Emotions, Rhetoric, Mechanics

I haven't updated this section in ages...since the last entry, I've pretty much finished my genre chapter, written some stuff about game rhetoric, and also about emotions that games potentially support.

The last two subject actually seem more and more interconnected, so we'll see if they will merge in the end. Still, during May and June, I hope to complete both. My game mechanics library also needs an attentive eye in the near future.

aki // April 27, 2004 10:17 AM

genre spotting

After a slow start, my chapter on game genres has progressed quite nicely. I'm nearing the completion of a proper first draft. I've promised to put my mechanics chapter online for such a long time now, so I won't make any promises about this one. Still, I'm supposed to move on to game rhetoric and case studies soon, so i will post the genre stuff sometime in spring.

I had to abandon an ambitious plan to analyse every nth game reviewed in Gamespot in order to find out whether there lurks some meta-game behind such popular genre categorizations that Gamespot, among others, uses. But as there does not exist public gaming libraries, the task seems impossible in practice. Alternatively, if I picked the games that I have access to, the premise would not be valid. Maybe future ludologists have it easier ;)

Anyway, the working title is "Three takes on genre: dynamics, theme, pleasure". I certainly think it introduces three useful perspectives to game genres.

aki // February 4, 2004 03:57 PM

genrification

FInally, I'm getting somewhere with the genre chapter. It is basically about genre definitions and their elusiveness, yet I'll present a thematic/dynamic approach to game genres, which is influenced by Rick Altman's theories on film genres.

I'm supposed to submit it for my post-graduate seminar next week - it'll end up there a bit half-baked but the stuff that I've had the time to write is quite ok, I think. Expect to see a PDF draft up some time in January, perhaps...

aki // December 11, 2003 10:48 AM

reschedule time

Ok, I'm ready to admit to the obvious fact. I cannot make my deadline. So, I will set a new one! The best, and most realistic candidate at the moment is March the 19th - just before GDC2004, which I plan to attend.

aki // November 10, 2003 02:55 PM