Drew Davidson
Biographic Data
| ID | 3750766 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Drew Davidson |
| GIVEN NAMES | Drew |
| FAMILY NAME | Davidson |
| SIGNATURE | DAVIDSON D |
| AFFILIATIONS | Art Institute of Pittsburgh |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-5096-1446 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 11 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 4 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 9 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2004 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Digital home-lessness
Millions of individuals in the United States without a computer or broadband at their residence must rely on public libraries for their Internet access. Drawing on a rich data set of interviews and participant observation at three public libraries, we explore how individuals navigate these complex settings and how they profoundly shape their digital lives and experiences, one we characterize as digital home-lessness. In this article, we identify …
Well Played
This article engages in an in-depth close reading of the game Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time to parse out various meanings to be found in the experience of playing the game. The experience is approached from the perspective of its narrative development and its game design. This enables an analysis of the relationship between the game's story and its game play. Sequences in the game are analyzed in detail to illustrate and interpret how these…
Procedural literacy
Purpose Seeks to argue that procedural literacy, of which programming is a part, is critically important for new media scholars and practitioners and that its opposite, procedural illiteracy, leaves one fundamentally unable to grapple with the essence of computational media. Design/methodology/approach This paper looks at one of the earliest historical calls for universal procedural literacy, explores how games can serve as an ideal object around…
Games by degrees
Purpose Seeks to explores the idea of career‐focused, vocational higher education and give an overview of the current offerings of degrees, programs and majors that focus on games, simulations and interactive media. Design/methodology/approach Provides an overview of educational courses supplied by various institutions which are capitalising on student and industry demand by offering officially accredited degrees in the study of games. Findings S…
Weblogs
Purpose Seeks to exemplify and discuss how students’ use of weblogs can prepare them for a networked world where writing has consequences outside grades. Design/methodology/approach Experiences using weblogs with university students are critically discussed with reference to related theoretical and practice‐based work. Findings While many students were wary at first, the experience of writing in public provided an important learning opportunity, …
Videogames and the future of education
Purpose Proposes to look at how many designers and researchers have become interested in how videogames can serve as forms of cultural expression beyond entertainment alone. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on views from the videogame industry and the educational system. Findings This article suggests that both the videogame industry and the compulsory educational system are engaged in commensurate crises. The videogame industry is …
Cheating can be good for you
Purpose – Aims to determine how multiple play styles and use of "outside" materials can be successfully taken into account when designing user experiences in educational digital games. Design/methodology/approach – This research draws on over two dozen qualitative interviews and an open‐ended survey of an additional 50 game players with a wide range of gameplay experience. Findings – Findings suggest that players have different skill sets, and di…
Educating the fighter
Purpose A growing number of educators are turning to games for a model of next‐generation learning environments. To date, there has been a lack of critical inquiry into what kind of learning occurs through game play, and how games get learned by their players. Aims to plug this gap Design/methodology/approach This paper is a critical study of Viewtiful Joe, a cult‐classic sidescrolling 2D fighting game for the Nintendo Gamecube. Noted for its dif…
Diving into Peter Plantec's brave new world of virtual humans
Purpose To review Peter Plantec's book Virtual Humans: A Build it Yourself Kit. Design/methodology/approach This book is meant to be read by one willing to actively engage with the technologies that Plantec introduces. While the technology that enables virtual agents is stable, many agents are annoyingly non‐humanlike in their interactions. Plantec encourages his readers to enter the world of virtual humans by providing the resources and coaching…
Messages and mediums
Purpose Proposes to argue that current assumptions about media effects in videogames fail to take into account the variety of messages and potential effects embedded in games. Design/methodology/approach A survey of the game “Grand Theft Auto III” and a short, illustrative, review of “videogames as learning” perspectives. Findings Even a game such as “Grand Theft Auto III”, pilloried for its anti‐social messages and assumed negative behavioral ef…
Institutional change in “The Academy”
