'Littlebigplanet' Wins Big at Video Game Awards 26 March 2009, by DERRIK J
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Now We Are All Sons of Bitches
Now We Are All Sons of Bitches MICHAEL BONTATIBUS “Wake up, Mr. Freeman. Wake up and smell the ashes,” the enigmat- ic G-Man murmurs as he leers into the camera, finishing an eerie opening monologue—and so begins Half-Life 2, Valve Corporation’s flagship game. The last time we saw Gordon Freeman, the protagonist, the same rigid and mysterious (though more poorly animated, since the prequel was released six years earlier) G-Man was handing him a job offer after witnessing the former scientist transform into a warrior, bent on escaping from the besieged Black Mesa Research Facility alive. Now, suddenly, Freeman finds himself on a train. No context.1 Is it a prison train? The three other individuals on it wear uniforms like those the inmates wore in Cool Hand Luke. The train soon stops at its destination, and we realize that it is a prison train, in a way—Freeman has arrived at the Orwellian “City 17,” where the ironically named Civil Protection abuses and oppresses, where antagonist Dr. Breen preaches poet- ic propaganda from large monitors hung high above the town. In the years since scientists at the facility accidentally opened a gateway between dimen- sions and allowed a bevy of grotesque creatures to spill into our universe, Earth has been taken over by the Combine, an alien multiplanetary empire. Breen is merely Earth’s administrator—and we realize that the ashes the G- Man spoke of were the ashes of the prelapsarian world. It’s classic dystopia, complete with a Resistance, of which Freeman soon finds himself the “mes- sianic” leader (HL2). -
The History of Video Games
The history of video games • Introduction • Arcades • Nintendo • Sega • Sony • Microsoft • PC • Conclusion • Bibliography We are going to talk about the most known gaming systems up until now. We are also going to talk about the major console-producing companies, one by one. Arcade games are coin-operated machines, usually installed in public businesses, such as restaurants. They were most popular from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s. Even though they lost popularity in the western market, they still continue strong in Asian territory such as Japan. Arcades were home to great games like: Mortal Kombat Pac-man And Donkey Kong This is one of the most well-known and prominent video game companies of all time. Although they didn’t start out with video games they had great sucess with the Nintendo Entertainment System and it’s sucessor.Until now they have released the N64, the Gamecube, the Wii and Wii U. They also released various mobile consoles like the Gameboy, Ds, 3Ds and their variants. Nintendo owns great franchises like: Mario Legend of Zelda Metroid And Pokémon SEGA is also a very important company, being the competitor of Nintendo during the 1980s. They achieved this with Sonic, the companie’s mascot. He was a platformer like Nintendo’s Mario, but instead of being an italian plumber he was a fast and “hip” blue hedgehog. In 2001, the Dreamcast (their latest console) failed and forced the company into going third-party. This means they started making games for other consoles instead of their own. They have many iconic franchises like: Crazy Taxi Sonic the Hedgehog And Super Monkey Ball As you know Sony doesn’t only produce games, but they are “big dogs” in the gaming industry. -
Acquiring Literacy: Techne, Video Games and Composition Pedagogy
ACQUIRING LITERACY: TECHNE, VIDEO GAMES AND COMPOSITION PEDAGOGY James Robert Schirmer 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 August 2008 Committee: Kristine L. Blair, Advisor Lynda D. Dixon Graduate Faculty Representative Richard C. Gebhardt Gary Heba © 2008 James R. Schirmer All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Kristine L. Blair, Advisor Recent work within composition studies calls for an expansion of the idea of composition itself, an increasing advocacy of approaches that allow and encourage students to greater exploration and more “play.” Such advocacy comes coupled with an acknowledgement of technology as an increasingly influential factor in the lives of students. But without a more thorough understanding of technology and how it is manifest in society, any technological incorporation is almost certain to fail. As technology advances along with society, it is of great importance that we not only keep up but, in fact, reflect on process and progress, much as we encourage students to do in composition courses. This document represents an exercise in such reflection, recognizing past and present understandings of the relationship between technology and society. I thus survey past perspectives on the relationship between techne, phronesis, praxis and ethos with an eye toward how such associative states might evolve. Placing these ideas within the context of video games, I seek applicable explanation of how techne functions in a current, popular technology. In essence, it is an analysis of video games as a techno-pedagogical manifestation of techne. With techne as historical foundation and video games as current literacy practice, both serve to improve approaches to teaching composition. -
