DOCSLIB.ORG

Gender Codes in the Rock Music Video Games Rock Band and Rocksmith Elisa M

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Gender Codes in the Rock Music Video Games Rock Band and Rocksmith Elisa M Florida International University FIU Digital Commons FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations University Graduate School 3-5-2018 For Those About to Rock: Gender Codes in the Rock Music Video Games Rock Band and Rocksmith Elisa M. Melendez [email protected] DOI: 10.25148/etd.FIDC006558 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd Part of the American Popular Culture Commons, Digital Humanities Commons, Ethnomusicology Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons, Leisure Studies Commons, Musicology Commons, Other Film and Media Studies Commons, Other Sociology Commons, Sociology of Culture Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons Recommended Citation Melendez, Elisa M., "For Those About to Rock: Gender Codes in the Rock Music Video Games Rock Band and Rocksmith" (2018). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 3685. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/3685 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the University Graduate School at FIU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of FIU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Miami, Florida FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK: GENDER CODES IN THE ROCK MUSIC VIDEO GAMES ROCK BAND AND ROCKSMITH A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in COMPARATIVE SOCIOLOGY by Elisa M. Meléndez 2018 To: Dean John F. Stack, Jr. choose the name of dean of your college/school Green School of International and Public Affairs choose the name of your college/school This dissertation, written by Elisa M. Meléndez, and entitled For Those About to Rock: Gender Codes in the Rock Music Video Games Rock Band and Rocksmith, having been approved in respect to style and intellectual content, is referred to you for judgment. We have read this dissertation and recommend that it be approved. _______________________________________ Benjamin Smith _______________________________________ Laurie Shrage _______________________________________ Nelson Varas-Díaz _______________________________________ Guillermo Grenier, Major Professor Date of Defense: March 5, 2018 The dissertation of Elisa M. Meléndez is approved. _______________________________________ choose the name of dean of your college/school Dean John F. Stack, Jr. choose the name of your college/school Green School of International and Public Affairs _______________________________________ Andrés G. Gil Vice President for Research and Economic Development and Dean of the University Graduate School Florida International University, 2018 ii DEDICATION To my family. To Evan. This is all your fault. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation, much less the research that supports it, would not have been possible without the support, guidance, kindness, and patience of countless people. To my family, who first instilled a love of both music and video games in me from a very early age—this is all your fault. To Evan, who helped me make music of my own. To Robert Loggia Baratheon, First of His Name, for laying on every book, iPad, laptop, and scrap of paper and imbuing it with your magical essence (and hair). To Dr. Guillermo Grenier, who lit the initial torch that sent me down this long and winding path. Thank you for your patience. We did it! To the QLC crew: for 90s compilations, for that interview with Moira Quirk, for Jackbox parties, for leaves of brown and skies of gray, for generally keeping me sane. You’re the best friends anyone could ever ask for. To the developers at Harmonix and Ubisoft, and to the players interviewed: thank you for letting me look into your world. To Gearbox, thank you for letting me be a part of yours. Finally, thank you to Janis, Grace, Rita, Ann, Pat, Lita, Freddie, Gwen, Lisa, Shirley, Amy, Hayley, Morgan, Anita, Brenda, and countless others for inspiring me to use my voice. iv ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK: GENDER CODES IN THE ROCK MUSIC VIDEO GAMES ROCK BAND AND ROCKSMITH by Elisa M. Meléndez Florida International University, 2018 Miami, Florida Professor Guillermo Grenier, Major Professor This dissertation explores gender codes within the intersection of two American pop culture staples, video games and rock music, by conducting a feminist analysis of two video games (Rock Band and Rocksmith). Both video games and rock music have had their share of feminist academic critique: Musicologists point out how lack of canonical inclusion, gendered attitudes towards instruments, and messages from supporting media create an unwelcome environment for women to pursue a rock music career. Game studies scholars have examined similar attitudes, including a lack of women represented in both the video games and the studios that create them. Through a mix of creator and player interviews, participant observation, content analysis, and autoethnography, I look at the intersection of these two literatures (the rock music video game) to see how gender is hard-coded into the game, and what opportunities, if any, exist for subversion of societal and industry gender norms. Through not just looking at the game as text, I present a more “thick description” of a video game that takes into account the creators of the games, the players that play them, and a researcher that occupies multiple identities within the space. I argue that, in an effort to v replicate an authentic rock musician experience in a video game, Rock Band and Rocksmith often replicate a lot of these gendered messages. The games’ text and set list emphasize a male-centric rock music canon. Rocksmith’s original whiskey-soaked visual design and marketing skew heavily towards an older male demographic. However, resistances to these codes exist in both the players who defy expectations by showing up to perform and compete, as well as the creators who actively work to make these games more inclusive via changes to future games as well as inclusive hiring practices, marketing, and music sourcing (with varying degrees of success). vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 1 (Woman) Player 1, Press Start ........................................................................................ 1 For Those (Women) About to Rock ............................................................................... 