Fall 2005 -- SPCM 496-CS, Prof. Sandvig
Home +
About +
Schedule +
Readings +
Assignments +
Help/Handouts +
Blogs +
Projects
|
Fall 2005 -- SPCM 496-CS, Prof. Sandvig
Home +
About +
Schedule +
Readings +
Assignments +
Help/Handouts +
Blogs +
Projects
|
|
|
|||
|
|||
|
   |
|
« October 26, 2005 (prev) | (next) November 02, 2005 » October 31, 2005 (Monday)Online Worlds and Play [Meeting] A Rape in Cyberspace [Web Reading] Julian Dibbell, "A Rape in Cyberspace, or How an Evil Clown, a Haitian Trickster Spirit, Two Wizards, and a Cast of Dozens Turned a Database Into a Society," Imaginary Realities 2, no. 4 (April 1999). (also published as ch. 1 of Dibbell's book My Tiny Life.)http://www.juliandibbell.com/texts/ (click on "A Rape in Cyberspace") If you get an 403 Forbidden error, press reload. If that doesn't help, search for the reading in google and look at the google cached version. Virtual Worlds [Web Reading] Castronova, Edward, "Virtual Worlds: A First-Hand Account of Market and Society on the Cyberian Frontier" (December 2001). CESifo Working Paper Series No. 618.Required: pp. 1-5 (the introduction) OPTIONAL: pp. 6-40 http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=294828 The Unreal Estate Boom [Web Reading] OPTIONAL: Dibbell, J. (2003, January). "The Unreal Estate Boom." Wired 11(1). http://wired.com/wired/archive/11.01/gaming_pr.html (Discussed in class) Imaginary World Designer [Assignment] Sutton-Smith described how play is "bounded" so that it is separate from the rest of life. Surprisingly few markers or features are required to create a convincing play "space" that can be the site for imaginative play -- we know we can create imaginative play using only our mind, but game designers can also help. Dibbell and Castronova describe the experience and some of the features of online fantasy environments. For this assignment, imagine you are a designer doing research to help you create spaces for imaginative play. First, (1) visit an online environment that is new to you and spend a significant amount of time trying it out -- at least 30 minutes. Then, in your blog post (2) state which environment you chose and list some of the features of the online environment that make it a good site for imaginative play. Next, (3) analyze how these features work using your own experience as a player. Finally, be sure to (4) cite a passage or quote from any of the readings mentioned in the first paragraph to justify your point. Where to find an online environment: If you have access to a computer that runs Windows where you can install software: The Gameogre list of MMORPG free trials If you need to use a computer at a computer lab or don't want to install software, try a text-only environment: The Wikipedia list of MU* Servers YOU MAY HAVE TO TRY MORE THAN ONE TO GET ONE TO WORK. EXTRA TIP: You might want to take a screen shot and post it to your blog so that you can refer to it in your post. In Windows, to make a screen shot, press [Ctrl]-[Print Screen]. Then open an image-editing program such as Photoshop, select "File", "New..." and press [Enter]. Then PASTE ([Ctrl]-[V]) the screen shot into the blank window and save it as a image file in PNG or GIF format. Now you can upload it to your blog. To be sure it isn't too big, use the "Create Thumbnail" checkbox when you upload the file to your blog using Movable Type. To receive credit, your blog post must be on time, at least 250 words, and address each part of the question. Please write, spell-check, and save your blog posts in a word processor first, then post them to your blog. When you make a direct quotation or paraphrase, include a citation to the page and author where you found the material. DUE: 11:30 a.m. on Monday, October 31 (one hour before class begins). |
|
|
|||
|
|||
|
|
|
