SPRING EVENTS CALENDAR INSIDE, PAGE 23 Comparative Media Studies | Writing In Medias Res cmsw.mit.edu spring 2015 Comparative Media Studies|Writing “SPRING” 2015 ABOUT IN MEDIAS RES MIT Comparative Media Studies/Writing 14E-303 and E15-331 Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA 02139 617.253.3599 / [email protected] / cmsw.mit.edu cmsw.mit.edu/magazine Head Edward Schiappa Research Managers “Even without all the negative associa- Federico Casalegno, Mobile Experience Lab tions with the term gamer though, many Ian Condry, Creative Communities Initiative people probably would not want to admit Sasha Costanza-Chock, Center for Civic Media that they prioritize games over other aspects Kurt Fendt, HyperStudio of life. Video games have existed for decades, Fox Harrell, ICE Lab they’re the largest entertainment industry in Suzanne Lane, Writing, Rhetoric, and the world, and many people now make their Professional Communication living playing games, yet somehow we still Nick Montfort, The Trope Tank 3 TO OUR READERS have not legitimized games as a pastime.” Scot Osterweil, The Education Arcade In Medio Nix —Jesse Sell, p. 5 Philip Tan, MIT Game Lab Edward Schiappa Sarah Wolozin, Open Documentary Lab 4 Feature “Traditional storytelling is media specific; Gamer Identity you make a film, a radio story, a television Core Staff Jesse Sell, CMS ’15 show, etc. Today, digital documentaries Gabriella Horvath are informed by games, civic engagement, Financial Assistant Feature 6 activism, artificial intelligence, and creative Jill Janows EdTechX computing.” Director, Grants Development Philip Tan, Eric Klopfer, and Shannon Larkin —Sarah Wolozin, p. 9 Louisa Rosenheck Graduate Administrator INTERVIEW Karinthia Louis 9 “Critical to any new technology’s success Documentaries, MIT-Style Administrative Assistant is having a cadre of people who are able to Michael Rapa 10 NEWS lead the development of new legal and social Technology Support Specialist Creating User-Friendlier frameworks for dealing with the ambiguity Becky Shepardson Environments and contingencies brought about by a new Academic Coordinator Steve Calechman technology.” Sarah Smith Administrative Officer —Chelsea Barabas, p. 15 12 Feature Steven Strang Eyes Over Kenya Director, Writing and Communication Center Chelsea Barabas, CMS ’15 Image above: MIT students on top of post- Jessica Tatlock blizzard snow pile behind Simmons Hall. Assistant to the Head PEOPLE, PLACES, THINGS 18 —Photo by Tom Gearty, featured by Spectrum, Andrew Whitacre Personal and Project Updates a publication of the MIT Office of Resource Communications Director 23 EVENTS Development: http://spectrum.mit.edu/ cmsw.mit.edu/people Spring 2015 Talks continuum/the-alps-of-mit. TO OUR READERS Or So Far, “In Medio Nix” By Edward Schiappa, Head of Comparative Media Studies/Writing “As I write this, the Boston area is dealing with one of its snowiest winters in history, with blizzard conditions shutting down mass transit and closing schools and universities, including MIT. As this issue of In Medias Res testifies, however, the challenging weather has not slowed the pace of activities of the denizens of CMS/W!” reetings! didn’t quite work and what worked splen- in deploying drone technologies in a sustain- As I write this, the Boston didly. able way. The goal of their trip was to identify area is dealing with one of its Two of our most visible and active the sort of support needed for drones to be a snowiest winters in history, research groups are the Open Documentary sustainable component of Kenyan conserva- Gwith blizzard conditions shutting down mass Lab (ODL) and the Mobile Experience Lab tion efforts (p. 12). transit and closing schools and universities, (MEL). ODL is directed by Sarah Wolozin We close this issue with summaries of ac- including MIT. As this issue of In Medias Res with Professor William Uricchio as Principal tivities by individuals and the research groups testifies, however, the challenging weather Investigator. Nancy DuVergne Smith of the affiliated with CMS/W. The breadth of ac- has not slowed the pace of activities of the MIT Alumni Association sat down with tivities going on here is great. denizens of CMS/W! Wolozin to talk about the “Moments of In- Throughout the spring semester, CMS/W We are fewer in number this spring as a novation” website, co-constructed with the hosts an impressive series of guest speakers number of our faculty are away on sabbati- International Documentary Festival of Am- engaging topics as varied as comic books to cals and leaves. As a result, we have decided sterdam’s Doclab (p. 9). hate crimes in cyberspace. Some highlights to postpone our biennial Media in Transition MEL is directed by Associate Professor of include our MLK Visiting Scholar Coco conference for one