2 Plastic Guitars, Real Implications ................................................................................... 3 II. LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................... 8 Intersections of Gender and Sexuality ............................................................................ 8 Feminist Musicology .................................................................................................... 14 The music video ........................................................................................................ 16 Gender, Gaming, and Virtual Worlds ........................................................................... 20 Console Music Games .................................................................................................. 23 III. METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................... 27 On Cyber Ethnography ................................................................................................. 28 Ethnographic Inspirations ............................................................................................. 30 Cyberethnographic Inspirations .................................................................................... 31 The Creator-Game-Player Dynamic ............................................................................. 36 Methodological Approach ............................................................................................ 38 Autoethnography........................................................................................................... 43 IV. THE ROCK DOC: AN AUTOETHNOGRAPHY ..................................................... 44 Prologue: Putting the Rock in RockDoc ....................................................................... 44 Introducing Eventides ................................................................................................... 46 Eventides in the Spotlight ............................................................................................. 47 Eventides, the Frag Doll Cadette .................................................................................. 55 ElisaRockDoc is Now LIVE!........................................................................................ 59 ElisaRockDoc, Industry Insider .................................................................................... 62 V. ROCKING OUT WITH ROCK BAND ...................................................................... 65 Harmonix and Rock Band: Origins............................................................................... 66 Harmonix Speaks .......................................................................................................... 68 Rock Band: The Set List ............................................................................................... 74 Rock Band: Figurative School of Rock ........................................................................ 83 Playing
Load more

Recommended publications
  • “Grunge Killed Glam Metal” Narrative by Holly Johnson
    The Interplay of Authority, Masculinity, and Signification in the “Grunge Killed Glam Metal” Narrative by Holly Johnson A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Music and Culture Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario © 2014, Holly Johnson ii Abstract This thesis will deconstruct the "grunge killed '80s metal” narrative, to reveal the idealization by certain critics and musicians of that which is deemed to be authentic, honest, and natural subculture. The central theme is an analysis of the conflicting masculinities of glam metal and grunge music, and how these gender roles are developed and reproduced. I will also demonstrate how, although the idealized authentic subculture is positioned in opposition to the mainstream, it does not in actuality exist outside of the system of commercialism. The problematic nature of this idealization will be examined with regard to the layers of complexity involved in popular rock music genre evolution, involving the inevitable progression from a subculture to the mainstream that occurred with both glam metal and grunge. I will illustrate the ways in which the process of signification functions within rock music to construct masculinities and within subcultures to negotiate authenticity. iii Acknowledgements I would like to thank firstly my academic advisor Dr. William Echard for his continued patience with me during the thesis writing process and for his invaluable guidance. I also would like to send a big thank you to Dr. James Deaville, the head of Music and Culture program, who has given me much assistance along the way.
    [Show full text]
  • PERFORMED IDENTITIES: HEAVY METAL MUSICIANS BETWEEN 1984 and 1991 Bradley C. Klypchak a Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate
    PERFORMED IDENTITIES: HEAVY METAL MUSICIANS BETWEEN 1984 AND 1991 Bradley C. Klypchak A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY May 2007 Committee: Dr. Jeffrey A. Brown, Advisor Dr. John Makay Graduate Faculty Representative Dr. Ron E. Shields Dr. Don McQuarie © 2007 Bradley C. Klypchak All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Dr. Jeffrey A. Brown, Advisor Between 1984 and 1991, heavy metal became one of the most publicly popular and commercially successful rock music subgenres. The focus of this dissertation is to explore the following research questions: How did the subculture of heavy metal music between 1984 and 1991 evolve and what meanings can be derived from this ongoing process? How did the contextual circumstances surrounding heavy metal music during this period impact the performative choices exhibited by artists, and from a position of retrospection, what lasting significance does this particular era of heavy metal merit today? A textual analysis of metal- related materials fostered the development of themes relating to the selective choices made and performances enacted by metal artists. These themes were then considered in terms of gender, sexuality, race, and age constructions as well as the ongoing negotiations of the metal artist within multiple performative realms. Occurring at the juncture of art and commerce, heavy metal music is a purposeful construction. Metal musicians made performative choices for serving particular aims, be it fame, wealth, or art. These same individuals worked within a greater system of influence. Metal bands were the contracted employees of record labels whose own corporate aims needed to be recognized.
