These are the slides from the Value of Game Critique and Reviews panel at MAGFest 2015. You can see the video here on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQWviQuA2lg&list=PLpUuHdI3YdmDTZysB18EEIaaENTKS-PT-&index=49
Pretty hard to categorize where this talk belongs, so I'm going with design, but really it's a lot of journalism/media/academic/game design talk all boiled into one!
The document discusses persuasive structures for writing, including the OREO structure of Opinion, Reason, Example, Opinion. It also mentions six different message structures and provides a link to a website about rhetoric and persuasive techniques. In fewer than 3 sentences, this covers the key information about structures discussed for persuasive writing.
This document discusses peer-reviewed articles and how to find them. It defines peer-reviewed articles as scholarly articles written by academics that have been reviewed by other scholars and experts in the field. Only articles that are found to be reliable, credible and accurate are published in peer-reviewed academic journals. Some top databases for finding peer-reviewed journals mentioned are EBSCOhost, ProQuest, JSTOR and Project Muse. The document emphasizes that peer-reviewed articles are the best sources to use for research.
Jesteśmy na samym krańcu przylądka wieków! Wczoraj umarły Czas i Przestrzeń. Żyjemy już w absolucie, stworzyliśmy już bowiem wieczną i wszechobecną prędkość.
Este documento presenta una fundamentación teórica sobre los talentos en los niños. Define el talento y describe sus características. Explica los diferentes tipos de talento que existen como el académico, matemático, verbal, artístico y musical. También discute la innovación educativa basada en la teoría de las inteligencias múltiples de Gardner y los derechos de los niños con talento a recibir una educación adecuada a sus capacidades. El objetivo es justificar la importancia de atender a la diversidad y fomentar
Este documento describe los signos y síntomas de las mordeduras de serpiente y define tres estadios de gravedad (leve, moderado y grave). En el estadio grave, se caracteriza por facies neurotóxica, disfagia, déficit de músculos oculomotores, disartria y dificultad respiratoria. El documento también proporciona recomendaciones para el tratamiento, incluida la estabilización hemodinámica, la aplicación de suero antiofídico, el uso de antibióticos y corticoest
Este documento establece las enseñanzas mínimas del segundo ciclo de Educación Infantil en España. Se divide en nueve artículos que describen los principios generales, fines, objetivos, áreas, contenidos, enseñanzas mínimas, evaluación, atención a la diversidad y autonomía de los centros para este nivel educativo. En el anexo se especifican los objetivos, contenidos y criterios de evaluación de las tres áreas principales: conocimiento de sí mismo y autonomía personal, conocimiento del entorno, y lenguajes de
The document discusses the upcoming changes to apprenticeship funding in England through the introduction of an Apprenticeship Levy in April 2017. Large employers with an annual pay bill of over £3 million will have to pay 0.5% of their total wage bill into the levy each year. Employers will receive an allowance of £15,000 to offset against their levy payment. Funds from the levy can be used to fund apprenticeship training through approved training providers. The document advises businesses to calculate their potential levy payments and consider how many apprentices they want to hire to make the most of this new funding system. Training providers can offer advice to help employers navigate the new rules.
The document discusses persuasive structures for writing, including the OREO structure of Opinion, Reason, Example, Opinion. It also mentions six different message structures and provides a link to a website about rhetoric and persuasive techniques. In fewer than 3 sentences, this covers the key information about structures discussed for persuasive writing.
This document discusses peer-reviewed articles and how to find them. It defines peer-reviewed articles as scholarly articles written by academics that have been reviewed by other scholars and experts in the field. Only articles that are found to be reliable, credible and accurate are published in peer-reviewed academic journals. Some top databases for finding peer-reviewed journals mentioned are EBSCOhost, ProQuest, JSTOR and Project Muse. The document emphasizes that peer-reviewed articles are the best sources to use for research.