Design Challenge Panel
Hi guys! My name is Anna Kipnis and I work as a Senior Gameplay Programmer at Double Fine Productions. Psychonauts Brutal Legend The Cave Once Upon a Monster Costume Quest Broken Age Just a quick introduction. I’ve worked at Double Fine for 13 years now, on Psychonauts, Brütal Legend, Costume Quest, Once Upon a Monster, The Cave, Broken Age, Amnesia Fortnight Prototype I also designed a prototype for a narrative simulation game, Dear Leader. Headlander Rhombus of Ruin and now I’m working on Headlander and Psychonauts: Rhombus of Ruin. À trente ans, un homme devrait se tenir en main, savoir le compte exact de ses défauts et de ses qualités, connaître sa limite, prévoir sa défaillance - être ce qu'il est. -Albert Camus, Carnets II (janvier 1942 - mars 1951) On the subject of 30 The very first thing I thought of when I heard the theme (30 years) was this quote by Albert Camus At 30 a man should know himself like the palm of his hand, know the exact number of his defects and qualities, know how far he can go, foretell his failures - be what he is. And, above all, accept these things. -Albert Camus, (Notebooks II, Jan 1942 - Mar 1951) On the subject of 30 Here it is in English (read). This is something that I thought a lot about in my 20s, nearing that notorious milestone. And to be honest, I’m not sure that I quite succeeded in answering these questions for myself, which is why the idea of basing a game on this quote is so appealing to me. -
Pdf (Accessed 2.10.14)
Notes 1 Introduction: Video Games and Storytelling 1. It must be noted that the term ‘Narratological’ is a rather loose application by the Ludologists and the implications of this are pointed out later in this chapter. 2. Roland Barthes states that the ‘infinity of the signifier refers not to some idea of the ineffable (the unnameable signified) but to that of a playing [ ...] theText is plural’. Source: Barthes, R., 1977. Image, Music, Text, in: Heath,S.(Tran.), Fontana Communications Series. Fontana, London. pp. 158–159. 3.In Gaming Globally: Production, Play, and Place (Huntemann and Aslinger, 2012),theeditors acknowledgethat ‘while gaming maybe global, gaming cultures and practices vary widely depending on the power and voice of var- ious stakeholders’ (p. 27). The paucity of games studies scholarship coming from some of the largest consumers of video games, such as South Korea, China and India, to name a few, is markedly noticeable. The lack of represen- tation of non-Western conceptions of play culture and storytelling traditions is similarly problematic. 4. Chapter 8 will engage with this issue in more detail. 5. ‘(W)reading’ is preferred over the more commonly used neologism ‘wread- ing’toemphasise the supplementarity of the reading and writingprocesses and also to differentiate it from earlier usage that might claim that the two processes are the same thing. 3 (W)Reading the Machinic Game-Narrative 6. For whichhe is criticisedby Hayles (see Chapter 2). 7. Landow respondstothis by rightly stating that Aarseth misreads his original comment where heclaims that ‘the reader whochooses among linksortakes advantage of Storyspace’s hypertext capabilities shares some of the power of theauthor’(Landow, p. -
Video Games and the Mobilization of Anxiety and Desire
PLAYING THE CRISIS: VIDEO GAMES AND THE MOBILIZATION OF ANXIETY AND DESIRE BY ROBERT MEJIA DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Communications in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2012 Urbana, Illinois Doctoral Committee: Professor Kent A. Ono, Chair Professor John Nerone Professor Clifford Christians Professor Robert A. Brookey, Northern Illinois University ABSTRACT This is a critical cultural and political economic analysis of the video game as an engine of global anxiety and desire. Attempting to move beyond conventional studies of the video game as a thing-in-itself, relatively self-contained as a textual, ludic, or even technological (in the narrow sense of the word) phenomenon, I propose that gaming has come to operate as an epistemological imperative that extends beyond the site of gaming in itself. Play and pleasure have come to affect sites of culture and the structural formation of various populations beyond those conceived of as belonging to conventional gaming populations: the workplace, consumer experiences, education, warfare, and even the practice of politics itself, amongst other domains. Indeed, the central claim of this dissertation is that the video game operates with the same political and cultural gravity as that ascribed to the prison by Michel Foucault. That is, just as the prison operated as the discursive site wherein the disciplinary imaginary was honed, so too does digital play operate as that discursive site wherein the ludic imperative has emerged. To make this claim, I have had to move beyond the conventional theoretical frameworks utilized in the analysis of video games. -