    [Show full text]
  • Surround Sound Auteurs and the Fragmenting of Genre
    Alan Williams: Surround Sound Auteurs and the Fragmenting of Genre Proceedings of the 12th Art of Record Production Conference Mono: Stereo: Multi Williams, A. (2019). Surround Sound Auteurs and the Fragmenting of Genre. In J.-O. Gullö (Ed.), Proceedings of the 12th Art of Record Production Conference Mono: Stereo: Multi (pp. 319-328). Stockholm: Royal College of Music (KMH) & Art of Record Production. Alan Williams: Surround Sound Auteurs and the Fragmenting of Genre Abstract Multi-channel sonic experience is derived from a myriad of technological processes, shaped by market forces, configured by creative decision makers and translated through audience taste preferences. From the failed launch of quadrophonic sound in the 1970s, through the currently limited, yet sustained niche market for 5.1 music releases, a select number of mix engineers and producers established paradigms for defining expanded sound stages. Whe- reas stereophonic mix practices in popular music became ever more codified during the 1970s, the relative paucity of multi-channel releases has preserved the individual sonic fingerprint of mixers working in surround sound. More- over, market forces have constricted their work to musical genres that appeal to the audiophile community that supports the format. This study examines the work of Elliot Scheiner, Bob Clearmountain, Giles Martin, and Steven Wilson to not only analyze the sonic signatures of their mixes, but to address how their conceptions of the soundstage become associated with specific genres, and serve to establish micro-genres of their own. I conclude by ar- guing that auteurs such as Steven Wilson have amassed an audience for their mixes, with a catalog that crosses genre boundaries, establishing a mode of listening that in itself represents an emergent genre – surround rock.
    [Show full text]
  • UPC Platform Publisher Title Price Available 730865001347
    UPC Platform Publisher Title Price Available 730865001347 PlayStation 3 Atlus 3D Dot Game Heroes PS3 $16.00 52 722674110402 PlayStation 3 Namco Bandai Ace Combat: Assault Horizon PS3 $21.00 2 Other 853490002678 PlayStation 3 Air Conflicts: Secret Wars PS3 $14.00 37 Publishers 014633098587 PlayStation 3 Electronic Arts Alice: Madness Returns PS3 $16.50 60 Aliens Colonial Marines 010086690682 PlayStation 3 Sega $47.50 100+ (Portuguese) PS3 Aliens Colonial Marines (Spanish) 010086690675 PlayStation 3 Sega $47.50 100+ PS3 Aliens Colonial Marines Collector's 010086690637 PlayStation 3 Sega $76.00 9 Edition PS3 010086690170 PlayStation 3 Sega Aliens Colonial Marines PS3 $50.00 92 010086690194 PlayStation 3 Sega Alpha Protocol PS3 $14.00 14 047875843479 PlayStation 3 Activision Amazing Spider-Man PS3 $39.00 100+ 010086690545 PlayStation 3 Sega Anarchy Reigns PS3 $24.00 100+ 722674110525 PlayStation 3 Namco Bandai Armored Core V PS3 $23.00 100+ 014633157147 PlayStation 3 Electronic Arts Army of Two: The 40th Day PS3 $16.00 61 008888345343 PlayStation 3 Ubisoft Assassin's Creed II PS3 $15.00 100+ Assassin's Creed III Limited Edition 008888397717 PlayStation 3 Ubisoft $116.00 4 PS3 008888347231 PlayStation 3 Ubisoft Assassin's Creed III PS3 $47.50 100+ 008888343394 PlayStation 3 Ubisoft Assassin's Creed PS3 $14.00 100+ 008888346258 PlayStation 3 Ubisoft Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood PS3 $16.00 100+ 008888356844 PlayStation 3 Ubisoft Assassin's Creed: Revelations PS3 $22.50 100+ 013388340446 PlayStation 3 Capcom Asura's Wrath PS3 $16.00 55 008888345435
    [Show full text]
  • The Ballad of Lucy Jordan
    The ballad of lucy jordan Continue The ballad about Lucy Jordon Single Dr. Hook and The Medicine ShowB-Side Make It EasyRe1974Length3:53LabelCBSSSongwriter (s) Shel SilversteinProducer (s) Ron HaffkineDr. Hook and Medicine Show Singles Chronology Life Ain't Easy (1973) The Ballad of Lucy Jordon (1974) Millionaire (1975) The Ballad of Lucy Jordan is a song by American poet and songwriter Shel Silverstein. It was originally recorded by Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show, titled Jordon. The song describes the frustration and mental deterioration of a suburban housewife who climbs to the roof when laughter becomes too loud. Marianne Faithfull's version of The Ballad of Lucy JordanSingly Marianne Faithfullfrom Album Broken EnglishB-sideBrain DrainSed 26 October 1979 (1979-10-26)RecordedMay-July 1979Matrix Studios, LondonGenreNew waveLength4:09LabelIslandSongwriter (s) Shel SilversteinProducer (s)Mark Miller MundyMarianne Faithfull singles chronology The