The Passing of a Video Game Visionary

Today we were saddened to learn that former Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi had passed away at the age of 85.

Working at Nintendo since 1949, he led the company during their most critical times - reinventing themselves as an electronics entertainment business during a time when such things were first being developed. He spearheaded the development of the NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, GameBoy, and GameCube, and his name is widely recognized throughout the history of video games.

Coverage of his passing:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24160150
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/430109/former-nintendo-president-hiroshi-yamauchi-passes-away-at-85/

CVGA Featured on SlashDot

Check out Dave Carter, our fearless leader, describing the archive in a more in-depth glance at what we have to offer via this feature on SlashDot.

See the video here.

Sexual Harassment in the Gaming Community

An article hit the New York Times earlier this month discussing the prevalence of sexual harassment in virtual game play.

In the article, they highlight several examples online, from a Kickstarter devoted to documenting how women are portrayed in video games to a blog devoted to the unpleasant comments that women often encounter while playing online games. Quoted in the article are also several people who recognize the need to do something about it.

Read the article here.

In Search of Gaming's Worst

Jon Irwin of the blog Kill Screen has done an interview with our own Dave Carter that accentuates the archive. In the interview, they discuss the importance of studying not only great and popular games, but learning the history of and learning lessons from the worst games out there as well.

You can read the interview here.

CVGA to be Featured on Double Jump

The CVGA will be featured on next week's special episode of Double Jump about Gaming & Libraries.

Double Jump is "Michigan's only local game show," and "explores gaming as a legitimate and mainstream form of art and entertainment."
 

They've posted a Sneak Peak to next week's episode on YouTube, which contains our segment.

Responses to the Minors Buying Video Games Case

The Supreme Court decision is out, but the issue still lingers. Many people feel strongly either way regarding the issue of whether minors should be able to buy violent video games, and their voices have carried long after the decision came out.

Those who agree (at least to some extent) with the decision:
Theresa B. Slusher, Cincinnati
Editorial from the Idaho Press Tribune

Mixed reactions:
Craig Anderson, ISU
Several other opinions

Those who feel that minors should in some way be restricted from buying them:
Alan Brownstein, UC Davis School of Law
Denver Archbishop Charles J. Chaput

How do you feel about the decision?

Supreme Court Rules California Video Game Law is Unconstitutional

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled 7-2 in the Brown v. EMA (formerly Schwarzenegger v. EMA) case that a California law barring the sale of violent video games to minors was unconstitutional, saying that video games are a creative medium deserving of first amendment protection.

You can read the New York Times story, or check out the text of the complete decision (PDF).

Politicians Commenting on Video Games

Video games have received a lot of attention lately from politicians like Obama and Gore, and their messages don't always agree.

Gore was quoted at the 2011 Games for Change Festival today, praising the video game industry as a "very large, extremely significant industry with a wildly diverse and rapidly growing audience of players on all kinds of platforms," and gave several examples of games that "integrate social good and efforts to make the world a better place into games."

Obama, on the other hand, though not expressly against video games, has warned people of the dangers they present in distracting kids from family time, as well as their education.

And with the decision from the Supreme Court forthcoming about whether minors should be able to buy violent video games, it would seem that video games have been on the minds of a lot of government officials recently. Whatever your take on them, it certainly seems that they continue to garner more and more attention.

Microsoft Announcements at E3 Conference 2011

Microsoft has just finished announcing the direction that they're going to be taking in the coming year, which seems to be all about:

- Partnerships with companies like YouTube
- Kinect support for voice commands
- An impressive list of new and reworked games for the Kinect, including Minecraft, Star Wars, & Lara Croft

You can keep up with the event live this week and follow major announcements here.

Video Games Get Some Artistic Recognition

Because of a ruling by the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts, video games are now legally considered to be an art form. This step could give video game developers extra funding, although it's reportedly only available to art projects that "enhance the public good" and "those willing to make beautiful content and give it away for free."

It also comes as a welcome response to those who disagreed with Roger Ebert's controversial statement that "video games can never be art," along with the "Art of Video Games" exhibit that the Smithsonian is currently putting together for next year.

What is your take on the issue?

The Electronic Revelation

One of our regulars, Grace Lieb, wrote an article about the CVGA for LEAD Magazine, which never got to be published before she left the magazine. So here is the article, in its entirety. Thanks, Grace! 

TITLE: THE ELECTRONIC REVELATION

SUBTITLE:  A Gamer’s Dreamland Awaits at the Most Well-Kept Secret on North Campus

BY: Grace Lieb

To Central Campus-Goers: you never thought that it was worth while paying a visit to North Campus, eh? You never thought that the monotonous, mind-numbing 15 minute bus ride would lead to anything significant, eh? Well listen, and listen good, because this next part is not going to be easy for me. I am about to sacrifice my oath of confidentiality to tell you about the grandest, most precious jewel on North Campus. Because I know that once I tell you, this technological treasure trove will never be the same calm, hushed reprieve again. Ok, here it goes: there’s a video game archive here. Yeah, a VIDEO GAME ARCHIVE. Sure, there are video games in the Union, but you have to cough up the cash for those. THIS IS FREE. 

