I heard this story, “Video Game Programs Look for New Ways to Use Games,” on NPR yesterday afternoon, a piece I will probably include in a unit for 516, a new one I need to develop on gaming, technology, and writing. Quite frankly, computer/video games are not my cup of tea (with the possible exception of a once or twice a year dip into games like “The Sims” or Civilization or something like that), but there’s a lot of interesting things out there right now about games and literacy, obviously.
The funny thing I remember about this NPR radio story: the reporter is talking to a student who is in the new major/program at U of Southern California (I think) on video game development about this game the student is developing. It’s impossible to figure out what one “does” in this game, but the student keep referencing philosophers like Foucault and he describes himself as “obviously a poststructualist.” The reporter asks “um, do you imagine this being a popular game?” “Absolutely not,” the student responded.