Purpose This essay aims to present role of education and its response to institutional change. Design/methodology/approach Explores both a shift in its purpose and its role in a wired/global environment. The principal focus is on the traditional post‐secondary education but considers changes that are occurring as society moves to lifelong learning. It challenges the current model of change of the institutions as being cosmetic and only delaying a…
Why create a media and game center
Game centers are increasingly being started at various universities around the world. The paper explores and expounds on the incorporation of an official university center that has a mission on the study and making of games and simulations. To focus this discussion, the paper looks at the ideas and initiatives that led up to the successful creation of the Applied Media and Simulation Games Center at Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Introduction
This special issue of On the Horizon focuses on strategies for applying games, simulations and interactive experiences in learning contexts. A facet of this issue is the interactive and collaborative method in which it was created. Instead of separated individual articles, the authors and editors have orchestrated the articles together, reading and writing as a whole so that the concepts across the articles resonate with each other. It is the int…
Procedural literacy
Purpose Seeks to argue that procedural literacy, of which programming is a part, is critically important for new media scholars and practitioners and that its opposite, procedural illiteracy, leaves one fundamentally unable to grapple with the essence of computational media. Design/methodology/approach This paper looks at one of the earliest historical calls for universal procedural literacy, explores how games can serve as an ideal object around…
Educating the fighter
Purpose A growing number of educators are turning to games for a model of next‐generation learning environments. To date, there has been a lack of critical inquiry into what kind of learning occurs through game play, and how games get learned by their players. Aims to plug this gap Design/methodology/approach This paper is a critical study of Viewtiful Joe, a cult‐classic sidescrolling 2D fighting game for the Nintendo Gamecube. Noted for its dif…
Digital home-lessness
Millions of individuals in the United States without a computer or broadband at their residence must rely on public libraries for their Internet access. Drawing on a rich data set of interviews and participant observation at three public libraries, we explore how individuals navigate these complex settings and how they profoundly shape their digital lives and experiences, one we characterize as digital home-lessness. In this article, we identify …
Well Played
This article engages in an in-depth close reading of the game Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time to parse out various meanings to be found in the experience of playing the game. The experience is approached from the perspective of its narrative development and its game design. This enables an analysis of the relationship between the game's story and its game play. Sequences in the game are analyzed in detail to illustrate and interpret how these…
Weblogs
Purpose Seeks to exemplify and discuss how students’ use of weblogs can prepare them for a networked world where writing has consequences outside grades. Design/methodology/approach Experiences using weblogs with university students are critically discussed with reference to related theoretical and practice‐based work. Findings While many students were wary at first, the experience of writing in public provided an important learning opportunity, …
Cheating can be good for you
Purpose – Aims to determine how multiple play styles and use of "outside" materials can be successfully taken into account when designing user experiences in educational digital games. Design/methodology/approach – This research draws on over two dozen qualitative interviews and an open‐ended survey of an additional 50 game players with a wide range of gameplay experience. Findings – Findings suggest that players have different skill sets, and di…
Why create a media and game center
Game centers are increasingly being started at various universities around the world. The paper explores and expounds on the incorporation of an official university center that has a mission on the study and making of games and simulations. To focus this discussion, the paper looks at the ideas and initiatives that led up to the successful creation of the Applied Media and Simulation Games Center at Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Introduction
This special issue of On the Horizon focuses on strategies for applying games, simulations and interactive experiences in learning contexts. A facet of this issue is the interactive and collaborative method in which it was created. Instead of separated individual articles, the authors and editors have orchestrated the articles together, reading and writing as a whole so that the concepts across the articles resonate with each other. It is the int…
Procedural literacy