Way You Want Me To Be (1978) Ballad of Lucy Jordan (1979) Broken English (1980) The song was recorded by English singer Marianne Faytell for her 1979 English album. This version was released as a single in October 1979 and became one of her highest hits. He appears on the soundtracks for the films Montenegro, Tarnation and Thelma and Louise. Fatell also performed the song during an episode of Donkey from the fourth season of Absolutely Fabulous, in which God (Faithl) sings a song in a dream to the hapless, singing Edin. In 2016, faithfull was featured in the finale of American Horror Story: Hotel. In an interview on ITV's The South Bank Show, Weathered on June 24, 2007, Faithfull said that her interpretation was that Lucy was climbing on the roof, but gets taken away by a man who reached and offered her hand in the ambulance (long white car) to a psychiatric hospital, and that the final row (at the age of thirty-seven she knew she had found forever / As she was driving along through Paris with warm winds in her hair ...) was actually in her imagination in the hospital.
    [Show full text]
  • U2 to Perform at the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards
    U2 To Perform at the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards HISTORIC PERFORMANCE AT BERLIN'S BRANDENBURG GATE LONDON, Oct 27, 2009 -- U2 will perform in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate on November 5, as part of the 16th MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs), the news was announced today by MTV Networks International (MTVNI), owned by Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B). As a prelude to the Fall of The Wall celebrations in Berlin, U2 return to the city for a free ticketed performance which will be beamed into the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards. U2's manager Paul McGuinness said: "It'll be an exciting spot to be in, 20 years almost to the day since the wall came down. Should be fun." Tickets to attend MTV EMAs present U2 at the Brandenburg Gate will be free of charge and available by registering on www.u2.com or www.mtvema.com from 9pm (CET) on Wednesday 28 October 2009. Tickets, which will take the form of a bar- coded e-ticket, will be available on a first-come, first-served basis and will be restricted to a maximum of 2 per applicant. Access to the performance will be strictly via one advance, scanned e-ticket per person. Tickets will not be available on the night of the show. Commented Antonio Campo Dall'Orto, EVP, Music Brands, MTV Networks International and Executive Producer for the MTV Europe Music Awards: "The exceptional musical heritage of this year's EMAs spans genres and generations and we are extremely proud to be bringing U2 to Berlin for this extraordinary performance.
    [Show full text]
  • MTV Games, Harmonix and EA Announce Superstar Lineup for Rock Band(TM) Country Track Pack(TM)
    MTV Games, Harmonix and EA Announce Superstar Lineup for Rock Band(TM) Country Track Pack(TM) Country's Biggest Artists Bring All New Tracks to The Rock Band Platform Including Willie Nelson, Trace Adkins, Miranda Lambert, Sara Evans and More CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 15 -- Harmonix, the leading developer of music-based games, and MTV Games, a part of Viacom's MTV Networks, (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), along with distribution partner Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq: ERTS), today revealed the full setlist for Rock Band™ Country Track Pack™, which includes some of country's biggest artists from Willie Nelson, Alan Jackson and Montgomery Gentry to Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Sara Evans and more! Rock Band Country Track Pack hits store shelves in North America July 21, 2009 for a suggested retail price of $29.99 and will be available for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment systems, and Wii™ system from Nintendo. Rock Band Country Track Pack, featuring 21 tracks from country music's superstars of yesterday and today, is a standalone software product that allows owners of Rock Band® and Rock Band®2 to keep the party going with a whole new setlist. Thirteen of the on disc tracks are brand new to the Rock Band platform and will be exclusive to the Rock Band Country Track Pack disc for a limited time before joining the Rock Band® Music Store as downloadable content. In addition, Rock Band Country Track Pack, like all Rock Band software, is compatible with all Rock Band controllers, as well as most Guitar Hero® and authorized third party controllers and microphones.
