Today’s Plan:
- Real Talk
- A Few Thoughts
Real Talk
According to the syllabus, we are supposed to move on to proposals this week. However, only 8 of 16 students have completed the third worknet (which were due last Friday) and we have a 4th worknet due on Wednesday. On the one hand, reading and writing about one research article a week doesn’t seem like an overbearing ask. On the other hand, moving onto the proposal assignment before folks catch up on the worknets seems bad. So, I’m going to push back on introducing the Proposal Assignment until Friday.
Wednesday will be a work day in the lab so that you’ll have time to catch and/or finish work list #4. I will be taking attendance Wednesday–consider it a mandatory reading/writing hour.
A Few Thoughts
I’m reviewing the Worknet #3 submissions. A few things:
A few of you have read Pozo’s Queer Games After Empathy: Feminism and Haptic Game Design Aesthetics from Consent to Cuteness to the Radically Soft.” I was wondering, can you transform Pozo’s description of haptics into a checklist for examining a game? I was having some difficulty figuring out how to “operationalize” these ideas.
I wanted to talk about paraphrasing and explication. Ethan took a swing at a difficult concept from Hammar’s article:
This article is focused on something called “prosthetic memory”, or “how contemporary mass media enables the formation of sensuous mnemonic limbs in audiences.” A mnemonic limb, “meaning a sensuous prosthesis formed from the affective engagement with historical mass media, i.e. cultural constructions.” The article applies these concepts to the game Mafia III and the racial implications in the game’s story. Hammar argues that by playing as a black man in the south in the 1960’s, a mnemonic limb may be formed for non-black players to better understand black experiences. He also argues that critics should have a power-hierarchical mindsets when analyzing media to better understand it.
Semantic
Prosthetic memory- In essence, a prosthetic memory is a memory of an event that was never experienced. Hammar argues that these can be helpful in creating a layered game with positive real world consequences. He argues that in Mafia III, the prosthetic memories of being a minority and the oppressive experiences that come with it can help players in real life become more empathetic.
Finally, for Sicart folks, I want to look at a section from his book [files section of Canvas].