Purpose Seeks to argue that procedural literacy, of which programming is a part, is critically important for new media scholars and practitioners and that its opposite, procedural illiteracy, leaves one fundamentally unable to grapple with the essence of computational media. Design/methodology/approach This paper looks at one of the earliest historical calls for universal procedural literacy, explores how games can serve as an ideal object around…
Games by degrees
Purpose Seeks to explores the idea of career‐focused, vocational higher education and give an overview of the current offerings of degrees, programs and majors that focus on games, simulations and interactive media. Design/methodology/approach Provides an overview of educational courses supplied by various institutions which are capitalising on student and industry demand by offering officially accredited degrees in the study of games. Findings S…
Weblogs
Purpose Seeks to exemplify and discuss how students’ use of weblogs can prepare them for a networked world where writing has consequences outside grades. Design/methodology/approach Experiences using weblogs with university students are critically discussed with reference to related theoretical and practice‐based work. Findings While many students were wary at first, the experience of writing in public provided an important learning opportunity, …
Videogames and the future of education
Purpose Proposes to look at how many designers and researchers have become interested in how videogames can serve as forms of cultural expression beyond entertainment alone. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on views from the videogame industry and the educational system. Findings This article suggests that both the videogame industry and the compulsory educational system are engaged in commensurate crises. The videogame industry is …
Cheating can be good for you
Purpose – Aims to determine how multiple play styles and use of "outside" materials can be successfully taken into account when designing user experiences in educational digital games. Design/methodology/approach – This research draws on over two dozen qualitative interviews and an open‐ended survey of an additional 50 game players with a wide range of gameplay experience. Findings – Findings suggest that players have different skill sets, and di…
Educating the fighter
Purpose A growing number of educators are turning to games for a model of next‐generation learning environments. To date, there has been a lack of critical inquiry into what kind of learning occurs through game play, and how games get learned by their players. Aims to plug this gap Design/methodology/approach This paper is a critical study of Viewtiful Joe, a cult‐classic sidescrolling 2D fighting game for the Nintendo Gamecube. Noted for its dif…
Diving into Peter Plantec's brave new world of virtual humans
Purpose To review Peter Plantec's book Virtual Humans: A Build it Yourself Kit. Design/methodology/approach This book is meant to be read by one willing to actively engage with the technologies that Plantec introduces. While the technology that enables virtual agents is stable, many agents are annoyingly non‐humanlike in their interactions. Plantec encourages his readers to enter the world of virtual humans by providing the resources and coaching…
Messages and mediums
Purpose Proposes to argue that current assumptions about media effects in videogames fail to take into account the variety of messages and potential effects embedded in games. Design/methodology/approach A survey of the game “Grand Theft Auto III” and a short, illustrative, review of “videogames as learning” perspectives. Findings Even a game such as “Grand Theft Auto III”, pilloried for its anti‐social messages and assumed negative behavioral ef…
Institutional change in “The Academy”
Purpose This essay aims to present role of education and its response to institutional change. Design/methodology/approach Explores both a shift in its purpose and its role in a wired/global environment. The principal focus is on the traditional post‐secondary education but considers changes that are occurring as society moves to lifelong learning. It challenges the current model of change of the institutions as being cosmetic and only delaying a…
Well Played
This article engages in an in-depth close reading of the game Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time to parse out various meanings to be found in the experience of playing the game. The experience is approached from the perspective of its narrative development and its game design. This enables an analysis of the relationship between the game's story and its game play. Sequences in the game are analyzed in detail to illustrate and interpret how these…
Digital home-lessness
Millions of individuals in the United States without a computer or broadband at their residence must rely on public libraries for their Internet access. Drawing on a rich data set of interviews and participant observation at three public libraries, we explore how individuals navigate these complex settings and how they profoundly shape their digital lives and experiences, one we characterize as digital home-lessness. In this article, we identify …
Computer Science (11 works) · Sociology (10 works) · Political science (9 works) · Digital Games and Media (8 works) · Educational Games and Gamification (8 works) · Originality (8 works) · Psychology (8 works) · Value (mathematics (8 works) · Social Psychology (6 works) · Social Psychology (6 works)