Game Academy – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Adam and Steph are back after a long break! They chat about the struggles with layoffs in academia and the games industry that has been all over the news lately. Then, they bring on special guest William Mellamphy, a PhD candidate an expert in all things nostalgia, video games, and, much to Steph's delight, Pokemon! A long chat ensues around the commodification of nostalgia, the newfound ability for parents to share gaming passions with their children, and what it all means for capitalism. We then zero in on some Pokemon myths, the mechanics of gender in the series, and the power of the hero's journey in children's media.

The podcast finishes off with talk of the many CFPs MultiPlay has out right now, including one for a special edition Game Boy issue of MultiPlay's new journal, as well as a call for abstracts around the communities of play in video games and "Gitting Gud".

Check out MultiPlay's active CFPs: https://multiplaynetwork.org/call-for-papers/

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/multiplayn

Send questions and abstracts to networkmultiplay AT gmail DOT com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam and Steph are back! This academic year started but never quite stopped. Life, PhD, and students, oh my! Exciting things are happening in the world of Game Academy. Steph submitted her thesis! And Adam's submitting before Christmas! The light at the end of the tunnel? They both hope so!

After a crazy few months of teaching their lovely students, Adam and Steph have some top tips for everyone at the start of their university journeys. The Game Academy is the best place to be, so enjoy every second. They then turn their attention to The Game Awards, which comes to us all at the end of a both very slow and blazingly fast year. Who are our host's GOTYs? Who's going to win Game of the Year? Adam and Steph have a particular pick they're both in love with but they would also like readers to very much convince them that sequel-itis is not a thing in video games.

It's full steam ahead for a holiday-themed episode next month! It truly is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Links:

Vote in the Game Awards: https://thegameawards.com/

Check out MultiPlay's active CFPs: https://multiplaynetwork.org/call-for-papers/

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/multiplayn

Send questions and abstracts to networkmultiplay AT gmail DOT com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Game Academy returns! Adam and Steph are back podding (and arguing) together after Steph's break for a very special episode reflecting on the Mass Effect trilogy after MultiPlay's 10 year anniversary conference on N7 Day. Adam and Steph are joined by the conference host Calum Evans to discuss what made the series unique and just why, so many years on, fans still can't get over that ending. Game Academy also hears from Mass Effect fans Danee, Hannah and Ravi, who share their personal experiences on why Mass Effect meant so much to them.

People Make Games' chat to Mass Effect developers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhtgjmkcht8

You can catch up on our special N7 Day conference via our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdIhov-l8FHXB0eBoSoYW3znhKbjoE8Nw

MultiPlay has an open CFP for its big birthday conference happening in January so get those abstracts in: https://multiplaynetwork.org/call-for-papers/

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/multiplayn

Send questions and abstracts to networkmultiplay AT gmail DOT com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spoooooky! An eighth Game Academy episode appears just in time for Halloween! With Steph out of commission (she's not dead, we promise) Adam bravely faces the ghouls and curses (the ones that keep preventing us from releasing podcasts on time) with special guest Dr. Peter Howell. Adam and Pete chat a bit about Pete's adventure into being a student once again post-PhD by choosing to do a Masters in Psychology before delving into the meat of our spooky special episode: A retrospective on Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs. Pete helped design the second Amnesia game with The Chinese Room as part of his PhD, so now he gets to dig into his memory banks and tell us all the juicy details of its development! As it turns out, the world of 1900s London might not be too far off our own... Except with more Tesla pigs. But Tesla cars exist so I guess we're all doomed. All in a episode's work for Game Academy!

Check out Pete's work:

https://peterhowell.wixsite.com/whothehowell

AMFP's postmortem: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/postmortem-the-chinese-room-s-i-amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs-i-

Go and buy Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs on Steam or PSN (it's currently on sale):

https://store.steampowered.com/app/239200/Amnesia_A_Machine_for_Pigs/

https://store.playstation.com/en-gb/product/EP1188-CUSA05457_00-AMNESIACOLECTION

Get your free tickets to our special conference on N7 Day in honour of Mass Effect: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/10-years-of-the-mass-effect-trilogy-tickets-420303197177?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/multiplayn

Send questions and abstracts to networkmultiplay AT gmail DOT com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the seventh episode of Game Academy, Steph and Adam present an incredibly delayed podcast. We battled freshers' flu to be here and we'll never leave! Long live Game Academy! Steph is more thrilled at the prospect of the academic year than Adam, who has been the target of some angry Twitterers again, having written an article NOT ABOUT GAMERGATE. It's about values. Obviously. Instead, they get dragged into the mire, and discuss the lingering impact of gamergate on the field of video game studies and the internet in general. Steph even gives her most outrageous take yet about Anthem (and since she's writing the description this month, she gets to reiterate it: Anthem is a good game!) [Adam's note: No it isn't] 

Read Adam's original Conversation article about Values-Conscious Games emerging in the wake of GamerGate: https://theconversation.com/how-gamergate-led-the-gaming-industry-to-embrace-more-diverse-and-caring-values-190068

Why You So Angry by Innuendo Studios (Ian Danskin): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJA_jUddXvY62dhVThbeegLPpvQlR4CjF

Ian's GamerGate Postmortem: https://youtu.be/lLYWHpgIoIw

Book your free tickets to our Gothic Games and Disturbing Play Conference: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/gothic-games-and-disturbing-play-conference-tickets-419679963067?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

Get your free tickets to our special conference on N7 Day in honour of Mass Effect: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/10-years-of-the-mass-effect-trilogy-tickets-420303197177?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/multiplayuos

