Advice
Whether you are new to the field or you consider yourself a longstanding game studies scholar and teacher, I offer these resources to you in the hopes that they will help continue to move your work forward in the field. As part of this collection of resources, I asked each interviewee to give me his or her advice for those new to the field. Some proffered advice for graduate students, some for new faculty, and some for both, but all had excellent suggestions that even those who consider themselves to be steeped in the field may learn from.
Every one of the interviewees echoed this advice: Play games. Jennifer deWinter argued that even ten to fifteen minutes of daily play would help "because you need to be an expert in game play and ... there’s no amount of watching or reading about a game that will ever give you the visceral experience of playing the game." She continued her advice below by suggesting publication venues as well as PhD programs (both US-based and international). [Transcript available here.]
In the interview clip below with Kevin Moberly and Ryan Moeller, the pair outlined what they believed would lead to success in the field. "Read broadly," began Kevin, and Ryan followed with advice to attend specific conferences (such as the Southwest Popular/American Culture Association [SWPACA] conference, which LGI members attend yearly). Much like Jennifer deWinter's interview above noted, Ryan stated that those interested in studying games should play games as broadly as possible. [Transcript available here.]
For attendees of the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC), Kevin outlined a special interest group (SIG) on games that began in 2014 and will be held again in 2015. Those interested in what Kevin described as "a network of games scholars" at CCCC are encouraged to attend. [Transcript available here.]
Jason Thompson offered practical advice for those who want to work with games; mainly aimed at graduate students and practitioners who wish to create games, Jason urged students to play a lot of games and get familiar with a field of study and its approaches: "What are you going to use to illuminate that object? And what are you going to contribute [to the field]?" [Transcript available here.]
My interview with Steven Conway and Marc Ouellette ended with a humorous take on Nike's famous slogan that incorporated Steve's particularly Australian take on things: "Just feckin' do it." He continued, "Just write. Just research. Just think. You know? Just do it. Don’t wait on anyone’s permission." [Transcript available here.]
Much like other LGI members, Ken suggested that the best way to get involved in game studies is to play games, particularly to highlight the diverse options out there. From resource management games to RPGs, business games to shooters—and I would add, social networking games—there are thousands upon thousands of different games you can play. Get playing, and start networking at conferences like the SWPACA conference and the Society for Cinema and Media Studies' Game Studies Special Interest Group. [Transcript available here.]
Works by LGI Members
This section includes a bibliography of scholarly resources and further reading on games written by Learning Games Initiative Members.
Click HereAdvice and Resources
This section provides advice for those who wish to enter the field of game studies. It also describes further resources for those interested in research on games.
Click HereAbout the Interviewer
This section introduces the interviewer, Stephanie Vie (at the University of Central Florida), and describes her work with video and computer games.
