Via GrandTextAuto: An AP wire service story on the rapidly emerging field of Ludology, or the study of (video) games:
"Rejecting the stigma that games are only for kids, researchers around the world are making computer games the subject of serious academic pursuit alongside literature, music and art. They are staking out space in universities -- with Ph.D. programs, research centers and online journals."
Espen Aarseth gets a mention.
Posted by mgk at February 15, 2004 10:08 PMTimely for our class context -- and well worth the read -- at least for someone like myself who isn't (gasp) deep into game playing or its study. The particular tangent that caught my interest was a subtext on why games deserve to be studied a la movies -- new medium etc. It brought to mind Ella Shohat/Robert Stam's critique in 'Unthinking Eurocentrism: Multiculturalism and the Media' that we have been most inattentive to the global historical context at the time that movies made their appearance and that we need to study the imbrications of imperialism within that medium (something Andrew knows a lot more about than I do, certainly). At any rate, my wondering is if/when ludology will situate game playing in a similiarly 'big picture' way -- beyond and yet in dialogue with its discursive formations/reflections of consumerism, violence, gender etc.
Posted by: Kimberlee at February 17, 2004 04:22 PM