collectible card games (CCGs), game designers often limit the 
availability of cards that have a particularly powerful gameplay effect. 
The conventional wisdom is that the more powerful a card is, the more 
rare it should be. The long-term implications of such an approach can 
have negative consequences on a game’s suitability for casual play. 
Digital Addiction (a company that produced online, collectible card 
games in the 1990s) developed a different game design philosophy for 
balancing collectible card games. The approach called for the most 
obviously and generally useful cards to be the most common and to equate 
rarity to specialization rather than raw power.

http://gamestudies.org/1001/articles/ham


Virtual Worlds Don't Exist: Questioning the Dichotomous Approach in MMO 
Studies
by Vili Lehdonvirta

Abstract:
I argue that much influential scholarship on massively-multiplayer 
online games and virtual environments (MMO) is based on a dichotomous 
“real world vs. virtual world” model. The roots of this dichotomy can be 
traced to the magic circle concept in game studies and the cyberspace 
separatism of early Internet thought. The model manifests on a number of 
dimensions, including space, identity, social relationships, economy and 
law. I show a number of problems in the use of this model in research, 
and propose an alternative perspective based on Anselm Strauss’s concept 
of overlapping social worlds. The world of players does not respect the 
boundaries of an MMO server, as it frequently flows over to other sites 
and forums. At the same time, other social worlds, such as families and 
workplaces, penetrate the site of the MMO and are permanently tangled 
with the players' world. Research programs that approach MMOs as 
independent mini-societies are therefore flawed, but there are many 
other kinds of research that are quite feasible.

http://gamestudies.org/1001/articles/lehdonvirta


The Ending is Not Yet Written: A Conversation with Rand Miller

by Celia Pearce
Rand Miller, who with his brother Robyn designed Myst, the first 
blockbuster CD-ROM, talks about his legacy of vanguard game design, and 
the complex history of its multiplayer sequel Uru: Ages Beyond Myst. 
This interview, conducted via e-mail, took place shortly before the 
third re-opening of Uru.


Book Reviews
A "Digital Culture, Play and Identity: A World of Warcraft Reader" Reader
by Richard Bartle
Review of "Digital Culture, Play and Identity: A World of Warcraft 
Reader" edited by Hilde G. Corneliussen and Jill Walker Rettberg, (MIT 
Press, 2008).

Gaming Culture at the Boundaries of Play
by Frans Mäyrä
Review of "Cheating: Gaining Advantage in Videogames" by Mia Consalvo, 
(MIT Press 2007).

Unplaying an Unreview of Critical Play
by Cynthia Haynes
Review of "Critical Play: Radical Game Design" by Mary Flanagan (MIT 
Press, 2009)

The Productive Paradox of Critical Play
by Ragnhild Tronstad
Review of "Critical Play: Radical Game Design" by Mary Flanagan, (MIT 
Press, 2009).

-- 
José P. Zagal
Assistant Professor
College of Computing and Digital Media
DePaul University

http://www.ludoliteracy.com/

http://facsrv.cs.depaul.edu/~jzagal
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