Jesteśmy na samym krańcu przylądka wieków! Wczoraj umarły Czas i Przestrzeń. Żyjemy już w absolucie, stworzyliśmy już bowiem wieczną i wszechobecną prędkość.
Este documento presenta una fundamentación teórica sobre los talentos en los niños. Define el talento y describe sus características. Explica los diferentes tipos de talento que existen como el académico, matemático, verbal, artístico y musical. También discute la innovación educativa basada en la teoría de las inteligencias múltiples de Gardner y los derechos de los niños con talento a recibir una educación adecuada a sus capacidades. El objetivo es justificar la importancia de atender a la diversidad y fomentar
Este documento describe los signos y síntomas de las mordeduras de serpiente y define tres estadios de gravedad (leve, moderado y grave). En el estadio grave, se caracteriza por facies neurotóxica, disfagia, déficit de músculos oculomotores, disartria y dificultad respiratoria. El documento también proporciona recomendaciones para el tratamiento, incluida la estabilización hemodinámica, la aplicación de suero antiofídico, el uso de antibióticos y corticoest
Este documento establece las enseñanzas mínimas del segundo ciclo de Educación Infantil en España. Se divide en nueve artículos que describen los principios generales, fines, objetivos, áreas, contenidos, enseñanzas mínimas, evaluación, atención a la diversidad y autonomía de los centros para este nivel educativo. En el anexo se especifican los objetivos, contenidos y criterios de evaluación de las tres áreas principales: conocimiento de sí mismo y autonomía personal, conocimiento del entorno, y lenguajes de
The document discusses the upcoming changes to apprenticeship funding in England through the introduction of an Apprenticeship Levy in April 2017. Large employers with an annual pay bill of over £3 million will have to pay 0.5% of their total wage bill into the levy each year. Employers will receive an allowance of £15,000 to offset against their levy payment. Funds from the levy can be used to fund apprenticeship training through approved training providers. The document advises businesses to calculate their potential levy payments and consider how many apprentices they want to hire to make the most of this new funding system. Training providers can offer advice to help employers navigate the new rules.
Este documento establece los contenidos educativos del primer ciclo de educación infantil en Castilla-La Mancha y los requisitos de los centros que lo impartan. Define las competencias básicas que los niños deben adquirir, y estructura el currículo en torno a áreas como conocimiento personal, del entorno y lenguajes. Los centros deberán desarrollar este currículo de acuerdo a su autonomía pedagógica y proyecto educativo, usando métodos basados en la experiencia y el juego.
A talk I gave on Gamificiation at Barcamp Philly 2014. Modified from my Girl Develop It! game design course! How to gamify, how not to gamify, what motivates gamers. For notes and acknowledgements, please read: http://ajlange.azurewebsites.net/2014/11/trip-report-barcamp-philly/
El documento describe la organización y estructura de la Educación Infantil en España según la normativa. Explica que la educación infantil se divide en dos ciclos, de 0 a 3 años y de 3 a 6 años, y que las administraciones educativas establecen los contenidos de cada ciclo. También define las funciones del profesorado en educación infantil, como la enseñanza, evaluación y orientación de los estudiantes.
One little pig named Plump came home to unwind for the evening. He discovered that something had floated out of his chimney and vanished. Plump then had alphabet soup for dinner which he noticed got dirty when he later ate dessert. Throughout the evening, Plump relaxed by his pool, watched clouds in the sky, and eventually fell asleep to the breeze, dreaming within his sleep.
