Category Archives: Blog

Blog

Consuming My (Reading) Feed

I’m on a fellowship leave this semester and, while I’ve got a long list of research and writing to accomplish, there’s no denying that sabbatical has opened up more time in my schedule for reading. I admit I’ve been slacking somewhat on my games reading, and it’s been great to have a chance to catch up on game-based learning and game studies blogs and books.

Before I was a librarian I was an archaeologist, and I’m always interested in reading about gaming and archaeology or history. Play the Past is a group blog “dedicated to thoughtfully exploring and discussing the intersection of cultural heritage (very broadly defined) and games/meaningful play (equally broadly defined).” I’ve read the Play the Past blog intermittently for several years now and I’ve enjoyed the range of topics the blog team covers. The most recent post by Angela R. Cox tackles the challenges of studying and preserving games and play that is ephemeral, and should be of interest to historians, librarians, archaeologists, and museum studies folks, among others.

More recently I’ve stumbled upon the Archaeogaming blog, which covers “the archaeology both of and in video games (console, computer, mobile, etc.).” Archaeogaming is primarily written and maintained by Andrew Reinhard, though guest posts are also welcomed on the site, and posts have ranged from analysis of archaeological components of specific digital games, to discussions about video games at archaeology (and other cultural heritage) conferences, to the excavation of the “Atari Dump Site” in New Mexico a few years ago. This year Andrew has been blogging his PhD thesis research at the University of York, including sharing his bibliography and other preliminary notes.

I’m also a big fan of Not Your Mama’s Gamer, a group blog that aims to “combine feminist interrogation of games with the games community.” The NYMG bloggers discuss both physical and digital games, which fits well with our interests here at the CUNY Games Network and with my own interests, too. Posts cover a range of topics from those that are more analytical games studies pieces to discussions of game-based learning. I especially like the posts in the play with your kids category — they’re typically useful and thought-provoking both from the perspective of a parent/gamer and an educator/gamer. The blog is fairly high volume and I’m still working through my RSS backlog, I confess, but I’m glad to have more time to dig in here this semester.

What game-related blogs, books, and articles are you reading, either for yourself or for your courses (or for your students to read!)? Leave a comment and let us know!

Image by Ed Mitchell

Blog, Social Science Games

Killing Me Softly: A Game of Microaggressions

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It’s been quiet around here lately as all of the CUNY Games Network folks have been working on summer projects (or perhaps wandering the streets of NYC playing Pokemon Go?). I haven’t had as much time to game as I’d like, but a terrific serious game came my way the other day that I wanted to share.

Librarian Fobazi M. Ettarh just released her game Killing Me Softly: A game demonstrating how it feels to suffer microaggressions and acculturative stress day after day. Full disclosure: I playtested this game while Fobazi was developing it, and the final version is even better than the beta.

Killing Me Softly is a web-based text game that uses the Choose Your Own Adventure format to allow players to navigate through the lives of a character as they experience microaggressions, which are “commonly defined as brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults.” Players can choose one of two characters: Alex, a white, able-bodied, gay man with a large social circle; or Leslie, a Black, straight, disabled, woman who has a partner. As you move through Alex’s or Leslie’s days — including interactions with friends, coworkers, and strangers — you make choices that affect subsequent experiences and choices, choices that narrow as the microaggressions mount.

Like many serious games, Killing Me Softly does not have a happy ending — a happy ending isn’t the goal. This game does a fantastic job of showing how microaggressions are experienced and accumulate over the course of days, weeks, and months for many including people of color, LGBT+ folks, and disabled folks. It would be great as a teaching game — a single playthrough takes about 15 minutes, and playing through both characters multiple times effectively demonstrates that, while making choices about each character’s response leads to different outcomes initially, microaggressions are persistent. I highly recommend this game, why not head over to Killing Me Softly and give it a try?

Announcements, Blog, In the News

Revolutionary Learning Conference–Register By Next Tuesday 7/5

Dear CUNY friends,

The CUNY Games Network is teaming up with Excelsior College to bring you another Games Conference this August, and if you register by Tuesday July 5th, all CUNY members can attend for only $150. But you must register by next Tuesday night. See the full announcement below.

Sincerely,

The CUNY Games Network Directors (Joe Bisz, Kathleen Offenholley, Rob Duncan, Carlos Hernandez, Julie A. S. Cassidy, Maura Smale, and Deborah Sturm).

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Join the revolution!- and register for this Revolutionary Learning 2016 Inspiration and Collaboration through Games Conference, this August 17-19 2016 at the Roosevelt Hotel in midtown Manhattan, just up the road from the CUNY Graduate Center.

Participate in CUNY led sessions by Joe Bisz and Kathleen Offenholley (BMCC), Rob Duncan (York College), Deborah Sturm (Staten Island), as well as Lee Sheldon of The Multiplayer Classroom, Nick Fortugno from Parsons and Diner Dash fame, Dr. Michael Levine from Sesame Street Workshop, and a host of other speakers, including hands on sessions.
You will be able to participate in a small learning team and build your own onsite game to be pitched in the closing award ceremonies moderated by NYU professor and start designer Eric Zimmerman. Additionally, a Revolutionary New York Game Arcade will allow attendees time to play educational games, speak with designers, and see live demos from cutting edge independent companies incubated by three of the country’s top universities: NYU, RPI and RIT.Register by Tuesday at midnight for only $150 –a savings of $300! off the regular price–by contacting Conference Chair Dr. David Seelow, directly at his email [email protected] (or calling 518-608-8242 if you cannot email).

http://www.revolutionarylearning.org/