year, but look forward to the Practice Federico Casalegno. As Steve Fusco, who will preview her fall 2015 book organizing it for spring 2016. We also look Calechman’s article demonstrates, MEL is at on “performance and politics in Cuba” on forward to telling you all about the accom- the forefront of explore the design of tech- the role of the state in Cuban art during the plishments of our faculty on leave when nology aimed at enhancing people’s experi- 1980s; Kevin Driscoll, who locates the roots everyone returns this fall. ences of locations we typically experience on of social media as we think of it in the bulletin Our vibrant curriculum in gaming a transitory basis, such as a gas station, res- board systems of the early web; and Thomas continues to be enormously popular with taurant, or hotel lobby. If you want to see the DeFranz on queer social dance in African- MIT undergraduates, and the role of games future of such places, then you should check American communities. We’re particularly in society continues to be reflected upon by out what MEL is up to! (p. 10) excited to have Driscoll and DeFranz here: faculty and graduate students as well, as the Chelsea Barabas (CMS ’15) tells us about both have roots at CMS/W, with Driscoll essay by Jesse Sell (CMS ’15) illustrates. her trip over MIT’s Independent Activities a 2009 graduate of our Comparative Media Carole Urbano and Philip Tan then tell Period to Kenya, where she and graduate Studies master’s program and DeFranz a us about the role of Education Arcade and student Jude Mwenda (MAS, ’15) worked former MIT professor affiliated with us MIT Game Lab in the launch of the first with wildlife conservancies to conduct a fea- before his departure for Duke in 2011. See two courses of EdTechX, a series of massive sibility study for the use of drone technologies p. 23 for a full list of this spring’s events, and open online courses (MOOCs) dedicated to to support anti-poaching activities. Barabas join us if you can. the subject of educational technology. Their and Mwenda conducted a series of workshops narrative illustrates the enormous amount of with wildlife conservation workers and local work that goes into the creation of MOOCs, communities bordering wildlife parks in and they provide a candid account of what order to understand the challenges they face spring 2015 3 FEATURESFEATURE Gamer Identity Is it time to shed “gamer” altogether? Jesse Sell, CMS ’15 ecently in a course I’m assisting, I asked the students to to identify their player type quickly and easily. I was intrigued and go around the room and choose which one of Richard decided to keep digging. “By a show of hands, how many of you play Bartle’s player types1 they identify most strongly with. video games?” All but a few hands went up. “Okay, how many of you Bartle’s types include the achiever, the explorer, the consider yourselves to be gamers?” Only a small handful of students Rkiller, and the socializer. The article focuses particularly on Multiple kept their hands in the air. Interesting. User Dungeons, but the player types are easily applicable to almost So what, then, does gamer mean? It clearly isn’t just “one who plays any variety of game. games”. It is much more complicated than that. It comes with a whole Achievers are the type of people to go through a game with the goal set of characteristics that aren’t easy to pinpoint. It’s the classic “know of completing everything the game has to offer. If there is an award to it when you see it” identification. With issues like #gamergate2 and be won, the achiever is going after it. Explorers are inclined to com- other re-defining moments in the video game industry, it is time we petitiveness and spend their time finding the outer edges of the game. look at the term gamer and either discard it or reshape it. Easter eggs and secrets are paydirt for explorers. Killers are exactly I’ve long held the opinion that anyone who plays a game is a gamer. what they sound like. Closely related to griefers, they spend their time It’s been a matter of inclusion for me. I want the term gamer to be hunting down other players, preying on the “weaker” types. Finally, less strange. If more people identify as gamers, it somehow validates the socializers are those players who spend their time chatting with or my own longtime gamer identification. After speaking with this class helping others. They may be a knowledgebase for the other players, or though, I had to change how I define gamer. they may simply enjoy spending time with others instead of seeking Take a moment to think of what gamer means to you. their own rewards. So, is gamer a negative term? More than likely, you’ve conjured up As the exercise unfolded, the entire class identified most strongly a very particular image in your head.