comparitive experiencing of Newsgames with critical literature, films

Ian Bogost and his studio Persuasive Games took their take on Newsgames and started steadily being published in the OP-ED section of the NY times during May of last year. Bogost's jottings on the same and the first game called Food Import Folly are a classic precedent. Some others like Points of Entry have followed leading to crudely polemical and candidly refreshing long discussions on various aspects of 'games' and 'serious games' at Kotaku. Starting from a discussion of whether games need to provide fun or not, the discussion steadily diverges and forks into various concerns like how does one understand 'fun'? Can 'engagement' be concerned 'fun'? Gamers also seem to be acknowledging how subjective that 'fun ' derived from playing a game can turn out to be. While extreme positions definitely exist on both sides - some saying serious games are only for stupid pseudo-intellectuals while the other side at times coming close to being condescending as regards people who play violent games by terming them as largely unsophisticated.

Various other pondering(s) find their place - Do such games betray too much of a political message from their producers?, What does it mean now for them to be freely accessible to a large number of Internet users? What happens when one no longer requires specific set of skills to engage with games?

Perhaps the question which is really at stake is ...Do such games help in developing informed critical thinking? Does reading a comprehensive article in NY times about the immigration problem and playing a game over allocating merit-based green cards develop similar consciousness about challenging and probing issues? Maybe the question needs to be worded differently. Obviously, different media forms are experienced differently and one is certainly not asking for superficial effects-oriented studies. Yet, one could very well interrogate the comparative experiencing of these new set of serious games with say critical literature, or film on similar subjects. Certainly questions worth pondering upon as one thinks of persuasive games/serious games/edutainment/critical simulation/ideological videogames...

cracking pass-word(s), yes

In 2146, an historian found an archived entry in some media form which used to be called a blog. It was dated from 8th March, 2008...

"I got up from my bed, and looked at the mirror, to look at myself. This act of mine is not much different from my experience of writing this blog today. I felt old today looking myself in the mirror and the same feeling stays with me as I write this blog. When I die, to write my biography, people shall look at my blogs I guess. People won't look for those diaries in stacked corners, in labyrinth cellars, or behind pillows. No diaries but blogs. Also, no correspondence through letters but they would be analyzing my emails, cracking passwords;cracking pass-word(s), yes."

Inspired by a reading of Javier Marias' "All souls"

much like an editorial response...

The question again and again asked is whether these are 'simplistic videogames' or indeed even 'videogames'. One does not find a story/narrative/plot nor immersion. While September 12 seems to be a reaction at the collateral damage happening as a result of the war on terror, Madrid is an expression of 'empathy for /solidarity with' the victims of 2004 Madrid bomb blasts . There is no sense of victory in either games. No adversaries, no heroes in sight. Frasca's games are unconventional if at all considered games. Frasca has at times categorically mentioned September 12 is a simulation, not a game.

Both the games certainly are critical simulations of situations, adding more meaning into them by reconstructing say the 'war' and/or 'bombings', however, it would be safe to presume that one cannot be expected to play the game more than ten times. It does not have repeat value for the same person playing it. However, it is a credible response against a position, an ideology...much like an editorial response...

derrida, lights, aesthetic, comma,,,

blur, dim, perceptible, passwords, signifier, derrida, lights, aesthetic, comma, hyphen, cine-ma, referent, enigma, coke, classified, sip, muffle, crackle, dawn, dusk, excrescence, sim,,,