The two readings for this week veer away from the usual "do games cause violence" articles
that one encounters in the media (for example: the "Fair Play" article we read for 8 Feb). Please
write a response to each article, using the following prompts as a guide:
- Dibbell's "A Rape in Cyberspace" complicates our ideas of violence in games by exploring the
ramifications of that violence in a 'non-violent' space. Write a response to the article, thinking
about what digital violence means. Is there a distinction between narrative violence and
extra-narrative violence?
- Crogan writes "Gametime" in a very dense fashion. In essence, he suggests that the construction
of games makes the user beholden to the interface, and thus beholden to the game's ethical system.
Write a response to the article in one of two ways. If you feel like you understood his points,
respond to the thesis of the article--do you agree or not? Why? Try to back up your statement. If
you feel befuddled, choose a paragraph or two and try to explain what they mean. Work through
the text word-by-word and see what you can gather.
Also, don't forget to update your personal blog with another Game Journal entry, and to add
another entry to GameCultureWatch (please not on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning)!
