What Made you Smile/What Ticked you off Today?

[dsheinem]

Nice subject! Maybe JT can be brought in as a guest speaker?

That's actually not a bad idea

JT, do you do any game-related psych research?

[J T]

Frown: PC PSU, lawn tractor, and recently laid bathroom tile grout all broke this weekend. I'm trying to get all repaired before next weekend, starting with the PC tonight.

Smile: It is the final week of school - no teaching or regular visits to campus until late August!

Another smile: I teach this in the fall -

The Art, History, and Culture of Video Games (FYS 107)

Have you ever argued with someone about whether video games should be considered art? Do you think that video games provide a unique perspective on life that isn't offered by other mediums? Are you interested in the history of the video game industry and what its future might hold? Do you want to learn how to play video games with a critical mindset?

In this course, students will analyze the ways that video games have shaped a wide variety of cultural and social practices both in the United States and globally. Students will learn how games and their various effects have been studied in a wide variety of traditional academic disciplines as well as in the emerging field of Game Studies. Students will have opportunities to experience and play a variety of games across many platforms, to create compelling writing about games, and to recognize connections between research on video games and ongoing changes in the video game industry.

Oh man, that would be so much fun to teach! I'm jealous, but congratulaions on working this into university curriculum. The fact that videogames are being discussed academically as an artform at the college level gives even more evidence that they can be considered art.

[Hobie-wan]

I miss my school lunches, they were awesome!

I generally took my lunch, but occasionally I bought it at the cafeteria. When I was in elementary school, there were 2 things I really liked at mine, the roast (in gravy) over rice and the birthday cake dessert. Everyone called the former roaches over lice and the cake always had pale pink frosting, but they were both good.

In high school they started doing a baked potato bar on Fridays. They did eventually cut down where the toppings were in little cups and you could only get 1 instead of loading up buffet style, but I got that a lot.

[J T]

Nice subject! Maybe JT can be brought in as a guest speaker?

That's actually not a bad idea

JT, do you do any game-related psych research?

No, I don't. My research has all been on emotional development and the treatment of suicide. However, I've been much more interested in studying behavioral treatments for chronic pain lately and I am going on internship this next year where I will be doing some clinical work that will likely involve virtual reality games. Researchers at the University of Washington, Hoffman and Patterson, developed a VR game called Snow World that they use to help manage the pain of debriding treatments that are a necessary part of recovering from a burn. I'm planning on doing a rotation at the burn ward, so I should get a chance to use it in my practice.

[Ack]

Nice subject! Maybe JT can be brought in as a guest speaker?

That's actually not a bad idea

JT, do you do any game-related psych research?

No, I don't. My research has all been on emotional development and the treatment of suicide. However, I've been much more interested in studying behavioral treatments for chronic pain lately and I am going on internship this next year where I will be doing some clinical work that will likely involve virtual reality games. Researchers at the University of Washington, Hoffman and Patterson, developed a VR game called Snow World that they use to help manage the pain of debriding treatments that are a necessary part of recovering from a burn. I'm planning on doing a rotation at the burn ward, so I should get a chance to use it in my practice.

I hope you love barbecue.

[Luke]

HEY HEY NOW... it was good with ranch dressing, ALRIGHT?

Smiling and such. You weird-o.

...the treatment of suicide.

Do you sell the body bags or put the subject in them?

[REPO Man]

Just met with the guy looking to buy my copy of Metroid Prime Trilogy. Got $60 for it. Not bad considering that I bought it new for $50, especially now since money's pretty scarce until I can find a job.

[Luke]

Another smile: I teach this in the fall -

The Art, History, and Culture of Video Games (FYS 107)

Have you ever argued with someone about whether video games should be considered art? Do you think that video games provide a unique perspective on life that isn't offered by other mediums? Are you interested in the history of the video game industry and what its future might hold? Do you want to learn how to play video games with a critical mindset?

In this course, students will analyze the ways that video games have shaped a wide variety of cultural and social practices both in the United States and globally. Students will learn how games and their various effects have been studied in a wide variety of traditional academic disciplines as well as in the emerging field of Game Studies. Students will have opportunities to experience and play a variety of games across many platforms, to create compelling writing about games, and to recognize connections between research on video games and ongoing changes in the video game industry.

Love you Dish, and you know it. I also think it's awesome you have the opportunity to teach a course that touches on a subject that is close to your heart.

That said, if I was paying for my kid to attend a major University and saw this course on his schedule I would have to have a one on one with you and bluntly ask "What is your goal for the students in your course, why should they choose your course over other electives, and how is your course relevant to my son getting a job in a related field?".

I'm sure you'll answer those questions in your syllabus, but when I took "Bowling" as my athletic elective my parents were pissed. If I told them "I'm taking a course on video game history and video game business" they would have been livid.

[Jmustang1968]

Another smile: I teach this in the fall -

The Art, History, and Culture of Video Games (FYS 107)

Have you ever argued with someone about whether video games should be considered art? Do you think that video games provide a unique perspective on life that isn't offered by other mediums? Are you interested in the history of the video game industry and what its future might hold? Do you want to learn how to play video games with a critical mindset?

In this course, students will analyze the ways that video games have shaped a wide variety of cultural and social practices both in the United States and globally. Students will learn how games and their various effects have been studied in a wide variety of traditional academic disciplines as well as in the emerging field of Game Studies. Students will have opportunities to experience and play a variety of games across many platforms, to create compelling writing about games, and to recognize connections between research on video games and ongoing changes in the video game industry.

Love you Dish, and you know it. I also think it's awesome you have the opportunity to teach a course that touches on a subject that is close to your heart.

That said, if I was paying for my kid to attend a major University and saw this course on his schedule I would have to have a one on one with you and bluntly ask "What is your goal for the students in your course, why should they choose your course over other electives, and how is your course relevant to my son getting a job in a related field?".

I'm sure you'll answer those questions in your syllabus, but when I took "Bowling" as my athletic elective my parents were pissed. If I told them "I'm taking a course on video game history and video game business" they would have been livid.

It is about as relevant as any other art/cultural elective to getting a job. Not much different than a film or media course.

[Luke]

It is about as relevant as any other art/cultural elective to getting a job. Not much different than a film or media course.

And if that is the answer I received, I would pull my son from the course.

"Because" is not an answer, rather an excuse.