A Wii and an Xbox360 in class this sat!

Now that I got your attention, some announcements:

1) Game Sharing Day!

Is this saturday Feb 1. My opportunity to let you guys play/see the games I plan to discuss in the coming class days, as well as a chance for all of us to share some of the other games we've used as examples to the rest of our classmates.

So if you have a laptop or USB drive full of games, or maybe a DS or PSP, or some board/card games, or whatever else you want to analyze, ask about, play with your classmates or just exude your fanboy/fangirl energies about, bring them this sat!

The tuesday/friday classes are welcome to join in as well (since this friday jan 31 is a holiday). I'll be in school all day (room 1115 in the morning, and 818/817 in the afternoon).

I'll still be checking attendance for the wed/sat people, by the way.


2) About the Jan 28/29 paper submission: 

My apologies, I probably wasn't too clear with what exactly was supposed to be discussed in this one; some people submitted essays that were meant more for the questions posted here in this blog.
Anyway, lemme straight up post here the guidelines for the Dramatic Elements paper essay (at most 5 pages):

Pick a game.
-A quick summary of what the game is about, how it's played.
-Is there a premise or backstory? How is this revealed in the game? (Through cutscenes? Text windows and spoken dialogue? Sound effects and music? A particular set of rules and procedures?)
-What's the challenge being presented? What skills are demanded from the player, and how are they used in the game (ex. the ability to strategize, the ability to spot color & space patterns, the ability to bluff)? What feedback does the game use to let him know of his progress/success/failure(visuals, sound effects, a big ol' "YOU FAIL" sign in his face)? How do the player's skills and the opposition he is presented with (be it computer opponents or other players) progress/escalate, and how is the balance between them maintained (if it isn't balanced, why not?)? Discuss the formal elements that help to enforce these.
-What's the potential for play? (what kind of play can happen in the game? in what ways can a player approach the game? ) Discuss the formal elements that allow for these to happen.

AKA What dramatic elements can be found in your game of choice?


I'll leave it to your own judgement. If you feel that what you gave me on Jan 29 doesn't match the above, feel free to submit a new piece. I'll give you guys till Wed, Feb 5 to resubmit your papers if you need to.

Refer to the Dramatic Elements recap post if you need a reviewer to help with this.


3) Blog comment deadline?

Some people have asked, what's the deadline for making the comment in the blog posts?

I clarify it now, you have until the Midterm to leave your comments. Any later, and I can't use them to add to your grade.


That be all for now.