Embedded Files
Tomahawks and War Paint: Preserving the History of Native Representation in Gaming
Tomahawks and War Paint: Preserving the History of Native Representation in Gaming
Dr. Wendi Sierra
9:00-9:50 A.M.
9:00-9:50 A.M.
MS-Teams
Native American characters have been depicted in video games nearly from the beginning; Indian Battle, an arcade game released in 1980, is commonly cited as the first. In many cases, game designers drew on inspiration from the Western genre in film and television to present distorted, problematic characterizations. While rarely appearing in AAA titles as main characters, Native characters can be found throughout gaming’s history, particularly in the fighting and strategy genre. Archiving and making visible this history is a key step in recognizing how the industry has characterized Native Americans previously and moving toward a more respectful, culturally-appropriate future for Native characters in games.
Dr. Wendi Sierra
Dr. Wendi Sierra
Assistant Professor of Game Studies in the Honors College at Texas Christian University
Dr. Wendi Sierra has a Ph.D in Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media from NCSU. Sierra researches how games, both educational and commercial, offer novel learning environments to players. Her own game, an NEH-funded Oneida language and culture game, demonstrates this perspective. The game, playable at astrongfire.com, fuses game design principles, best practices in pedagogy, and Oneida folklore, to create a playful environment for children and parents to come together around learning the Oneida language.
Gaming and Community Panel
Gaming and Community Panel
10:00-10:50 p.m.
10:00-10:50 p.m.
MS-Teams
This panel will address questions about games, and the gamin community. It will feature members of the academic and gaming communities from North Texas and will be moderated by Dr. Johansen Quijano.
Dr. Eddy Lynton
Dr. Eddy Lynton
Dr. Cory Adkins
Dr. Cory Adkins
Dr. Jason Helms
Dr. Jason Helms
Dr. Wendi Sierra
Dr. Wendi Sierra
Prof. Audrey Haferkamp
Prof. Audrey Haferkamp
The GTA Effect: Video Games, Crime, and Criminal Justice
The GTA Effect: Video Games, Crime, and Criminal Justice
Dr. Cary D. Adkinson and Dr. Eddy Lyton
11:00-11:50 A.m.
11:00-11:50 A.m.
MS-Teams
Do video games cause crime & violence? What do players learn about crime and criminal justice from the games they play? What impact have video games had on criminal justice training? What have they taught us about censorship? What do the games we play say about our beliefs about right and wrong and good and evil? This presentation explores video games from a social science perspective, encouraging participants to explore why video games are important to the study of crime and the criminal justice system.
Dr. Cary D. Adkinson
Dr. Cary D. Adkinson
Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at Texas Wesleyan University
Dr. Cary D. Adkinson studies the ways that criminal justice and popular culture collide and shape one another. Having grown up as part of the first video game generation, he's played games his entire life, beginning with the Atari 2600. Still an avid gamer, he developed the course Video Games & Crime, which explores how video game content shapes public perception of crime and the criminal justice system. He hopes to one day own a PS 5.
Dr. Eddy lynton
Dr. Eddy lynton
Visiting Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Texas Wesleyan
Rocketed to Earth as a child, mild-mannered Eddy Lynton (Ph.D.) wages a war on ignorance, boastfulness, griefers, and cheats. In his guise as Visiting Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Texas Wesleyan, Doctor Lynton serves to educate and train future leaders and professionals. With his colleagues and the strong support of amazing staff, he fights for truth, justice, and liberty for all! Lynton learned to read using comic books and found that gaming indoors was far better than playing in the hot, New Mexico heat where he grew up. His enjoyment of video games has stayed with him into adulthood. When his father told him video games were a waste of time, Lynton opened an arcade. He continues to use video games as a tool for building community and safe spaces.
A History of Gamergate: Key Moments in the Gamer Discourse Community
A History of Gamergate: Key Moments in the Gamer Discourse Community
Dr. Andrew Latham
11:00-11:50 A.m.
11:00-11:50 A.m.
MS-Teams
Gamergate was a historically divisive moment for the gamer discourse community, but what was its lasting impact on that community and, indeed, video games today? Beginning in the 1980s, this discussion traces key moments relevant to how we should look at Gamergate, from the origins of the western video game market to the recent controversies at Activision Blizzard, to consider how capitalism and fandom have both nurtured and hindered diversity in the gamer discourse community.
Dr. andrew latham
Dr. andrew latham
Assistant Professor of English at Midland College
Andrew has been interested in video games since he received a Nintendo 64 video game console at 10 years old. He researches rhetoric and composition in video games.
Critical and Inclusive Game Design
Critical and Inclusive Game Design
Dr. Ahu Yolaç
1:00-1:50 P.m.
1:00-1:50 P.m.
MS-Teams
In this talk, Dr. Yolaç will discuss game design practices and approaches that can help create games from a critical perspective. She will talk about games as complicated systems where each game element contributes to the intended or unintended implications of the game and the overall gameplay experience. She will use examples from non-educational games to highlight how such gameplay elements have diverse impacts, connotations or teachings.
Dr. Ahu Yolac
Dr. Ahu Yolac
Assistant Professor of Game Design at Lawrence Technological University
Dr. Ahu Yolac is a game studies researcher, game designer and gamer. She looks at video games as multidisciplinary spaces and she explores ways to create opportunities for collaboration in and through games among multiple disciplines, players, designers, and game enthusiasts.
Ahu is interested in informal learning outcomes, such as thinking ways and strategies that are a result of and encouraged through gameplay. She explores game design approaches that focus on encouraging intentionality and criticality for both players and designers. Her current research focuses on critical, transdisciplinary learning experiences in and through video games.
Games, Inclusion, and Empathy
Games, Inclusion, and Empathy
Dr. Karen Schrier
2:00-2:50 P.m.
2:00-2:50 P.m.
MS-Teams
Could games help us to connect and care about others? We often think of games and gaming as the antithesis of care. Yet, games may help us engage in real-world communication, problem-solving, and perspective-taking. Games are helping us to connect with others, and even ourselves. This talk will address the strengths (and limits) of games, and how they might help us to transform the world.
Dr. Karen Schrier
Dr. Karen Schrier
Associate Professor/Director of Games and Emerging Media
Dr. Karen Schrier is an Associate Professor and Founding Director of the Games & Emerging Media program at Marist College. She is also the director of the Play Innovation Lab. Her latest book, Knowledge Games: How Playing Games Can Help Solve Problems, Create Insight, and Make Change, was published in 2016 by Johns Hopkins University Press. Dr. Schrier has co-created many digital properties, such as Awesome Upstander, an anti-bullying mobile game, and the Daytime Emmy-nominated Mission US: For Crown or Colony? Her work has led to the creation of the Inclusive Games Network (inclusivegames.org) and the upcoming publication of a Learning, Education, and Games series focused on games, inclusion, and empathy.
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