The Gamer Dialect and Some Minor Updates

July 3rd, 2009

A few days ago my latest column ‘Mapping The Gamer Dialect’ went up on GameSetWatch, I can’t imagine that it was terribly popular as I rambled on about the language of the video gaming populace. I’m rather chuffed with it though – nice relevant opener, comprehensive enough to form a basic skeleton of gamer talk and mostly well substantiated. So please take a read.

In the past week or so I’ve finished reading both of the GameSpite books (Year One, Volume One and GS Quarterly Spring 2009) which I thoroughly enjoyed – the best games writing you’ll find anywhere. I’m looking forward to rounding out some rather comprehensive thoughts on the massive Zelda Twilight Princess and possibly squeeze in something out on Super Stardust HD which was out this week on the Playstation Store for $3.50. Good news too, I’ve mostly finished the purchasing side of my gaming backlog, minus a handful of imports and rarities. That’s all the minor updates for now.

Australian Larrikinism in Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow

June 11th, 2009

Turns out my latest column is out a few days early. It’s titled ‘Australian Larrikinism in Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow‘. This entry is similar to the last in that I discuss the way developers craft performances of their characters to push an implicit message. In this case how Sony Bend use Aussie Dane Bishop in Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow to introduce the player to larrikinism – an important part of Australian culture.

I’ve been thinking about this Australian larrikinism issue for about a week now as it was mentioned in one of my classes. It’s one of those ideas that’s always been at the back of my mind but never articulated that clearly. Being that us Aussies are a bunch of larrikins – simple eh? The effects of this can come out in intercultural contexts where our perception of a good time can result in a dire consequences in another’s culture. Well, that’s what the lecture was saying, I was too busy casting my mind into the pool of regret when thinking over some of my exploits in China. Ouch!

I’ve wanted to explore the Dane Bishop character for a while, and with larrikinism in hand, I could finally write something interesting about the guy. So please take a read, this entry is much shorter than my Portal analysis.

Lastly, I’m looking to write for external publications more than I have in the past. In fact, I hope that I’ll be able to migrate most of my content elsewhere. I find that writing for other publications ensures that I work harder on polishing my work and elevating my writing style; two areas that I wish to improve at. So look forward to more of that in the future. I wrote some thoughts on this here, if you’re interested.

The Cultural Implications of Dialects in Video Games

May 20th, 2009

The next entry in my GameSetWatch column was posted a few days ago, you can find the link here;

Column: ‘Lingua Franca’ – Implications Of Dialect In Dragon Quest IV

This time around I look at the use of dialects in video games and discuss the cultural implications that dialects can have on play, as well as suggesting ways to weave this to an advantage. Initially I wasted many words finding my voice for the article, but eventually what I wanted to say came out. I’m weary of a few of the comments I made in the article, one or two which may in fact be generalizations, still the weight of the article is strong. It’s been interesting to observe the feedback from people who have a different interpretation of English dialects to my Australian flavoured opinion.

I’m really starting to find some weight behind this column, as I’m practically plundering the depths of unexplored terrain. It’s similar to a project I’m currently working on now regarding Chinese-Chinese and Chinese-foreigner communication – both fields represent a lack of proper study.

Lastly, I’ve completed the extended introduction of my next column which is a critique of Portal in regards to Erving Goffman’s work on social interaction and institutions. This is a topic that I’ve had on the tip of my pen for almost a year now, I suspect that this will probably be one of my best pieces of writing, it’s shaping up that way already.

You may hear more opinions on Dragon Quest IV in another guest article shortly.

Posted in Culture | Comments (3)
Tags: dragon quest, language

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