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Three reasons why the Dutch games industry doesn’t suck.

joost — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 02:28:11 +0000

Next week I’m speaking at the Festival of Games in Amsterdam. It’s a curious thing, really, considering how tiny Holland is, and yet how active its games industry is. There are only a handful of internationally known game companies, such as Guerrilla Games (Killzone!) and Spilgames. But there’s a substantial number of small and medium-sized [...]

Dubstep awesomeness

joost — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 20:28:40 +0000

Finally, someone combined my two favorite hobbies: simulator games and dubstep. Sweet, sweet nectar.

D&D a “threat” says Court of Appeals

joost — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:39:14 +0000

A few days ago the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals decided that Dungeons & Dragons presented a “threat” to prison security. Kevin T. Singer, an inmate at Wisconsin’s Waupun Correctional Institution, was so devoted that it raised concern among the guards. He wrote, by hand, “a ninety six page manuscript outlining the specific details of [...]

FPS Cinema

joost — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 19:24:33 +0000

First person perspective is highly symbolic of the subjective point of view from which we, faced an infinite amount of available information and data, create meaning. What strikes me is how common this perspective has become as part of a larger visual vocabulary in recent years. I’ve written on the topic before (see The Dissertation ™), [...]

The TV Show

joost — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:33:47 +0000

Insert your favorite French philosopher’s musings on co-existing meta-realities here. Then stop being pretentious and enjoy the video.

Pinball Economics

joost — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:45:41 +0000

Because I was trying to understand virtual items and micro-transactions, I researched the trading card industry. It made sense to me to consider the fundamentals from an industry that has been around for a while as a yard stick to relatively new terrain. (Yes, yes, looking forward through the rearview mirror. Thanks McLuhan. Now go back [...]

Dissertation Revolutions

joost — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:11:30 +0000

Two days ago I submitted draft 2 of The Disseration ™ at 3:00 am. After my committee had punched some initial holes in it, the whole thing is in much better shape. It even has a spiffy new title: Social Gaming and Discursive Play: Games as Communicative Exchange. This dissertation shows that video games are [...]

Dissertation Reloaded

joost — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:39:18 +0000

[As I'm entering the final stages of writing The Dissertation (tm), I will be posted snippets online. You know, for purposes of fair use and the hope that seeing my own handiwork in a different context may help writing better. In this first installment, you'll find a section from the Introduction chapter, where I lay [...]