El documento describe las funciones y competencias profesionales del maestro en educación infantil. Detalla 11 funciones principales como programar la enseñanza, evaluar el aprendizaje, orientar a los estudiantes, promover actividades complementarias, y colaborar con familias y otros maestros. También explica las competencias requeridas como la comunicación, trabajo en equipo, uso de tecnología, y capacidad de investigación y mejora continua. El maestro debe asegurar que los estudiantes aprendan de manera situada y desarrollen compet
This document contains a list of resources for learning and developing games with Unity, including the Unity website for downloading Unity, Unity tools for Visual Studio, useful Unity plugins, Microsoft training on Unity game development, a site for general game development advice, the author's personal website, a link to the author's Github containing game code, and recommendations for graphics and audio editing software like GIMP, Paint.NET, GrafX2, Inkscape, Spriter, ShoeBox, and links to student versions of Autodesk software as well as tools for creating sound effects and editing audio.
Este documento establece y ordena el currículo del segundo ciclo de Educación Infantil en Castilla-La Mancha a través de un decreto. La educación infantil se divide en dos ciclos, siendo el segundo para niños de 3 a 6 años. El decreto define los elementos del currículo como objetivos, competencias, contenidos, métodos y criterios de evaluación, y establece tres áreas principales: conocimiento de sí mismo, del entorno, y lenguajes.
Muhammad Khalid has over 21 years of experience in administration, personnel management, legal, HR, and marketing roles. He is currently the General Manager of Helping Hands Trust in Karachi, Pakistan, where he oversees office activities, recruitment, HR policies, and staff performance. Prior to this role, he held senior management positions such as General Manager, CEO, and Office Manager at various organizations in Pakistan, UAE, and Dubai, where he was responsible for tasks like strategic planning, budget management, client relations, and developing HR strategies. Khalid has a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Karachi and additional qualifications in electronic commerce and operations management.
Este documento describe las características generales de la innovación educativa en la etapa de educación infantil. 1) La innovación implica un cambio positivo en los procesos educativos. 2) Puede iniciarse por el profesorado, necesidades compartidas o líneas de mandos. 3) Requiere un análisis del contexto, la participación de actores y agentes, y un proceso de planificación, diseminación, adopción, implementación y evaluación.
Codemash 2016 - Designing a Game for MobileAmanda Lange
A talk I gave at CodeMash 2016 in Sandusky, Ohio, about considerations when designing a game for mobile. Includes game design, graphic design, and monetization advice.
Architectural and constructions management experience since 2003 including 18 years located in UAE.
Coordinate and oversee all technical activities relating to architectural and construction projects,
including directing the design team, reviewing drafts and computer models, and approving design
changes.
Organize and typically develop, and review building plans, ensuring that a project meets all safety and
environmental standards.
Prepare feasibility studies, construction contracts, and tender documents with specifications and
tender analyses.
Consulting with clients, work on formulating equipment and labor cost estimates, ensuring a project
meets environmental, safety, structural, zoning, and aesthetic standards.
Monitoring the progress of a project to assess whether or not it is in compliance with building plans
and project deadlines.
Attention to detail, exceptional time management, and strong problem-solving and communication
skills are required for this role.
Discovering the Best Indian Architects A Spotlight on Design Forum Internatio...Designforuminternational
India’s architectural landscape is a vibrant tapestry that weaves together the country's rich cultural heritage and its modern aspirations. From majestic historical structures to cutting-edge contemporary designs, the work of Indian architects is celebrated worldwide. Among the many firms shaping this dynamic field, Design Forum International stands out as a leader in innovative and sustainable architecture. This blog explores some of the best Indian architects, highlighting their contributions and showcasing the most famous architects in India.
International Upcycling Research Network advisory board meeting 4Kyungeun Sung
Slides used for the International Upcycling Research Network advisory board 4 (last one). The project is based at De Montfort University in Leicester, UK, and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Este documento establece los contenidos educativos del primer ciclo de educación infantil en Castilla-La Mancha y los requisitos de los centros que lo impartan. Define las competencias básicas que los niños deben adquirir, y estructura el currículo en torno a áreas como conocimiento personal, del entorno y lenguajes. Los centros deberán desarrollar este currículo de acuerdo a su autonomía pedagógica y proyecto educativo, usando métodos basados en la experiencia y el juego.
