Gameplay, media practice and design fiction (week ending 10022012)
The week ending the 10th February marks the 127th week of the DCRC's operation. 127 is a Mersenne and a cuban prime number. An auspicious week then for several events that ocurred: Patrick Crogan speaking about his book 'Gameplay Mode', with an accomanying talk by Tomas Rawlings concerning the recent launch of the game 'Call of Cthulu'; a preceding DIGRA meeting here at the DCRC; a showcase of recent MA Media: Practice and Culture work; and a public talk on 'Design Fiction' by Sam Kinsley.
On Wednesday Patrick Crogan guided an invited audience through some central themes of his book 'Gameplay Mode: War, Simluation, and Technoculture'. Gameplay Mode situates computer games and gaming within the contemporary technocultural moment, connecting them to developments in the conceptualization of pure war since the Second World War and the evolution of simulation as both a technological achievement and a sociopolitical tool. Patrick expertly situated ihs argument with a conceptual mapping out of the themes of war and simulation. Tomas Rawlings provided an interesting and complimentary talk concerning the launch of 'Call of Cthulu: the wasted land', a turn-based tactical game based on the mythological world conjered by H.P. Lovecraft. Some DiGRA members from around the country attended, following a meeting held in the Pervasive Media Studio, chaired by Helen Kennedy.
On Friday afternoon MA Media: Practice and Culture students presented a showcase of their project work as a part of the DCRC's work within the Pervasive Media Studio. Studio residents, members of the public and DCRC researchers were all invited to engage with projects by Taha Elmezughi, Maria Alejandre Lujan Escalente, Geraint Ffrancon and Jess Robins that dealt with life as an imigrant, the paraphernalia of prayer, experiencing music and sound influenced by the weather, and artistically remapping the city.
Also on Friday, DCRC Research Fellow Sam Kinsley talked about 'Design Fiction' as part of the Pervasive Media Studio's lunchtime talk series. An eclectic audience participated in a stimulating discussion about the purpose and implications of formulating and presenting 'fictional' prototypes of design concepts and ideas, and how such 'design fictions' might be used within the diverse practices of studio residents. Sam has posted an initial bibliography of related papers and web posts here on the DCRC website.
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