When: March 13th at 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Where: EV 11.425, 1515 St. Catherine O.
Who: Miriam Verburg (see bio below)
Details: This will be a casual talk given by game scholar, designer and activist Miriam Verburg. There will be cookies and juice – but feel free to bring your lunch.
Abstract: Girls just want to have (serious) fun
Why is that games can’t be fun and good? Seasoned game designer and digital strategist (and all around fun girl) Miriam Verburg will explore how games, enjoyment, moral education, and psychological health go together in the popular imagination. Using case studies from a variety of game modes including console, casual and mobile gaming this talk will explore why ‘fun’ games, like the hero of the recent Disney film Wreck it Ralph, are struggling to escape the metaphorical confines of 1980’s arcade machine. A reliance on shooter and arcade mechanics limits the imagination of both what a game can be, and who the player is. She will also highlight key problems in ‘serious’ gaming: Namely, the fact that serious games often forget that the main goal of games is enjoyment, pleasure and the thrill of play. The talk will end in a discussion of what can be done to create some serious fun in games.
Miriam Verburg Bio
Miriam Verburg specializes in creating inspiring online and mobile products for children, youth & women, shaping experiences that help people feel good about themselves and the world.
With over 10 years experience developing and managing new media projects for the private sector and non-profit organizations she has a comprehensive knowledge of creating amazing products for a specialized audience.
Her agency Bloom Digital Media offers a la carte project management, user experience consultation, game design and digital strategy for consumer-facing health technology initiatives, in particular those geared towards young people.
A captivating speaker Miriam presents with warmth and intelligence. She respects her audience and their motivations for listening. Miriam is a member of the women’s gaming collective DMG-TO, Interactive Ontario, and a faculty member at Centennial College in the Interactive Digital Media and Children’s Entertainment post-graduate programs. Miriam has a BFA and an MA in media studies from Concordia University. Her thesis work explored the role of mentoring relationships in youth media projects.
Bloom digital is currently bootstrapping “Long Story: A game about surviving your teen-age years”. A resilience-based dating game for girls, Long Story will go into prototype production through a Centennial College applied research project grant in summer 2013.
Bloom Digital Website: http;//bloomdgital.to
Long Story dev blog: http://longstorygame.tumblr.com
Long Story demo reel: http://longstorygame.com
Twitter: @bloomdigitalmed @mirverburg @longstorygame