This is an open field, west of a white house, with a boarded front door.
There is a small mailbox here. A rubber mat saying 'Welcome to
Zork!' lies by the door.
>
Video Games for History
What worked in that game?
What didn't work?
What puzzled you?
What frustrated you?
What did that game teach you?
Adventure - also known as 'Colossal Cave' ~1973 - Will Crowther - expanded 1977 Don Woods
"It's godlike.
You have complete control".
We live in an algorithmic world.
We ignore that at our peril.
This course considers the implications for historians.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2014/04/29/you-can-hide-your-pregnancy-online-but-youll-feel-like-a-criminal/
The strong version: progam or be programmed.
Why Historians Make Games
& Why Historians Study Games
HIST3812a is a quest.
We are trying to figure out:
how do we write good history through this medium?
We need to know the lore. The rules.
And then we will hack them.
Each week, there are challenges.
You will select which ones you'll be graded on.
You can try things out in this class that you couldn't elsewhere.
we now turn
to cuLearn
for the nuts & bolts
of how all this will work.
oh, and by the way,
I'm Shawn Graham.
PA406
Office Hours: by chance or appointment
Your TA is Mr. Rob Blades