Tucked away in the basement of the Art, Architecture, and Engineering Library in the Duderstadt Center, the Computer and Video Game Archive has every console ever created since the birth of gaming. From the NES to Playstation 3, from classic games like the Super Mario Bros. series to the newest, cutting-edge games like Assassin’s Creed II, there’s a niche for every kind of gamer. I don’t want to give away all the titles, though. After all, there are just too many to name in this meek article. 1,508, in fact.

So, how did this neat little fantasy become such a big reality? The Archive is the brainchild of David Carter, a librarian here at U of M. It launched in 2008 as an educational center for observing media effects, art design, and programming, but since then has become more than a sort of laboratory; it’s a center for fun. Walking into the Archive and feasting your eyes upon the giant wall adorned with video games is like walking into a room with an all-you-can-eat buffet: your senses overwhelm you; your mind whirls; you don’t know what to grab first because it all looks so good. The added bonus is the environment is serene and quiet (due to the provided headphones next to each gaming station), so you can play in peace.

Still not convinced this whole thing is worth your while? “It’s a place where you can go and have fun,” states School of Engineering freshman Lanxin Liu, “It’s just really cool how you can come here and relax.” Simply put, it’s a place to game your stresses away. Need a break from 24/7 studying? Clear your head with your favorite game. Want to hang out with friends? Round them up and play Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Whatever mood you’re in or motive you have, it’s just an enjoyable, friendly place to hang out. To sum it up, Elizabeth Caliman, an LSA junior who commutes frequently from Central to the Archive, observes, “It’s got a wide variety [of games], it’s free, it’s open 6 days a week, and the staff is great.” ‘Nuff said.

For the full video game catalog, hours, and phone number, visit http://www.lib.umich.edu/computer-video-game-archive.

Carmen Sandiego & Its Influence On Our Worldview

Some of you may remember playing some version of the Carmen Sandiego series of computer and video games that were popular in the 80s and 90s. Others might better remember the PBS tv show "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?", if not for the content, then for introducing the world to Rockapella. Well, depending on your opinion of Facebook games, I have either good or bad news for you. Game developer Blue Fang announced on Wednesday that it is putting out Facebook versions of two of the most memorable edutainment games ever: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego and Oregon Trail.

On the heels of this announcement, Alexis Madrigal, a blogger on The Atlantic's web site, wrote an interesting piece asking what seems at first to be a simple question: what effect did playing games like Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego have on children's view of the world? Much like the author, there are probably a large number of children of the 80s and 90s who remember obscure geographic facts (like San Marino's economic dependence on postage stamps) because of this game. Madrigal points out, however, that these games likely had a larger influence beyond trivia recall. Just like textbooks, filmstrips, and other primers used in classrooms, these games influenced children's education. And while plenty of studies have been done about the ways textbooks and primers influence students' views, to Madrigal's knowledge, nothing similar has been done for video games. This could be a fertile field for researchers to mine, but the clock is ticking. As older computer formats become harder and harder (or impossible to access), the time we have remaining to look at these primary sources for children's education is running out.

Supreme Court Considers Violent Video Game Law

Today the US Supreme Court hears arguments regarding AB 1179, the California bill restricting the sale and rental of violent video games to minors.

NPR has the story: "Calif. Pushes To Uphold Ban On Violent Video Games"

 

Article at ConcentrateMedia.com

Our friendly neighborhood video game librarian, Dave, was featured in an article at ConcentrateMedia.com, where he explains how the archive started and where it might be headed.

Check it out here.

CVGA article on AnnArbor.com

The CVGA is featured in an article today on AnnArbor.com: "University of Michigan Computer and Video Game Archive offers old-school gaming experience"

The Rise of Indy Console Games

This weekend's On the Media show from NPR has a segment about the rise of independent console game developers: "DIY Gaming"

Education 222 article in Michigan Daily

Today's Michigan Daily (the student newspaper) has an article about the class Education 222: Videogames & Learning, taught by Prof. Barry Fishman (who is on our advisory committee for the archive): "Gaming in the classroom? New class says yes" The archive gets a brief mention near the end of the piece.

Detroit Free Press article

The Computer & Video Game Archive is featured in an article in today's Detroit Free Press: "New game archive at U-M integrates research, play"

Interview

There's an interview with me regarding the Comptuer & Video Game Archive over at The Video Game Librarian blog. Thanks to John Scalzo for his excellent interview!

Another Student Paper Article

Today's Michigan Daily features another article about the video game archive: "Archive brings games old and new to students."