Playstation Fiesta Bowl and the Cactus Bowl
#41 BEST INDIVIDUAL SPONSOR FOLLOW UP REPORT ifea submission 2018 41) BEST INDIVIDUAL SPONSOR FOLLOW-UP REPORT Overview Information Introduction and Description of Main Event The first Fiesta Bowl game was played in 1971 after much effort from a group of nine visionary business leaders who worked tirelessly to bring a post-season college football game to the state of Arizona. Since that time, the Fiesta Bowl organization has grown into much more than just one game. The Fiesta Bowl’s vision is to be a world-class community organization that executes innovative experiences, drives economic growth and champions charitable causes, inspiring pride in all Arizonans. As a nonprofit organization, we believe in the importance of fostering a culture of community outreach and service. Based in Scottsdale, the Fiesta Bowl hosts a variety of local events each year, as well as two elite bowl games – the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl and the Cactus Bowl. Together, these two events generate $170 million in economic impact for the State of Arizona.* In 2014, the Fiesta Bowl became a part of the College Football Playoff along with five other storied Bowl Games, collectively “The New Year’s Six.” Each season, the Fiesta Bowl matchup is determined by an independent selection committee tasked with ranking the top 25 teams in the nation, placing the top four teams in designated Semifinal games and the remaining eight teams in the “Host Bowls.” The Fiesta Bowl is a College Football Playoff Semifinal game every three years, beginning in 2016 and again in 2019. The Fiesta Bowl is played at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona with a stadium capacity of 68,000+. -
Art Worlds for Art Games Edited
Loading… The Journal of the Canadian Game Studies Association Vol 7(11): 41-60 http://loading.gamestudies.ca An Art World for Artgames Felan Parker York University [email protected] Abstract Drawing together the insights of game studies, aesthetics, and the sociology of art, this article examines the legitimation of ‘artgames’ as a category of indie games with particularly high cultural and artistic status. Passage (PC, Mac, Linux, iOS, 2007) serves as a case study, demonstrating how a diverse range of factors and processes, including a conducive ‘opportunity space’, changes in independent game production, distribution, and reception, and the emergence of a critical discourse, collectively produce an assemblage or ‘art world’ (Baumann, 2007a; 2007b) that constitutes artgames as legitimate art. Author Keywords Artgames; legitimation; art world; indie games; critical discourse; authorship; Passage; Rohrer Introduction The seemingly meteoric rise to widespread recognition of ‘indie’ digital games in recent years is the product of a much longer process made up of many diverse elements. It is generally accepted as a given that indie games now play an important role in the industry and culture of digital games, but just over a decade ago there was no such category in popular discourse – independent game production went by other names (freeware, shareware, amateur, bedroom) and took place in insular, autonomous communities of practice focused on particular game-creation tools or genres, with their own distribution networks, audiences, and systems of evaluation, only occasionally connected with a larger marketplace. Even five years ago, the idea of indie games was still burgeoning and becoming stable, and it is the historical moment around 2007 that I will address in this article. -
Community and Practice in Two Generations of Online Illicit Drugs Discussions
Community and practice in two generations of online illicit drugs discussions A thesis submitted to the University of Manchester for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Humanities. 2020 P. O. Enghoff School of Social Sciences, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................. 5 Acknowledgements .............................................................................................. 8 Other acknowledgements .................................................................................... 9 The author .............................................................................................................. 9 Chapter 1. Introduction ..................................................................................... 10 1.1 Background ........................................................................................... 11 1.2 Summary of thesis contents ................................................................ 19 1.2.1 Literature review .......................................................................... 20 1.2.2 Research design ............................................................................. 24 1.2.3 Research papers ............................................................................ 28 1.2.4 Discussion ...................................................................................... 31 Chapter 2. Literature review ............................................................................ -
