Although many people see videogames as only meant for the purpose of having fun, I think that a lot of learning can be done by playing them. It makes sense that the creators of the games will emphasize fun in their games. This will attract a bigger audience and increase their revenues. People often want…
What does it mean to have an immersive gameplay experience? For me, I thought this meant playing a game for hours with little to no breaks. An experience in which all my attention was devoted to the game. Although I felt somewhat satisfied with my answer, I am still left wondering how I am able…
During last week’s class, there was a session in which Professor Parham played the text-based online game Cat Simulator 3000 as the class watched. It was interesting to observe the dynamic between Parham and us during her gameplay. I noticed a high level of engagement between us and Parham. Although we were not playing the game, we…
As a few of our readings explained, the notion that videogames should be fun (and form of escape) is why some gamers are so resistant to games being critiqued for being racist or sexist, or why they’re so resistant to games addressing social issues. When I read last week’s readings, and when folks in class…
Reading “Self-Saving Princess: Feminism and Post-Play Narrative Modding” was a revelatory, empowering experience. Thinking about Big Problems is more often than not a paralyzing experience. Big Oil, Donald Trump, the possibility of nuclear warfare, widespread misogyny, poverty, neoliberal capitalism, climate change– when we think about these Big Problems, a feeling of doom, like a peach…
