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Closing Thoughts on Course

jmelo18

Over the course of the semester, we have explored a plethora of topics related to games and how they affect many different facets of our lives: from politics, to identity, to experience, etc. We even learned how to make games utilizing distinct platforms for game creation. Overall, this course challenged me to think about games in a new light. Despite being a relatively new media form in the context of modernity, the importance of video games continues to grow as the years go by. It is becoming a field in its own right, and learning about it through a literary … Continue reading Closing Thoughts on Course

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Video games and Politics

jmelo18

How can video games be used in politics? What is the relationship between games and elections? Campaigning has grown increasingly mediatized, but little attention is given to the role of video games in both politics and elections. Games and their platforms are undoubtedly affected by politics. In our class, we got the chance to play Killbox that touched on the theme of drone bombing in Palestine. This game is an example of how games can depict real-life conditions that are the result of war or politics. But how can games go beyond just attempting to depict scenarios of political life? … Continue reading Video games and Politics

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Headshots: The Video Game Experience and Reality

dw4599

One conceptual structure introduced in the Phillips article is the idea of a head shot. Concerning the head shot, Phillips makes a distinction between head shots in reality and head shots in video games in two areas: associated feelings, and the experience. Concerning associated feelings, head shots in history and literature are seen as symbols of anxiety and brutality while head shots in video games are seen as symbols of skill and accomplishment. Concerning experience, Phillips notes that head shots in video games cannot possibly reflect the real experience of shooting a gun. Phillips points out occurrences such as breathing … Continue reading Headshots: The Video Game Experience and Reality

Theory & Criticism2 Comments

How Some Women Use the Title of Gamers to Put Down Other Women

gen5659

There seems to be a trend among some women, where they try to distance themselves as much as possible from other women in order to be seen as different or unique. These women tend to put down other women by saying things like, “I’m not like other women, I do this.” For example, some women pride themselves on the fact that they’re just “one of the boys” and do not engage in stereotypically feminine activities. This attitude is rooted in internalized misogyny. One of the ways in which this manifests itself is when women who identify as gamers use their … Continue reading How Some Women Use the Title of Gamers to Put Down Other Women

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Mobile Gaming

johnjay12

While we did look at some games that were compatible with mobile devices, the focus of this semester was generally on games that are played on consoles or PCs. This makes sense as most gaming is focused on these platforms, but I do feel like there is a lot to look at for mobile games,  including how they currently shape how gaming looks, and what the future holds for them. From my experience, mobile gaming is generally for casual gamers who want a fun way to pass a few minutes here and there while they are on the go or … Continue reading Mobile Gaming

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Avengers + Fortnite: A Look at Movies and Games Combining Forces

johnjay12

Recently, Avengers: Infinity War came out to raving reviews and huge box office success. Breaking multiple sales and popularity records, the third installment of Avengers has been all over the news and anecdotally, has been the talk among many of my friends who have seen it (unfortunately I have not gotten the chance to see the movie, but after reading and hearing so many good things about, I am planning on it as soon as possible). In fact, each time someone I knew went to see it, I would ask them about it and receive the same answer which was … Continue reading Avengers + Fortnite: A Look at Movies and Games Combining Forces

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My Thoughts on “Self-Saving Princess: Feminism and Post-Play Narrative Modding”

gen5659

I’m going to be honest, this article was pretty hard to read. As a woman, it was difficult to read about the horrible and cruel responses that Anita Sarkeesian and Jennifer Hepler received for the ways in which they “modded” games. The misogynistic and graphic threats made towards both women just further shows how toxic the gamin community can be. I wrote a blog post a little while back about the kids of topics that the gaming community seems to find acceptable to discuss, and this article really reminded me of that piece. Games can touch upon extremely heavy topics such as … Continue reading My Thoughts on “Self-Saving Princess: Feminism and Post-Play Narrative Modding”

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Another GOW 4 review

tlaminator

Having a rather manageable finals week schedule means I get to spend some time actually using my PS4 , which has been collecting dust since the beginning of the semester. God of War 4 (GOW 4), a recent AAA PS4 exclusive, has been on the top of my list of games to play since its release date earlier this April. This past weekend, I finally got a chance to play it for a solid few hours. While the setting of the story is a bit different (GOW 4 is steeped in Norse mythology as opposed to the usual Greek gods … Continue reading Another GOW 4 review