A talk I gave on Gamificiation at Barcamp Philly 2014. Modified from my Girl Develop It! game design course! How to gamify, how not to gamify, what motivates gamers. For notes and acknowledgements, please read: http://ajlange.azurewebsites.net/2014/11/trip-report-barcamp-philly/
El documento describe la organización y estructura de la Educación Infantil en España según la normativa. Explica que la educación infantil se divide en dos ciclos, de 0 a 3 años y de 3 a 6 años, y que las administraciones educativas establecen los contenidos de cada ciclo. También define las funciones del profesorado en educación infantil, como la enseñanza, evaluación y orientación de los estudiantes.
One little pig named Plump came home to unwind for the evening. He discovered that something had floated out of his chimney and vanished. Plump then had alphabet soup for dinner which he noticed got dirty when he later ate dessert. Throughout the evening, Plump relaxed by his pool, watched clouds in the sky, and eventually fell asleep to the breeze, dreaming within his sleep.
El documento describe las funciones y competencias profesionales del maestro en educación infantil. Detalla 11 funciones principales como programar la enseñanza, evaluar el aprendizaje, orientar a los estudiantes, promover actividades complementarias, y colaborar con familias y otros maestros. También explica las competencias requeridas como la comunicación, trabajo en equipo, uso de tecnología, y capacidad de investigación y mejora continua. El maestro debe asegurar que los estudiantes aprendan de manera situada y desarrollen compet
This document contains a list of resources for learning and developing games with Unity, including the Unity website for downloading Unity, Unity tools for Visual Studio, useful Unity plugins, Microsoft training on Unity game development, a site for general game development advice, the author's personal website, a link to the author's Github containing game code, and recommendations for graphics and audio editing software like GIMP, Paint.NET, GrafX2, Inkscape, Spriter, ShoeBox, and links to student versions of Autodesk software as well as tools for creating sound effects and editing audio.
Este documento establece y ordena el currículo del segundo ciclo de Educación Infantil en Castilla-La Mancha a través de un decreto. La educación infantil se divide en dos ciclos, siendo el segundo para niños de 3 a 6 años. El decreto define los elementos del currículo como objetivos, competencias, contenidos, métodos y criterios de evaluación, y establece tres áreas principales: conocimiento de sí mismo, del entorno, y lenguajes.
Muhammad Khalid has over 21 years of experience in administration, personnel management, legal, HR, and marketing roles. He is currently the General Manager of Helping Hands Trust in Karachi, Pakistan, where he oversees office activities, recruitment, HR policies, and staff performance. Prior to this role, he held senior management positions such as General Manager, CEO, and Office Manager at various organizations in Pakistan, UAE, and Dubai, where he was responsible for tasks like strategic planning, budget management, client relations, and developing HR strategies. Khalid has a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Karachi and additional qualifications in electronic commerce and operations management.
Este documento describe las características generales de la innovación educativa en la etapa de educación infantil. 1) La innovación implica un cambio positivo en los procesos educativos. 2) Puede iniciarse por el profesorado, necesidades compartidas o líneas de mandos. 3) Requiere un análisis del contexto, la participación de actores y agentes, y un proceso de planificación, diseminación, adopción, implementación y evaluación.
Codemash 2016 - Designing a Game for MobileAmanda Lange
A talk I gave at CodeMash 2016 in Sandusky, Ohio, about considerations when designing a game for mobile. Includes game design, graphic design, and monetization advice.
Architectural and constructions management experience since 2003 including 18 years located in UAE.
Coordinate and oversee all technical activities relating to architectural and construction projects,
including directing the design team, reviewing drafts and computer models, and approving design
changes.
Organize and typically develop, and review building plans, ensuring that a project meets all safety and
environmental standards.
Prepare feasibility studies, construction contracts, and tender documents with specifications and
tender analyses.
Consulting with clients, work on formulating equipment and labor cost estimates, ensuring a project
meets environmental, safety, structural, zoning, and aesthetic standards.