Creating Games ART & CS 107 Spring 2013 Schedule Revised April 24, 2013; the Schedule Adapts to Your Interests and Ideas Throughout the Semester
Creating Games ART & CS 107 Spring 2013 Schedule Revised April 24, 2013; the schedule adapts to your interests and ideas throughout the semester. Morning: TR 8:30 – 9:45am Hyperlinks are underlined. Chapter Afternoon: Thu. 1 – 4 pm reading is in McGuire and Jenkins, Office hours: (TCL 308) By appointment Creating Games, A K Peters 2008 + (I’m generally accessible–let me know when is best for you) errata TA hours: See website “Homework” is independent work due at the beginning of the following class session. I encourage you to discuss ideas with other students but your work product should solely be your own. When a written response is appropriate, note that scholarly writing includes citations to primary sources, terse style, appropriate vocabulary and tone, and proper English style. The writing center and my office hours are great resources to improve your writing. “Read” and “Play” material has no specific deadline, but should be done close to that day so that we have a common base for discussion. For games, spend at least two hours in actual gameplay, and try to play with other students in the class. Having played a game (i.e., a social and intellectual activity) with someone will help you to know if you can work together effectively on a project. Unless explicitly noted, you are welcome to play a game on a different (equivalent) platform or with your own copy instead of using the library resource. If you make a reasonable attempt to play a game and it is not available, then you can substitute a different game listed on the course web page. -
Trafalgar Square Publishing Spring 2016 Don’T Miss Contents
Trafalgar Square Publishing Spring 2016 Don’t Miss Contents Animals/Pets .....................................................................120, 122–124, 134–135 28 Planting Design Architecture .................................................................................... 4–7, 173–174 for Dry Gardens Art .......................................................8–9, 10, 12, 18, 25–26 132, 153, 278, 288 Autobiography/Biography ..............37–38, 41, 105–106, 108–113, 124, 162–169, 179–181, 183, 186, 191, 198, 214, 216, 218, 253, 258–259, 261, 263–264, 267, 289, 304 Body, Mind, Spirit ....................................................................................... 33–34 Business ................................................................................................... 254–256 Classics ....................................................................................43–45, 47–48, 292 Cooking ......................................................1, 11, 14–15, 222–227, 229–230–248 Crafts & Hobbies .............................................................................21–24, 26–27 85 The Looking Design ......................................................................................................... 19–20 Glass House Erotica .................................................................................................... 102–103 Essays .............................................................................................................. 292 Fiction ...............................................42, -
Depaul Animation Zine #1
Conditioner // Shane Beam D i e F l u c h t / / C a r t e r B o y c e 2 0 1 6 S t u d e n t A c a d e m y A w a r d B r o n z e M e d a l 243 South Wabash Avenue Chicago, IL 60604 #1 zine a z i n e e x p l o r i n g t h e A n i m a t i o n C u l t u r e a t D e P a u l U n i v e r s i t y in Chicago R a n k e d t h e # 1 0 A n i m a t i o n M F A P r o g r a m a n d # 1 4 A n i m a t i o n P r o g r a m i n t h e U . S . b y A n i m a t i o n C a r e e r R e v i e w i n 2 0 1 8 D e P a u l h a s 1 3 f u l l - t i m e A n i m a t i o n p r o f e s s o r s , o n e o f t h e l a r g e s t f u l l - t i m e A n i m a t i o n f a c u l t i e s i n t h e U S , w i t h e x p e r t i s e i n t r a d i t i o n a l c h a r a c t e r a n i m a t i o n , 3 D , s t o r y b o a r d i n g , g a m e a r t , s t o p m o t i o n , c h r a c t e r d e s i g n , e x p e r i m e n t a l , a n d m o t i o n g r a p h i c s .