    [Show full text]
  • Beatles Rock Band and the Commodification of Nostalgia
    Loading… The Journal of the Canadian Game Studies Association Vol 6(10): 71-90 http://loading.gamestudies.ca When I’m Sixty-Four: Beatles Rock Band and the Commodification of Nostalgia Jaigris Hodson York/Ryerson Universities [email protected] Abstract In 2009, only a few months after the game’s release, the popular trade magazine Advertising Age declared Beatles Rock Band (2009) one of America’s hottest brands ("America's hottest brands", 2009). This is quite a feat for a video game, and begs that we consider the reasons for the game’s success as well a the potential social consequences of this game as well as similar popular games. There are two major elements at work in the creation of Beatles Rock Band as a successful brand, and this paper conducts qualitative, participant-observation research in order to provide an analysis of the game that identifies both of them. First, the paper explores the Beatles as a brand that continues to provide emotional and spiritual value for consumers, and how the feelings associated with this brand have developed intertextually since the band first gained international popularity in 1962. Second, this paper will show how Beatles Rock Band can be viewed as a documentary game, and how, in portraying history, it also rewrites it in order to capitalize on a romanticized ideal of 1960s culture. This paper will show the ways that Beatles Rock Band draws on previous commercial texts associated with the Beatles brand to create a hyperreal fiction based on historic people and events. These texts help to connect people in fan communities that serve the commercial purposes of the game marketers.
    [Show full text]
  • Sett Rec Counter at No Charge
    FREE GAMES The following games are available at the Sett Rec counter at no charge. You must leave a UW ID while game is in use. Sett Rec board games video games: wii Apples to Apples Bash Party Backgammon Big Brain Academy Bananagrams Degree Buzzword Carnival Games Carnival Games - MiniGolf Cards Against Humanity Mario Kart Catchphrase MX vs ATV Untamed Checkers Ninja Reflex Chess Rock Band 2 Cineplexity Super Mario Bros. Crazy Snake Game Super Smash Bros. Brawl Wii Fit Dominoes Wii Music Eurorails Wii Sports Exploding Kittens Wii Sports Resort Finish Lines Go Headbanz Imperium video games: Jenga Malarky Mastermind Xbox 360 Call of Duty: World at War Monopoly Dance Central 2* Monopoly Deal (card game) Dance Central 3* Pictionary FIFA 15* Po-Ke-No FIFA 16* Scrabble FIFA 17* Scramble Squares - Parrots FIFA Street Forza 2 Motorsport Settlers of Catan Gears of War 2 Sorry Halo 4 Super Jumbo Cards Kinect Adventures* Superfection Kinect Sports* Swap Kung Fu Panda Taboo Lego Indiana Jones Toss Up Lego Marvel Super Heroes Madden NFL 09 Uno Madden NFL 17* What Do You Meme NBA 2K13 Win, Lose or Draw NBA 2K16* Yahtzee NCAA Football 09 NCAA March Madness 07 Need for Speed - Rivals Portal 2 Ruse the Art of Deception trivial pursuit SSX 90's, Genus, Genus 5 Tony Hawk Proving Ground Winter Stars* trivial pursuit * = Works With XBox Connect cards Harry Potter Young Players Edition Upcoming Events in The Sett Program your own event at The Sett union.wisc.edu/sett-events.aspx union.wisc.edu/eventservices.htm.