Monitoring the progress of a project to assess whether or not it is in compliance with building plans
and project deadlines.
Attention to detail, exceptional time management, and strong problem-solving and communication
skills are required for this role.
Discovering the Best Indian Architects A Spotlight on Design Forum Internatio...Designforuminternational
India’s architectural landscape is a vibrant tapestry that weaves together the country's rich cultural heritage and its modern aspirations. From majestic historical structures to cutting-edge contemporary designs, the work of Indian architects is celebrated worldwide. Among the many firms shaping this dynamic field, Design Forum International stands out as a leader in innovative and sustainable architecture. This blog explores some of the best Indian architects, highlighting their contributions and showcasing the most famous architects in India.
International Upcycling Research Network advisory board meeting 4Kyungeun Sung
Slides used for the International Upcycling Research Network advisory board 4 (last one). The project is based at De Montfort University in Leicester, UK, and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
ARENA - Young adults in the workplace (Knight Moves).pdfKnight Moves
Presentations of Bavo Raeymaekers (Project lead youth unemployment at the City of Antwerp), Suzan Martens (Service designer at Knight Moves) and Adriaan De Keersmaeker (Community manager at Talk to C)
during the 'Arena • Young adults in the workplace' conference hosted by Knight Moves.
In order to frame this discussion for everyone, I want to discuss the definitions of a few terms. I’m going to use definitions from Dictionary.com.
First of all, “review.” Here’s some definitions for “review” as a noun. In particular, I think we’re interested in Definition Number One. Some gamers might like Definition Number Four as well, though it’s not actually that accurate in our context, it might be useful. Notice that Definition One includes “critique.”
So what is a “critique”? Well, a critique is apparently a review and a review is apparently a critique. Hm, that’s not super helpful. But both of these words use “critical” in their definition. So what does “critical” mean?
Hm. Here, we have a kind of problem. Definition Number One… is really different from definitions two and three. But it’s really easy to confuse one for the other. “Critical” has a connotation of being nitpicky. But it can also be used to mean “well educated and judicial.” Do some people accidentally conflate being critical-as-in-a-good-judge with being critical as in being negative?
Let’s also look at two words that come up a lot lately, the idea of objective versus subjective.
I think it’s interesting that “objective opinion” is in here. Is there even such a thing as that?
Notice that when we get to “subjective,” one of the definitions has a negative connotation. EXCESSIVE emphasis and UNDUE egocentrism. Notice that definition number two doesn’t contain that idea though. Could people be conflating defintions two and three? Which do you feel is more accurate to how you think of the word “subjective?”
I’m going to give some examples of things that come to mind when GAMERS think of some of the words I mentioned.
This is “a review.” I usually associate a review with having some kind of score. The one on the left is… GamePro circa 1993, with the little faces scale. Some people think this is what game reviews should always look like.
A “critique” meanwhile looks more like this, maybe? This is text. The text on the right is Carolyn Petit (she’s here, I think?). And I purposely chose critique that was critical in more than one sense in this case. What about the critique on the left? Critique? Well, actually it’s just the text of one of the “reviews” listed on the previous page. But it looks/feels like critique, maybe.
One of these I think is fairly objective. What is the game, what you do. It uses “if you like” a lot, etc. Meanwhile, I think Carolyn would agree that her article is subjective, at least in the sense of being written specifically from her point of view. You can tell because it says “I” more.
Of course if you keep reading those two articles, we enter opposite-land, where Carolyn is just mostly talking about what the game is and what you do, and Kevin is talking about what kind of writing he likes and what he thinks he’s good at, using “I” and talking about his personal experiences. By the way, I also wrote about Elegy for a Dead World and I have NO IDEA how you put a score on something like that.
I have more slides, but at this point I want to open things up to Q&A because I know people will already have opinions. Then if things slow down we’ll go to the next batch of slides followed by the last batch.