Send questions and abstracts to networkmultiplay AT gmail DOT com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the sixth episode of Game Academy, good times never seemed so good! Joined by Lisa Meek, Adam and Steph fondly (or, in Steph's case, not so much) remember when the Lionesses won the Euros. Lisa, amazing guest that she is, is firmly on the winning side with Adam while Steph laments Spain's misfortunes. Nevertheless, they fill us in on what it was like at Wembley during the Euro final. Adam, in an unsurprising turn of events, spills the details on his weddings by focusing solely on his shiny new Steam Deck. Our hosts also chat to sociologist and PhD candidate Lisa Meek, the host of September's Space and Place in Virtual Worlds week! Lisa tells us the details of the incredible line-up for the week and we all chat about our love of history through the lens of games and Lisa's undying love for County Durham. Steph also tries to convince Adam that Space and Place may just be the next big thing in video games studies, but as always, Adam's not having any of it. He does concede that Space and Place is interesting though, so that's a start.

One of us, one of us! 

Book your free tickets to the opening conference of the Space and Place in Virtual Worlds week https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/space-and-place-in-virtual-worlds-tickets-354691390497

Get your free tickets to Gothic Spaces Discussion: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/gothic-spaces-in-virtual-worlds-discussion-tickets-392337551177?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

Join our live reading group on the 14th September https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/live-reading-group-space-and-place-in-virtual-worlds-tickets-403938519987?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

Follow Lisa on Twitter: @jesuis_tired

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/multiplayuos

Send questions and abstracts to networkmultiplay AT gmail DOT com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the fifth episode of Game Academy, Adam and Steph take a breath after a hectic month! Adam fills us in on how this year's DiGRA conference went - and to Steph's despair - starts another ludology vs narratology debate. They continue, joined by Adam Crowley, to talk about his latest book "Representations of Poverty in Videogames". He opens our eyes to some fascinating approaches to dealing with socioeconomic factors in games, and finally blows our minds with his hopeful take on the future of the games industry and the m-m-metaverse. Yes, Steph made us talk about the metaverse, and typing that was excruciating. Finally, Steph gives a very long update on MultiPlay's upcoming events, with a special announcement in store for September's WEEK LONG Space and Place Conference! Presentaions and workshops and social events, oh my!

Get your free tickets for MultiPlay's Space and Place in Virtual Worlds Conference here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/space-and-place-in-virtual-worlds-tickets-354691390497

Follow Adam on Twitter: @AdamMCrowley

Buy Adam Crowley's book "Representations of Poverty in Videogames" here: https://www.brownsbfs.co.uk/Product/Crowley-Adam/Representations-of-Poverty-in-Videogames/9783031001437

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/multiplayuos

Send questions and abstracts to networkmultiplay AT gmail DOT com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the fourth episode of Game Academy, Adam and Steph get their monthly podcast out by the skin of their teeth! Is that an idiom? What about "next lady for a shave"? None of us are really sure anymore after this month. In this episode, we lament that there isn't a dog version of Stray and talk to the wonderful Dr Matthew Higgins, Adam's colleague who somehow (by the Maker!) finished a PhD. Steph and Adam didn't even think it was possible! We talk about his PhD jouney and any tips he has for us and aspiring researchers, before chatting about his own work on the interpretation of narrative as a form of play and all the fascinating psychology that explores how we keep engaged in the games that we love. We also talk a bit about White Lake, Matt's game that will be coming to Steam in 2023! Hopefully... Finally, we talk a bit about all things Multiplay, including its new book extending June's incredible Queerness conference before teasing a jam-packed and hopefully on-time July episode.

Please tell us if "next lady for a shave" is a real idiom after listening to episode 4 of Game Academy!

Check out the Queerness book's CFP here: https://multiplaynetwork.org/call-for-papers/

Check out the mental health in games whitepaper Adam was talking about here: https://www.takethis.org/expert-content/designing-games-to-challenge-the-stigma-around-mental-health/

Follow Matt on Twitter: https://twitter.com/webedragons

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/multiplayuos

Send questions and abstracts to networkmultiplay AT gmail DOT com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the third episode of Game Academy, Adam and Steph apologise profusely for the lateness of the episode release amidst the craziness of marking season, submissions and new puppies! In this episode, we talk all about our hot takes on video game crunch, how it could be solved, or if it's just a symptom of creative industries. Then, Steph delves deep into Cyberpunk 2077, how it's changed since release, how it influences her research and whether "bad" endings were really good endings all along. Finally, we talk a bit about the future of Mass Effect. Will we end the entire podcast because we simply can't agree on the ending? Finally, we chat to the lovely Greg McGuiness about Multiplay's upcoming Queering and Questioning conference next week.

All this and more - third time's the charm - on episode 3 of Game Academy!

Sign up for our Queering and Questioning Conference, happening on 1 June: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/queering-and-questioning-video-games-conference-tickets-327926245227?aff=erelexpmlt

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/multiplayuos

Send questions and abstracts to networkmultiplay AT gmail DOT com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the second episode of Game Academy, Adam and Steph chat about how they got into game studies, the power of Pokémon in our lives, and what we've learned so far in our academic careers. And the most important question: Can you make a career out of talking about games? Find out more in episode 2 of Game Academy!

Join our workshop on raising your profile and finding employment in academia happening on May 16th: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/x/raising-your-profile-and-finding-employment-tickets-308593079207

Check out our CFP for our Queerness conference on 1 June!: https://multiplaynetwork.org/events/

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/multiplayuos

Send questions and abstracts to networkmultiplay AT gmail DOT com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.