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The CHEGheads are headed to E3 Expo 2010. Both a trade show and a celebration of gaming, the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo presented by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is one of the most talked about industry events of the year. With the opening only a few days away, the E3 excitement is building on the blogosphere as gamers anxiously await news on “what’s next” in the gaming world.
Los Angeles from OSU Fisher College
 

Alternate interfaces for gaming consoles will […]

Continue Reading about CHEGheads Going to Gaming Paradise . . . E3 Published on:
June 11, 2010

Ever been stuck in a game? You’re not alone. Back in the 1980s, when I was cutting my gaming teeth, I remember being stymied by Colossal Cave Adventure. I was playing the Osborne Computer version, written by Mike Goetz I believe, and to win the game you had to amass 580 points by solving a series of puzzles and challenges to acquire all the treasure. I had figured out almost all the problems in the game but couldn’t complete it. […]

Continue Reading about A Generous Gift of Video Game Guides Published on:
June 7, 2010

How many times have you thrown a fit when you lost a game? And in turn, how many times did a friend or relative remind you that it’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game that matters? In today’s electronic gaming world, manufacturers are emphasizing this point in new ways. For many gamers, it’s no longer about winning or losing, it’s literally all about how you play.
Ever since Nintendo first marketed the trademark orange-and-gray Zapper […]

Continue Reading about It’s How You Play the Video Game Published on:
May 28, 2010

I don’t know that the words curator and curious come from a common root word, but I’ve noticed that most curators—like inquisitive three-year-olds—persistently ask questions. Even curators who’ve done thorough research keep on asking questions about their subject matter. And that’s the way things should be because researchers, historians, and collectors uncover new information all the time.
The need for questions makes me think about the museum’s collection of so-called china dolls. To be more precise, these dolls have porcelain heads […]

Continue Reading about The Curious Case of the China Doll Published on:
May 27, 2010

Coco Chanel said, “fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street. Fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” I share Chanel’s sentiments. During the Roaring Twenties, women abandoned corsets and opted for bust-less, waist-less, knee-length dresses. Post-war culture of the 1940s embraced tiny waists, full skirts, and for that matter, full breasts. Punk culture in 1970s London responded to the economic crisis by filling the […]

Continue Reading about Haute Couture Popping Up in Video Games Published on:
May 20, 2010

It’s only natural that ICHEG be located in Rochester, a city with universities and colleges that attract students and academics from across the globe. One evening, while reminiscing with a few of them about childhood memories, a student from Portugal recalled the numerous occasions when he skipped religious studies to go to the arcade with change his mother had given him for an after-school snack. He would slip the coins into the slot of the Contra arcade game like he […]

Continue Reading about Video Game Sing Along, Anyone? Published on:
May 14, 2010

These familiar words have been used, in some form, through centuries of storytelling. The Oxford English Dictionary notes that the phrase dates to at least 1380, while Wikipedia states that “it seems to have become a widely accepted convention for opening oral narratives by around 1600.”
For a long, long time then, these four words have led us, usually first and most often as children, into a tale about a beautiful place far, far away. Many a fable or folktale has […]

Continue Reading about Once Upon a Time… Published on:
May 12, 2010

One of the most frequent questions I receive as a gamer is, “What kinds of games do you enjoy playing?” This question seems simplistic, but the answer is definitely not. I’ve given several different ones over the years, ranging from specific examples, such as Mario Bros., to broad genres, like puzzle games. As I get older, I realize my absolute favorite games are those that represent a connection to my personal life, especially games that take me back to a […]

Continue Reading about Who is Your Sailor Moon? Published on:
May 7, 2010

A century ago, the journalist, pastor, and social reformer Lyman Abbott wrote: “I frequently play solitaire as a brain rest, and I recommend the game to the brain-weary. In playing I have to study the relation of each card on the table to the other cards and take time to determine what my play shall be.”
Anyone who enjoys casual electronic games can identify with Abbott. Casual games engage us without overtaxing us. We line up stones in Bejeweled, help Flo […]

Continue Reading about Why are Casual Games so Compelling? Published on:
April 30, 2010