Koine for Beginners
Elementary Greek is an ancient a Greek text that’s both simple and substantial. Designed to be used as a full course for teaching children as young as 2nd or 3rd grade, Elementary Greek may also serve as a self-teaching program for teens and adults. No previous knowledge is necessary and each concept is covered thoroughly and reviewed regularly throughout the… read more
In Games & Culture 1:1 (2006).
This article explores comparative criticism and videogame software development through thef igure of the bricoleur, the handyman who assembles units of preexisting meaning to form new structures. An intersection of these two domains — what the author calls comparative videogame criticism –suggests a more intimate interrelation between criticism and production. The author offers a critique of functionalist approaches to videogame… read more
Problem Solving with Programming, Systems, and Play. In the Journal of Media Literacy 52, no. 1-2 (2005).
Some 30 years ago, the first wave of personal computers spawned a surge of interest in programming education, especially in getting children to program. At the Xerox Palo Alto Research (PARC) group, Alan Kay and Adele Goldberg proposed an environment in which anyone could program simulations (Kay & Goldberg 1977). Using their object-oriented Smalltalk language, Kay and Goldberg argued that… read more
A riposte to the Critical Simulation section of Noah Wardrip-Fruin and Pat Harrigan's edited collection First Person
You can buy First Person: New Media as Story, Performance, and Game in print. You an also read this article with cross-references to other pieces in the volume at the electronic book review. Simon Penny discusses a specific kind of physical embodiment, having to do with corporeal coupling to simulation devices and videogame characters. Reading his call to consider the… read more
On videogames as art. From the IGDA Ivory Tower Column.
When it comes to industry and academic collaboration, I can say with certainty that both sides are dealing in good faith; all of us are confident that some real benefit will come from cooperation. But so far, most talk about collaboration has focused on foreseeable ends. Games are big business, so both publishers and developers need to keep their eyes… read more