So I just finished up the beta version of my project.
I was hoping to add this picture to the main menu screen, but I worked on it for 45 minutes and just couldn’t figure it out.
Oh, well.
I hope that you enjoy it.
April 28, 2010
Archived Entry
- Post Date :
- April 28, 2010 at 12:33 am
- Category :
- Uncategorized
- Do More :
- You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
- Comment
- Reblog
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Theories of Texts and Tech
%d
April 30, 2010 at 4:33 am
All classes should be taught as a game — at least for people like me. 🙂 I’d be a walking library at this point. You clearly put a lot of work into allowing the user to both learn the information and feel as though he/she has a choice in the process. What I took from this is that learners may enjoy having game-like options in their schooling; by the end, they are the ones choosing to study the information, and that may make them more invested.
Apart from that — what did you use to create this? 🙂
May 3, 2010 at 4:20 am
Thanks! I already foresee there being a much larger project in this thing. 🙂
I used Ren’Py to make this game. It’s totally freeware and pretty easy to use once you look up some of the basics.
April 30, 2010 at 7:04 am
“The actors have to deform it in order to perform it.” Nice. I’ll probably never think about “a play” the same again, but what is theory (or The Ory) if not something that has us challenge what we take for granted? This was enjoyable, and I must say I’m glad you put save-game functionality in, or I would never have “won” 😉
May 3, 2010 at 4:22 am
Thanks! I think media studies could actually learn a lot from the theory that goes into producing stage plays from scripts. I really wanted to try and stimulate people to think in new ways so I’m glad that it worked for you.
Saving is important and should come standard in the game of life.
May 2, 2010 at 6:21 pm
I liked how it referenced itself and the discussion of databases, and think in general this could be a fascinating larger project (talk to Jichen Zhu and Robb Lindgren and Rudy McDaniel), but outside of a small group this approach has a higher bar than a traditional essay (that is meant as encouragement and enthusiasm, but also a warning). OK, but I wish you had avatars for some other characters like Rice, McGann, O’Gorman, Hayles. It did not seem to push beyond a glancing reference to many of the issues (maybe you handle databases the best and other issues, like e-crit, less eloquently) You ask some interesting questions about identity and place, but you don’t set those questions into the play of the game — well, a bit with the backgrounds changing … The ending seems arbitrary, but I liked how you could either win or loose.
I had a 9 year old and a 13 year old play it. The 9 year had many complaints, and wants to have you teach her how to make a video game, but the 13 year old really loved it, and thinks it is the future of school … The grumpy old Professor just worries that if you use a novel form, then you need to load it up with multiple layers of meaning (and felt like this game had only a literal level) … and we want to seek the allegorical, analogical, and metaphoric-literal levels too.
OK? — kudos and appreciation for the risk taking — that applies to all the gamers …
May 2, 2010 at 7:20 pm
I thought this was a particularly effective example of demonstrating your theory in practice. You had a character who was telling what was going on, but you were showing the theory behind it the whole time.
May 3, 2010 at 4:24 am
Thanks! I was really trying to get users to come up with a lot of their own “theory” as they interpreted what was going on.
This, however, make it an antithesis your well organized, useful theory that actually has some real value. 🙂
May 3, 2010 at 1:50 am
Question: Are we to sign up for this service? If all the comments to the effect are correct, my kids would love to play this, too. Thanks.
May 3, 2010 at 4:36 am
I’m actually already planning a larger project that will be a great deal more sensical and informative (my original plan was to give an overview of media theory starting with Plato and going forward before this whole thing about producing theory came up.)
This summer is already looking packed so I’m actually already making plans to develop a genuine formal game next summer. I’m sure your kids would like that even better!
May 3, 2010 at 9:42 pm
This was neat and I too will never think of play the same way again. I have read a lot about people creating games to teach kids but most of the games seemed dull or if they were neat what you were to learn from them seemed very vague… but yours was both interesting and engaging. Great work. I agree with Craig talk to Rudy about making this into a larger project, they come up with some neat stuff over there in digital humanities.
May 5, 2010 at 2:20 am
This really makes me realize how much I need to study theater theory. Also, creepy bunny is still very creepy!