    [Show full text]
  • 'Rock Vibe' Brings Electronic Music Game to Blind 23 February 2012, by Jennifer Pittman
    'Rock Vibe' brings electronic music game to blind 23 February 2012, By Jennifer Pittman Bridging a divide between sighted and blind View, Calif., as a curriculum developer for summer gamers, University of California, Santa Cruz camps has been funding the project herself. She graduate Rupa Dhillon has created a version of the recently launched an online project fundraiser on musical rhythm "Rock Band" game that everyone Kickstarter.com to get enough cash to polish up a can play. second version of the game. In just a few weeks, she's raised about $12,500 in pledges from 29 "There aren't very many games that cross the backers, including a large financial endorsement divide between sighted users and people who are from Alex Rigopulos, chief executive officer of blind," said Dhillon, 27, who is sighted and known Harmonix Music Systems who has been a strong for her prowess playing Queen's "Bohemian supporter, according to Dhillon. Rhapsody." If she raises $16,500 by Feb. 25, she'll be able to "Rock Band," a popular game created several buy new tools and will donate some of the two- years ago by Boston-based Harmonix Music player games to organizations that work with blind Systems, visually cues players to press buttons on children. On Kickstarter, however, to minimize a "Rock Band" instrument, computer keyboard or funding risks, a project must reach its funding goal MIDI controller connected to their PC or Mac. by a specific deadline or no money changes hands. Players are scored according to how well they follow cues. The Kickstarter website accepts donations of $1 or more although higher donors get a few perks "Rock Vibe" translates the visual cues from "Rock such as the opportunity to request a favorite song Band" into tactile feedback so people who are blind be included in the game, including original works, or sighted can play.
    [Show full text]
  • Psaudio Copper
    Issue 77 JANUARY 28TH, 2019 Welcome to Copper #77! I hope you had a better view of the much-hyped lunar-eclipse than I did---the combination of clouds and sleep made it a non-event for me. Full moon or no, we're all Bozos on this bus---in the front seat is Larry Schenbeck, who brings us music to counterbalance the blah weather; Dan Schwartz brings us Burritos for lunch; Richard Murison brings us a non-Python Life of Brian; Jay Jay French chats with Giles Martin about the remastered White Album; Roy Hall tells us about an interesting day; Anne E. Johnson looks at lesser-known cuts from Steely Dan's long career; Christian James Hand deconstructs the timeless "Piano Man"; Woody Woodward is back with a piece on seminal blues guitarist Blind Blake; and I consider comfort music, and continue with a Vintage Whine look at Fairchild. Our reviewer friend Vade Forrester brings us his list of guidelines for reviewers. Industry News will return when there's something to write about other than Sears. Copper#77 wraps up with a look at the unthinkable from Charles Rodrigues, and an extraordinary Parting Shot taken in London by new contributor Rich Isaacs. Enjoy, and we’ll see you soon! Cheers, Leebs. Stay Warm TOO MUCH TCHAIKOVSKY Written by Lawrence Schenbeck It’s cold, it’s gray, it’s wet. Time for comfort food: Dvořák and German lieder and tuneful chamber music. No atonal scratching and heaving for a while! No earnest searches after our deepest, darkest emotions. What we need—musically, mind you—is something akin to a Canadian sitcom.
    [Show full text]
  • Chris Canfield
    308 Western Ave, Flr 2 1-617-417-0006 Cambridge, MA 02139 [email protected] Chris Canfield http://chriscanfield.net “Few people can walk into a department and have an immediate impact. Chris is one of those people.” - Robert Nelson, 2K Sports Qualifications: Employment History: o Ten years of professional game development experience. Designed for all previous and next-gen platforms, including Xbox Subatomic Studios 360, PS3, Wii, iPhone, iPad, PC, Web, DS, PSP, PS2, GameCube, 2010 - Present Xbox 1, and iPod Video. o Lifetime metacritic average of 84% with multiple games-of-the-year Harmonix Music Systems and an estimated 1.6 billion dollar retail gross. Inc. o Lectured about game design and production at MIT, Worcester 2004 – 2010 Polytechnic, Becker College, McGill University, College Week Online, DARPA, others. o ITT Norwood’s special consultant about game design issues. Stainless Steel Studios Inc. Taught full courses in game design at Bristol Community College, 2003 ITT Tech. o Experience designing for unique devices, including 2D and 3D VCE / Sega Sports cameras, wands, keyboards / mice, gamepads, accelerometers, 2002 Guitars, Drums, and other custom plastic. o Flash, 3DS Max, Visual C++, Unity3D, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, and most major development tools for the PC, 360, and PS3. Education: Masters Professional Roles: Digital Media Northeastern University Senior Designer / Systems Designer / Level Design: 2012 Fieldrunners 2, Guitar Hero II, Dance Central, Rock Band 1, Eyetoy Antigrav, Karaoke Revolution Party, Tinkerbox Bachelor Crafted design vision for the critically acclaimed Guitar Hero 2. Sociology Additionally, spearheaded content implementation teams, defined design University of California, departmental processes, created major gameplay subsystems, laid out Irvine shell flows and usability languages, built discrete sections of level 2001 design, and wrote style bibles.
    [Show full text]