About
Jeff Watson is an artist, designer, and Assistant Professor of Interactive Media and Games at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts.
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Tag Archives: game design
Syllabus: Documentary and Activist Games (CTIN-499)
Filmmaker John Grierson famously described documentary cinema as “the creative treatment of actuality.” Documentary films can illuminate unseen processes, broaden our awareness of the past and present, and challenge us to make a better future. How might games achieve similar … Continue reading
Posted in Blog
Tagged activism, courses, ctin-499, documentary, game design, games, imgd, serious games, usc
2 Comments
“In participatory situations, game structure replaces aesthetics…”
“In participatory situations, game structure replaces aesthetics. Instead of events being worked out beforehand, there is a “game plan,” a set of objectives, moves, and rules that are generally known or explained. The game plan is flexible, adapting to changing … Continue reading
Posted in Quotes
Tagged audience, game design, participation, performance, richard schechner, theatre
4 Comments
Sam Lavigne on designing real-world games that “open up new possibilities [and] new ways of interacting with the world and each other”
Sam Lavigne is the co-founder (with Ian Kizu-Blair) of Situate, a design and consulting studio that produces “games that inspire people to create, explore and connect online and in the real world.” Continue reading
Play, writing, and the pleasures of complex dynamic systems
Writer and game designer Andrea Phillips, who I interviewed in this space a few years back, recently wrote a blog post about the evolution of her writing process, describing “the way that my creation of stories and my creation of … Continue reading
Posted in Blog
Tagged andrea phillips, complexity, game design, screenwriting, storytelling
3 Comments
Content management and delivery tools for indie ARG producers
By using and mashing-up freely-available social media, mobile technology, and web publishing tools, ARG producers with shoestring budgets can roll their own custom ARG management and delivery systems. Continue reading
Sid Sackson’s Acquire
Since its release in the early 1960s, Acquire has inspired generations of game designers and enthusiasts with its elegant and replayable design. Many game designers, including Ticket to Ride designer Alan R. Moon, cite Acquire as a seminal work in the evoution of tabletop gaming. This post provides designer-centric coverage of the game. Continue reading
Posted in Blog
Tagged acquire, board games, ctin-541, game design, imap, sid sackson, tracy fullerton
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