Games

Michigan State > College of Communication Arts & Sciences > Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies & Media just announced its Master of Arts in Serious Game Design. Notice the 3 circles of Theory + Content + Game design. Good to see HCI listed, and the broad coverage of expertise and roles that are included.

I see involvement of professors from across Michigan State, which is great. Who is the local MSU HCI expert, tho - I do not know who that would be - I'd like to meet him/her. And I wonder where the MSU Usability and Accessibility Center could fit in. Serious games do need to be usable and accessible.

Anyway, cool things happening up at Michigan State!

If you are a Toledo-area game designer, you have two choices next week for driving a few hours to world-class events in the region.

You can drive a few hours north to Michigan State to attend Future Play, October 13-15. Of note:

• Sex and Gender Issues in Games
• Game Design and Development Curriculum in Academia
• Experiences, Stories and Video Games
• Understanding and Enhancing the Players Experience
• Using improvisational acting to shatter disciplinary boundaries

Or, you can drive a few hours south to Shawnee State to attend the Shawnee Conference 3.0 for Interactive Digital Technology, October 14. A few topics from the conference:

• Gaming & Simulation: Serious Business
• Ben's Game, a free video game where the player fights cancer cells
• Game Research and Immersive Design

Both look interesting - send me a trip report if you go!