Interesting Readings

Academic Works

Try using Google Scholar to search for topics such as:

Use UnPaywall in Chrome to find free, legal copies of published research papers.

Carnegie Melon University's Well Played journal has a number of very interesting academic articles, although the quality of the writing varies wildly.

Social Behaviors and Active Videogame Play in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Chung, P., et al, Games For Health Journal, Vol 4, No 3, 2015.

A play of bodies: a phenomenology of videogame experience

Keogh, B 2015, A play of bodies: a phenomenology of videogame experience, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Media and Communication, RMIT University.

Australia’s Digital Pulse | Deloitte Australia | Deloitte Access Economics report, Workforce, Technology An annual snapshot of trends in the Australian digital economy and workforce.

Digital Australia Report 2016 - IGEA

Statistics on games in Australian society (PDF)

Digital Australia Report 2018 - IGEA

Statistics on games in Australian society (PDF)

An empirical study of issues and barriers to mainstream video game accessibility

Porter & Kientz, ASSETS 13, Bellevue, 2013

The Instructional Power of Digital Games, Social Networks, Simulations, and How Teachers Can Leverage Them (PDF)

Klopfer, et al, The Education Institute, MIT, 2009

The Interactive Past: Archaeology, Heritage & Video Games

This journal has chapters directly relevant to our studies, such as 'Storytelling for the Next Generation: How a non-profit in Alaska harnessed the power of video games to share and celebrate cultures' starting on page 21.

Harvard Referencing for Visual Material: Computer/Video gamesThis guide provides examples on how to reference visual material using the Harvard referencing style. Citing computer games

On Games As Narrative

Once Upon A Time: Narrative in Video GamesIn this GameSpot AU feature we look at narrative development in video games and the growing question among video game developers and gamers: are video games an effective storytelling medium?

A Brief History of Storytelling in Video GamesVideo games started as a simple collection of pixels on the screen that you could move about with a controller, but in the short time they’ve been around, they’ve grown into a powerful …

How storytelling is changing in the modern worldThree novelists share their views on how new technologies can increase engagement and expand the creative dimension of telling tales.

Video Games for Literature LoversA highly biased and incomplete list of games either inspired by works of literature or strong narrative experiences in their own right.

The first great works of digital literature are already being writtenVideo games could be the greatest storytelling medium of our age – if only the worlds of art and technology would stop arguing and take notice

Games And Indigeneity

How Video Games Are Inspiring Indigenous Kids To Get Into Maths And ScienceIndigenous students in Australia are graduating from school at nearly half the rate (41.5 per cent) of their non-Indigenous peers (81.2 per cent). Aus...

Native apps: How digital technology is helping to preserve fading Native American languagesMany Native American languages have no written form and few living speakers. Turns out there's an app for that

Preservation of Tarahumara mythology in a Videogame! - Mexico News NetworkLienzo is the name of the company and young group of people who created a 3D environment video game that showcases the mythology of the Tarahumara culture with the game: “Mulaka - Origin Tribes”

An indie game that aims to preserve an indigenous culture and its mythologyPreserving ancient culture through play.

Social Issues In Gaming

Video games can never be art | Roger Ebert's Journal | Roger Ebert Having once made the statement above, I have declined all opportunities to enlarge upon it or defend it. That seemed to be a fool's errand, especially given the volume of messages I receive urging me to play this game or that and recant the error of my ways. Nevertheless, I remain convinced that in principle, video games cannot be art. Perhaps it is foolish of me to say "never," because never, as Rick Wakeman informs us, is a long, long time. Let me just say that no video gamer now living will survive long enough to experience the medium as an art form.

5 good reasons games are not artRoger Ebert has spoken out against games being considered an art form. Most gamers will tell you that Ebert doesn’t know what he’s talking about. But what if he’s right? Here are five reasons why it doesn’t matter if games are art.

my post “Day of the Devs” observations about how people view/treat art games and their creators

"...I point this out because the rude stuff was totally inline with how streamers and popular youtubers talk about these games: “What the fuck is this, what the hell, weird ass game, lol acid, haha who the hell would make this…” You know, the default slew of mockery. This came mostly from younger people.

