Category: games

Speaking at MIT Monday the 27th

Monday I am speaking at Nick Montfort’s very nice Purple Blurb lecture series at MIT.

Jesper Juul on developing video games to develop video game theory

October 27, 6pm, 14N-233
Juul is a video game theorist and author of Half Real: Video Games between Real Rules and Fictional Worlds (MIT Press, 2006). He is also a video game developer, and will discuss using lessons from developing online and casual games to inform work with video game theory (and vice versa). Juul is currently a lecturer in the Program in Writing and Humanistic Studies; he works at the Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab.

Casual Players prefer Obama

My blog seems to be turning into a “games and US politics” affair. Here goes:

According to a study by NeoEdge, 59% of casual players surveyed prefer Obama, 32% McCain.

Now, I want to propose various explanations. Basically, I think there is something in the underlying structure of Hidden Object and Time Management games that are inherently tied to the values of Democrats.

  • Aren’t time management games the ludic expression of the welfare state, the Democrat idea of (the state as) the nurturing mother? An all-seeing eye that helps everybody?

OK, so I don’t quite believe that. It is more likely that casual players are mostly women, and Obama does well with women.

Sen. Barack Obama has widened his lead among casual game[r]s — an overwhelming majority of which are women — over Sen. John McCain following the third presidential debate on Wednesday, October 15. On October 16, the day following the debate, 59% of the respondents said they preferred Obama, while 32% preferred McCain. A week ago, the day after the second presidential debate (October 8), only 54% percent said they preferred Obama, and 36% said they preferred McCain. According to the poll, Obama now leads McCain by 17 points among this key demographic.

So here is a question: Is the reverse is true? Do “hardcore” game players lean towards McCain?

And what do we mean by “hardcore”? Mega Man? Level 60+ in World of Warcraft? Defender? Guitar Hero on Expert?

Do you have good photos of Wii/Guitar Hero/Rock Band players?

I have been posting a bit slowly lately because I am finalizing my book on “casual games”, meaning downloadable casual games / Wii / Guitar Hero / Rock Band.

And I am looking for good photos of people playing these games!

If you have some that you would be happy to see in my book, please send me a line at:

j at jesperjuul dot net

Thanks!