Today’s Plan:
- Office Hours
- Sicart Review Activity
- Discuss A Wolf Among Us
- Homework
Office Hours
This semester my office hours will be on Tuesdays from 12:30 to 3:00. I am also available by appointment. My office is in a sub-hallway in Ross hall, 1180D.
Why should you come to office hours:
- You want to talk about the reading more
- You’ve written something and want me to take a look at it
- You aren’t sure how to use Google Docs and want me to show you
- You don’t understand a project
- You’ve played a cool game that you think might resonate with my/Sicart’s idea of ethical games and want to talk about it
- You want to talk about minoring in writing and what kind of jobs you can get
- You want to play a game or something
Upcoming Calendar
Monday in class: review Sicart and Wolf Among Us. Homework: Read Sicart chapter 4 (pages 66-77) and chapter 5 (pages 91-101 and 104-110). In your gaming journal, generate two questions from each section above that we could include in a reflection journal, questions that get at the important criteria that makes an ethical game (be it concerning cognitive friction, a wicked problem, or what have you). Pay particular attention to the lists on pages 105-106 and the questions on 109.
Wednesday in class: we’ll review the questions you have generated from the Sicart reading. We’ll also spend time in class putting together a list of games that you could use for the first project. Homework: read Sicart chapter 6 (pg. 111-148).
Friday: I will map out two writing projects. The first is a minor project, a 600-800 word essay on Sicart, simply asking you to summarize his theory on ethical gaming. This can actually present a major challenge–to compress hundreds of pages of reading into a few pages! The second project is a longer project, which I imagine will be a 1500-2500 word (approximately 6 to 10 pages double-spaced) analysis of a specific game in terms of Sicart’s work. So the first essay, and the review work we are and will do in class, is meant to generate a list of questions and concerns (what makes an ethical game?) that you can use to measure a particular game. In Friday’s class, I will introduce the rubric I use to evaluate your writing and we will evaluate a sample paper.
The Sicart essay will be due next Wednesday, January 23rd. Also, by Wednesday, I will ask that you play Episodes 2 and 3 of A Wolf Among Us.
The rough draft of the first project paper will be due on Monday, February 4th. That means that between now and then you will have to spend a few hours playing whatever game you select on Wednesday. It isn’t necessary that you “beat” whatever game you elect to play; only that you play a significant enough portion to make a viable assessment of its ethical dimensions (I’m expecting about 8 hours of play).
Note that these expectations are flexible. One reason I do not supply a calendar the first time I teach a course is so that you can give me feedback and we can negotiate expectations.
Sicart Review Activity
Let’s take some time to review the notes from last class and use them to generate research questions.
Discuss A Wolf Among Us
I’m more interested in knowing what questions you want me to ask you and your classmates.
Homework
Remember that we are meeting in the Ross 1240 computer lab on Wednesday.
For Wednesday’s class, Read Sicart chapter 4 (pages 66-77) and chapter 5 (pages 91-101 and 104-110). In your gaming journal, generate two questions from each section above that we could include in a reflection journal, questions that get at the important criteria that makes an ethical game (be it concerning cognitive friction, a wicked problem, or what have you). Pay particular attention to the lists on pages 105-106 and the questions on 109.
