January 11, 2008 Archives

Note that Juul has changed his mind... the other day, we read his strong statement attacking the validity of focusing on story as an approach to understanding video games, but in Half-Real he works through both rules and fiction and concludes that both are important.

What does Juul mean by "emergent narrative," and how does it differer from the narrative you would find in a book?

Included among the topics students have brought up have been the function of violence in video games (sparking copycat violence, or a way to release pressure harmlessly?) and the effect of Lara Croft (offensive stereotype or empowering icon?).   Apply Juul's statements on "stylization" to one or both of these discussions.  See if you can work your response into the form of a thesis statement.

(Use the index to look up these terms.)

Juul, Half-Real