Interview

Close Playing (with Theresa Tanenbaum)

How do we go about analyzing video games? Well, close playing is one of the most prominent methods to do so. Together with Prof. Dr. Theresa Jean Tanenbaum, we discuss what close playing means and how to pragmatically go about it. Shownotes Well read: Applying close reading techniques to gameplay experiences (Jim Bizzocchi and Theresa Tanenbaum)…

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The Magic of Motion Capturing (with Jimmy Corvan)

Motion capturing might look so smooth and effortless on screen but it is often the result of an intricate process. Our guest, Jimmy Corvan, can attest to that. He worked at the motion capture studio House of Moves for eleven years and shares his insights on how characters in The Last of Us, Mortal Kombat, Call of Duty and…

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Trauma in Video Games (with Thomas Spies)

Oh no, your family has been abducted and your village burnt to the ground! Better start a bloody vendetta…or so the story of many video games starts out. Our guest, Dr. Thomas Spies, argues in favour of more complex and differentiated trauma representations. Here’s our conversation about titles such as Max Payne, Distraint, The Last…

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True Sight (with Sarah Stang)

Seeing beyond what seems to be real, seeing a ‘truth’ obscured from others—there seems to be a proper fascination with this exclusive gaze. We explore the notion of true sight in video games such as The Cat Lady and Fran Bow with Dr. Sarah Stang, Assistant Professor of Game Studies at Brock University in Canada. Shownotes Madness as True…

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Extremism in Gaming Communities (with Rachel Kowert)

Gaming communities can be a lovely place of bonding and encouragement. However, and in no contradiction to the former, they can also be excluding, pervaded by extremism, and profoundly hostile towards anything ‘different’. Why is that so and what can we do about it? – Those are the questions we ask Dr. Rachel Kowert, renowned…

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Games as Historical Problem Spaces (with Jeremiah McCall)

From Assassin’s Creed to Civilization and from The Oregon Trail to Valiant Hearts—video games are profoundly fascinated with history. But how can we analyse those representations of history without simply ‘fact checking’ the games? We are joined by the historian and long-running high school teacher Dr. Jeremiah McCall for a conversation about his framework of…

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The Ethics of Pirating Video Games (with Shlomo Sher and Andy Ashcraft)

Most of us have done it at some point, possibly without any awareness of the harm it might cause. After all, piracy has for a long time been an integral part of video game culture. To discuss whether there is any moral angel from which piracy can be justified, we collaborate with Shlomo Sher, Philosophy…

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Spiritual Experiences (with Dr. Felix Schniz)

Have you ever made a spiritual experience when playing a video game? Some downright lend themselves to it, such as Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture or Journey. But how would you know whether any experience is spiritual and aren’t video games with their technological foundation pretty much the opposite of transcendental? We discuss exactly such questions with Dr….

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Computer Education (with Linda Liukas)

Understanding the workings of computers, coding, and technological infrastructure is one of the most imperative skills of the 21st century. Even more important then is to introduce children to such concepts. But how? – With the award winning children’s book series Hello Ruby, our guest Linda Liukas rethinks how to convey computer education in an approachable yet equally…

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Learning Japanese with Video Games (with Matt/Game Gengo)

Learning any language is a lengthy and, at times, tedious endeavour. So why not make the process as fun as possible? – On his YouTube channel Game Gengo (ゲーム言語) our guest, Matt, does exactly that. Because how could learning Japanese be more fun than learning with video games? In our side quests we then review the language…

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