• CGS Shorts - Unity Engine's Fall from Grace
    May 28 2024

    Chris J. Young (University of Toronto) talks about the recent woes of Unity and how they could impact the future of the company that was once hailed as the champion of independent videogame development.

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    14 mins
  • Conversations in Game Studies (CGS) #7: Chris Young - Preserving Video Games in Libraries
    Apr 2 2024

    With the disappearance of a large number of video games, archiving titles is becoming essential for the future of game studies. Chris J. Young, Head of Collections and Digital Scholarship at the University of Toronto Mississauga Library, describes his institution's trailblazing efforts in video game conservation with the Syd Bolton Collection and the unique opportunities and challenges that come with integrating video games into the world of libraries.

    Video version available on YouTube:
    https://youtu.be/f3ASYPHrKqE?si=2AT-naU3g642ctYG

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    36 mins
  • Conversations in Game Studies (CGS) #6: Kristian Bjørkelo - Is There Too Much D&D?
    Nov 2 2023

    Kristian A. Bjørkelo (University of Bergen) discusses the prevalence of Dungeons and Dragons in game scholarship and how the overt focus on D&D games and players may be unwittingly contributing to the monopoly of Wizards of the Coast (and its parent company Hasbro) on the roleplaying scene.

    Link to original article:
    https://eludamos.org/index.php/eludamos/article/view/6981

    To follow Kristian on social media:
    https://twitter.com/madmullah
    https://www.instagram.com/madmullahhastur/

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    32 mins
  • Conversations in Game Studies (CGS) #5: Tijana Rupcic - Spirituality in Dystopian Video Games
    Jun 10 2023

    Tijana Rupčić (Central European University, Vienna) discusses the importance of spirituality in dystopian video games, with particular focus on Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, Death Stranding, and Cyberpunk 2077, which touch on the idea of transhumanism and on the implications of transcending death.

    Original study:
    https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/2/247

    Tijana on social media:
    https://twitter.com/FerejaTina

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    28 mins
  • Conversations in Game Studies (CGS) #4: Krobová, Švelch, Janik - Post-Soviet Spaces in Video Games
    May 4 2023

    Tereza Fousek Krobová (Charles University, Prague), Jaroslav Švelch (Charles University, Prague) and Justyna Janik (Jagiellonian University, Cracow) discuss the representation of post-Soviet spaces in contemporary horror video games and how the depiction of Central and Eastern Europe has evolved over the past decades across various genres.

    Video version
    https://youtu.be/yRyfCP7HSg8

    Link to original study
    https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2040350X.2022.2071520

    Prague Game Production Studies Group
    https://gameproductionstudies.fsv.cuni.cz/

    To follow the guests on social media
    https://twitter.com/raguklemenso

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    34 mins
  • Conversations in Game Studies (CGS) #3: Amanda Cote - The Myth of "Good Crunch"
    Apr 28 2023

    Amanda Cote (University of Oregon) discusses how crunch has become deeply embedded in the video game industry, leading developers to distinguist between "good crunch" and "bad crunch."

    YouTube version:

    https://youtu.be/DQltuh_Ewlw

    Follow Amanda on social media:

    https://twitter.com/accote

    http://www.amandaccote.com/

    Original Study:

    https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14614448211014213

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    37 mins
  • Conversations in Game Studies (CGS) #2: Chris Young - Canadian Indie Scene and the Monopoly of Unity
    Apr 28 2023

    Chris J. Young (University of Toronto) discusses how the Canadian independent video game maker scene has evolved thanks to such robust tools as the Unity Engine, as well as how Unity managed to become a silent giant in the video game industry thanks to its strong grip on the indie scene and mobile platforms.

    Video version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEp8g4y-cJk

    Chris on social media: https://twitter.com/drchrisjyoung

    Link to study: https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/89734/3/Young_Chris_J_...

    Game Production Studies: https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/47043

    Syd Bolton collection at the U of T: https://collections.utm.utoronto.ca/collections/syd-bolton-collection

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    36 mins
  • Conversations in Game Studies (CGS) #1: Jan Švelch - Player Surveillance and Data Gathering
    Apr 28 2023

    Jan Švelch (Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic) discusses how player surveillance and the gathering of player data have become a norm in the gaming industry and how developers and publishers have entered into a seemingly reciprocal relationship with players, who receive limited access to this data through infographics and "fun fact" metrics that are disseminated among players and in the gaming press.

    Video version: https://youtu.be/azt34I65v5U

    To follow Jan on social media: https://mobile.twitter.com/snewgoblin

    Link to study: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/14614448221097889

    Prague Game Production Studies Group: https://gameproductionstudies.fsv.cuni.cz/

    Links to infographics:

    https://gallery.neoseeker.com/Shadow+of+Death/photostream/2745099782

    https://www.reddit.com/r/HuntShowdown/comments/fc95ab

    /hunt_second_anniversary_infographics_compiled/ https://www.pcgamer.com/mass-effect-3-infographic/

    https://geekoutpost.com/cyberpunk-2077-stat-memes-flood-the-community-af...

    Main theme: Technology by 2TECH-AUDIO | https://2tech-audio.bandcamp.com
    Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com

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    33 mins