Book Review: Rules of the Game: Quiz Shows and American Culture by Olaf Hoerschelmann Ever wonder why game shows in all their frivolity are enjoyed by Americans? Even deeper than this how do they depict us as Americans? Is that important? What can be defined as a game show? What are its categories? How did…
Game shows have been a part of entertainment, almost from the birth of radio. Academics have for the most part ignored game shows as serious inquiry, interpreting them as mere entertainment instead of a true reflection on the culture from which they were born. Olaf Hoerschelmann, an Associate Professor of Media Theory and Criticism, challenges…
This article could not be timelier. Many of our discussions have strayed into the gender issues that permeate throughout the play industry. Minecraft is now choosing a side in the controversy, by adding the option of a female character. As of Wednesday (4/29/15), Minecraft will introduce Alex and end their gender inequality. Girl characters…
The LEGO Company and their amazing “interlocking bricks” have been household names for almost 70 years, but why? While A Million little Bricks, is to be read as a chronological history, broken down into decade-based chapters, leaving much of the critical reading to the audience, the book is nonetheless a valuable tool when approaching the…
All the readings, while in different manners and lengths, approached the idea of realism in video games. By realism I mean not only the visual representation of the game but also the story line, the tactile sensations it creates, and the ultimate consequences of the game must also approach reality in some light. Bogost’s discussion…
First of all I just want to ask how many tin cans could the U.S. army consume? Caillois made the argument that games and play needed to be outside the realm of real life. He states, “In effect, play is essentially a seperate occupation, carefully isolated from the rest of life, and generally is engaged…
An immense amount of pressure was placed on Chinese athletes by the communist regime. Early in the piece Brownell quotes a narration posted under a picture depicting the May 19 China-Hong soccer tournament that ended in a riot, that states “A nation which in its heart can no longer afford to lose” (p.78). Sports in…
Khusrua and Shirin Playing Polo (ca. 1370-1507) The image depicts a polo match between the Sasanian Prince Khusrau and Shirin. In The Art of Contest chapter on polo, “Polo: the Emperor of Games,” the author describes the significance of the depiction as “the story of the Sasanian prince Khusrau, who falls in love with his Armenian wife Shirin when he…
The use of games and/or sports as a nationalistic tool is an interesting topic. While it is hard to think of a sport that the United States uses to portray national prowess to other nations, excluding the Olympics of course, sports do fit nicely into nationalistic impulses. While all of the readings for this weeks in some…
Moskowitz makes the argument that weiqi serves many purposes in China. It serves several religious agendas, it relates to both traditional and modern society, all while attributing to nationalist and globalist ideologies. The most interesting manifestation of weiqi, is what Moskowitz called the “the world of weiqi” (p. 69). While Moskowitz makes a very interesting argument…