It hit me how much influence streamers and youtubers have on public opinion of these games, and this is REALLY becoming a problem. I mean, I know it was before, but damn.

We should start talking about this, and some constructive criticism should exist toward how streamers talk about these games. I feel like this is a kind of pressure that’s building and it’s becoming unbearable."

Violent games don't really beget violenceViolent video games do not encourage crime. They prevent it.

Do Violent Video Games Contribute to Youth Violence?

As many as 97% of US kids age 12-17 play video games, contributing to the $21.53 billion domestic video game industry. More than half of the 50 top-selling video games contain violence.

Your Entertainment Choices Are Not Your IdentityAs a professional media consumer and explainer, I'll go ahead and say it: if your main source of your identity is related to the genre you consume, you probably need to diversify your hobbies. Sure, in the department, I'm the Early Americanist, the 19th Century guy, and sometimes the Film...

Video games such as Fortnite aren't harming children – screen time is the problem | Keza MacDonaldSome products really are designed to addict your child. This is not among them, says Keza MacDonald, the Guardian’s video games editor

The Necessity of ViolenceBADBLOOD is a 1 vs. 1 stealth-action game that focuses on the skill of outsmarting another player and deducing quickly and carefully their…

Far Cry 5's violent civil unrest is a much-needed reality check for gamesVideo game-makers usually distance products from politics. Ubisoft might help change that by rooting its new title in the fear and loathing of Trump’s US

Video Games May Affect The Brain Differently, Depending On What You PlayMillions of people play video games, but there's plenty of disagreement on whether they're good or bad for brains. Action games may have a different effect than something like Super Mario.

Orc Slavery Made Me Quit ‘Middle-earth: Shadow of War’“When is my rest?,” he begged. I pulled him close to me, dominated his weakened mind, put him in my orc stable, and immediately shut down the game.

How online gaming became the Wild West of underage gamblingOver the last six months there's been a boom in unregulated online casinos letting underage gamers exchange for gambling tokens the items they've won playing video games.

Activision Researched Using Matchmaking Tricks to Sell In-Game ItemsActivision was granted a patent this month for a system it uses to convince people in multiplayer games to purchase items for a game through microtransactions.

Gamers Can't Stop Buying the Loot Boxes They HateLoot boxes in 'Shadow of War,' 'Battlefront II,' and 'Forza 7' are making players angry, and game publishers rich.

The Troubling Psychology of Pay-to-Loot Systems - IGNTwo psychologists weigh in on the impact of the increasingly popular microtransaction trend.

The Witcher author thinks the games have lost him book sales, Metro 2033 author says this is “totally wrong”The Witcher was a bestselling book series before it become a video game franchise, and its creator has some very strong opinions about which way interest flows. The Witcher author Andrzej Sapkowski has given an amazing interview in which he disparages vid…

Connecting Mental Health with Games - CheckpointCheckPoint is a non-profit company that acts to connect mental health resources with video games and technology. We run in Australia and worldwide.

Guest Feature: No Rx Needed: A Therapist Recommends Games - Checkpoint

Quote Of The Day: Penn Jillette On Video GamesPenn Jillette (Image credit: via @daylife) Penn Jillette often says things I agree with, and occasionally says things I disagree with. For most people who watch Penn & Teller's Bullsh*t this is probably a fairly universal experience. I'm not as libertarian as Jillette, but I still think he says a lot of [...]

GamingWatch TED Talks about video games, toys and board games -- and talks about using the mechanics of games in real life.

Gender Issues in Games

How Australia’s gaming industry is leading the way in fighting sexismA crop of female developers is aiming to empower more women to break into a historically male-dominated industry to right the gender imbalance and, ultimately, creates game suited to, well, women

Inside The Culture of Sexism at Riot Games

Throughout her three years at Riot Games, the company behind League of Legends, Lacy made it her mission to hire a woman into a leadership role. Lacy had heard plenty of excuses for why her female job candidates weren’t Riot material.