So let’s talk about Review Scores. There’s a few different types of them. I think they’re interesting.
Some sites use a very loose score approximation. Kotaku used to do scoring, but now does a little yes/no/maybe type of scale. On the right is the “hidden” score system from the site I write for, which is Tap-Repeatedly. We used to stick numbers on things from a scale of 0-5, but now we’ve switched to just using a picture scale, which I like better. Left side is various levels of “great to okay” and right side is various levels of “bad to awful.”
Some sites, like Polygon and GameSpot, use a numerical scale. This is usually from 1-10, but, you know, the joke is that anything below a 7 is crap. And rarely used. So it’s more like the grading scales you had in school.
So a lot of people think that breaking the numerical score down into categories is a more “objective” way to do things, because… you guess a bunch of numbers then combine them to get one bigger number? I can’t help but use the Mega Man review from 1993 here. But Game Informer, on the far right, still KIND of does this this way? They use these same categories for all games. On the left is http://www.siftd.net/, a newish site and how they break down.
I was a teacher for many years and I find students in particular really like scoring rubrics because they’re clear and easy to understand. Did you do X, Y, then you will get an A, if you didn’t, you will get a C, it’s all very neatly written in this documentation here. Okay, the game has a good CONCEPT, but how is its PLAYABILITY? Compare left and right here.
On the other hand, it’s kind of a crummy way to evaluate art. And I should know, because I taught art! And it’s pretty hard to score creativity on a 1-10 scale. (You usually end up scoring something tangential, like effort or improvement or just following-directions-ability.) What about a game that isn’t going for the things on your scale that you’re using? Do your favorite games work on this kind of scale?
Very recently – 1/13, Joystiq announced they weren’t scoring reviews anymore. “Between pre-release reviews, post-release patching, online connectivity, server stability and myriad other unforeseeable possibilities, attaching a concrete score to a new game just isn't practical. More importantly, it's not helpful to our readers.” They also cite Metacritic, which reduces all scores down to one metascore, as a problem in the industry. They say converting their 5-star system into raw points removes the nuance and context provided by review text.
Metacritic will inevitably come up, etc
If we get this far, these are some other elements of critique and critical discourse I’d like to propose as discussion topics
First of all, let’s consider the idea that games are a ‘text’. I don’t actually mean text-based games or the text in games (but this is just a fun way to illustrate that). I actually mean the idea of games as literature. Something that you can analyze the same was as a story or a film. I think we can all agree that games are texts even if there’s some debate if they are art (I think they’re art too though).
In literary critique, there’s this concept of ‘lenses,’ that is, the ability to see a text through a particular viewpoint in order to understand it better. Trying to come up with how someone might view it subjectively, from their point of view. So you have the feminist lens – which you might be familiar with - and so on. Where I got these comic sans texts is from this page here. You don’t have to read all this; just using them as examples.
This is useful because games can also be viewed through lenses. One of my old mentors Jesse Schell did an entire book about this. Different ways of looking at a game design that you personally are working on. Or different ways of viewing a game that you are playing, even. Is this useful critique?
Some people say that is all nonsense. Games are ‘software,’ so they should be reviewed like we review SOFTWARE (or sometimes Hardware, as on the left). Does it work, is it buggy, how does it play, etc?
But some people think we should review games more like we review movies. And when we review movies, we talk about this kind of stuff – how does it fit into the world, culture, etc. Here’s some snippets of reviews of the film Selma. It’s about MLK. So are games just too frivolous for this kind of conversation? We do make games about real wars.
And this is just a particular bugbear of mine – game sites pay for “reviewers” or “journalists” but they don’t really hire or pay for “critics.” It’s really hard to pitch a critical or opinion piece for pay in the general games writing market. In particular, if you’re analyzing games like literature, you’re doing it for free. Here’s the mission statement for the Journal of Game Criticism which is non-profit.