My ITU Game Lecture on 5 Sep

On 5 September (15:00 – 17:00) I’ll be speaking at the ITU as part of the Game Center‘s Game Lecture Series.

Title: A practical guide to winning and losing: How players deal with shame, glory, and each other

Abstract: A computer will handle the rules of a game in a fair-minded algorithmic fashion. Players, however, will not. To players, interaction during play (and how to deal with victory and defeat) entails a complex negotiation of social norms. Based on empirical data on multi-player gaming, this talk will explore how players handle competition, collaboration, shame, and glory as they strive to achieve the game goals.

Game Lecture at ITU tomorrow: Can you make them cry without tearing your hair out?

Can you make them cry without tearing your hair out?
– Emotional Characters

Associate Professor Katherine Isbister, Rensselaer Politechnic Institute

Time and Place:
Thursday June 7th, 16:15-17:30. Auditorium 3, ITU.
Continue reading Game Lecture at ITU tomorrow: Can you make them cry without tearing your hair out?

Players’ Realm anthology launched

Players' Realm coverPlayers’ Realm: Studies on the Culture of Videogames and Gaming which I’ve edited along with Patrick Williams has now been published. There’s info on the book’s own page and it is available at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and at other self-respecting book dealers.
I have a chapter in the book entitled Who Governs the Gamers? Political Power in Large Game Worlds which examines how classical debates of political theory relate to game worlds.

I’d like to thank everybody involved for their dedicated and professional attitude towards the project.