Technoculture, Art and Games (TAG) is an interdisciplinary centre for research/ creation in game studies and design, digital culture and interactive art

Posts by Adam
(32 results)

Research Symposium- Privacy Game brainstorming session

Posted by Adam

Last Wednesday’s Research Symposium was a great success as Shanly Dixon lead a brainstorming session:
“Working on the presumption that people learn through doing, the game design component of the curriculum is intended to provide students with an opportunity to explore definitions and understandings of the concept of privacy through play. Using the Grow-a-Game workshop (created by Tiltfactor as part of Values @ Play) as a model, student will create and pitch game concepts that explore …

Tetris as proletariat metaphor…or something fun

Posted by Adam

Complete History Of The Soviet Union, Arranged To The Melody Of Tetris

Batman Plays Himself as Wii Avatar

Posted by Adam

Batman Video Game Trailor
Kelly Boudreau has suggested that a new identity is fashioned as a player plays an avatar- a hybrid of the two. The linked video portrays Batman as playing himself . While the clip is essentially advertising for a Wii game, it does let us think about what it would be like to play oneself, an unusual but plausible situation.
For myself, when I see Wii players pretending to play tennis, or jive to …

Round Table Reaction- Games as an Object of Art History

Posted by Adam

I sent a long, sprawling email to Bart regarding October 1st’s research round table. This is an further response to Bart’s excellent question as to why an Art Historian/ Aesthetic Philosopher would think he(me) is doing Games Studies.
Are games, especially digital games art? If we define it as such, then yes it is. But Alexander Galloway, and to some extent, myself, offer a binary between games and counter games that chokes off other critical options- …

5 á 7 Symposium- Lumines vs Spartans

Posted by Adam

Just a reminder for this Wednesday’s weekly symposium at 5PM at TAG lab(EV 11. 425, Concordia University)
September 15: Lumines is the game of choice for the night. Saleem has undertaken to bring in Halo: Reach, as well.
Next week:
September 22: Amanda is going to be demoing Propinquity for some feedback before she goes off to Copenhagen to show off her work. (http://www.tag.hexagram.ca/?page_id=363)
UPDATE!
On the announcement for next week, can you add that Cindy will be
leading a …

Game-y Enough For You? : Why defining game elements matters

Posted by Adam

The “what is a game?” discussion has to some extent pitted the philosophical desire to conceptualise and define against the sociological desire to observe and qualify. A short answer to “what is a game?” is answered by “whatever a group accepts as a game”.
Why do I want to define games? I am actually happy with the sociological definition, but with the caveat that we should then ask what elements create a ludic experience.
One …