THATCamp IMMERSe 2013 The Humanities and Technology Camp 2013-07-15T21:12:36Z http://immerse2013.thatcamp.org/feed/atom/ WordPress Lauren Burr <![CDATA[Follow-Up Evaluation]]> http://immerse2013.thatcamp.org/?p=563 2013-07-15T21:12:02Z 2013-07-15T21:12:02Z

Hi all,

Thanks for coming out to THATCamp IMMERSe this past weekend. Although our attendance ended up being a bit lower than expected, those of you who were there helped to make the Games Institute’s first THATCamp a great success! One final thing I’d like to ask you to do is fill out this brief evaluation survey put together by THATCamp HQ: www.surveymonkey.com/s/thatcampeval. Only two answers are required, and you can include as much or little detail as possible. Your responses will be anonymized and made publicly available on thatcamp.org for past, present and future THATCamp organizers so that we can continue to make THATCamp more fun, productive and collegial for all!

Thanks again and enjoy the rest of your summer!

Lauren

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Lauren Burr <![CDATA[THATCamp IMMERSe Unconference Schedule]]> http://immerse2013.thatcamp.org/?p=553 2013-07-15T21:12:36Z 2013-07-13T14:34:17Z

Today’s unconference schedule is up over on the Schedule page. We had a lower turnout for scheduling this morning, so stay tuned for possible changes and/or additions as people join us throughout the day!

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Lauren Burr <![CDATA[July 12: CIGI Internet Access]]> http://immerse2013.thatcamp.org/?p=545 2013-07-13T14:29:43Z 2013-07-12T01:43:06Z

Step 1: Connect to the following Wireless Network Connection (SSID): Campus_Guest

Network Security Key: CIGIP0wer

Step 2: Open your Internet browser and expect the Web authentication page. Use the following credentials:

User Name: cigiguest

Password: thinktank

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William Saunders <![CDATA[Gamified Self/Self-Gamification]]> http://immerse2013.thatcamp.org/?p=536 2013-07-11T21:32:25Z 2013-07-11T21:31:57Z

Game design isn’t just about creating games for other people – it can also be about creating games to make your own life more interesting and to encourage personal behavior change. This can be as simple as providing incentives to do activities you would normally put off, or it can involve creating a rich storyline around your own experiences. Implementation can range from full web/smartphone applications to a few sticknotes on your door. A famous example of self-gamification is the initial prototype of SuperBetter, the game originally invented by Jane McGonigal to help her maintain optimism and purpose as she recovered from a debilitating concussion.

In this session, we will have a brief discussion on what is involved in self-gamification, then split into groups to explore self-gamification design ideas.

Related resources:
www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_the_game_that_can_give_you_10_extra_years_of_life.html
habitrpg.com/static/front
www.livingforimprovement.com/
techcrunch.com/2010/08/25/scvngr-game-mechanics/

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Andrew McAlorum http://mcalorum.com <![CDATA[Gaming the Library]]> http://immerse2013.thatcamp.org/?p=519 2013-07-10T18:25:47Z 2013-07-10T01:35:20Z

How can libraries incorporate gaming and gamification into their services? Join this talkathon, brainstorming session, scrum to generate ideas. The Library as Hackerspace has gaming as a core component. And how do we follow the lead of social networks like Steam, Foursquare, Untappd, GetGlue, and Fitocracy by implementing game mechanics such as Achievements, User Points, and Badges to increase user engagement, quality, and ROI? Help plan the library of the future!

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Stephen Fernandez http://technodrama.tumblr.com/ <![CDATA[Embodied Immersion in Digital Performance: A Forum]]> http://immerse2013.thatcamp.org/?p=493 2013-07-08T04:02:11Z 2013-07-08T04:01:07Z

The concept of immersion is fast becoming the key topic of interest in the study and practice of digital performance. With the reconfiguration of traditional performance spaces into experimental sites that place the viewer in the midst of the dramatic action, a sense of embodied immersion has emerged in what Steve Dixon calls’Digital Performance’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The English word immersion is derived from the original Latin, immergere, which means to plunge or dip into (OLD). As such, it is possible to characterize the experience of immersion in digital performance as the sensory perception of submerging one’s body into a digitally mediated environment that is either a fully virtual or a hybrid (part virtual and part physical) space.

In recent years, the scope of performance studies has expanded beyond the confines of the theatre to include locative media performances in city streets and interactive drama games such as Facade and Prom Week, both of which are readily accessible online. Building on the performative potential of new media environments that incorporate the use of digital technologies and performance (broadly construed), this forum is open to anyone who is interested in the intersection of drama, performance, and digital media.

We hope you will join us in an exciting discussion on the significance of embodiment and immersion in digital performance, as well as the creative possibilities and limitations in designing an intermedial performance event.

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Elise Vist <![CDATA[Session Proposal: Women in Games communities]]> http://immerse2013.thatcamp.org/?p=459 2013-07-04T18:10:34Z 2013-07-04T15:36:54Z

A few of us at Waterloo are starting our own Women/gamers group, where we want to foster a community of women who play games throughout the university, and eventually the city (and eventually the GTA, and then all of Canada, and so on, until we rule the world, of course). We know what we want out of a community like this, but we would like some feedback and input from other people.

What kinds of events do you wish were held? What kind of atmosphere would make you want to come, or would make you avoid the group? Have you seen something like this fail dramatically/succeed beyond anyone’s wildest expectations? What have you seen work in the past? What kinds of awesome things could we set up?  What would you look for in an online community associated with something like this?

Essentially, we’re looking to steal your brain power so that we can make our community as awesome as possible!

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Kirk Zurell http://kirk.zurell.name <![CDATA[Session proposal: Shakespeareoke!]]> http://immerse2013.thatcamp.org/?p=437 2013-07-03T18:29:55Z 2013-07-03T18:29:55Z
Screen capture of Shakespeareoke reading Macbeth

All the World Wide Web’s a stage.

At the end of a busy unconference day, it’s time for some entertainment…a trip to the theatre!

Shakespeareoke is a fun way to experience live theatre with your friends no matter where you are.

Participants in this “Play” session perform scenes from Shakespeare’s Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

About Shakespeareoke

Shakespeareoke lets you meet your friends and read great scripts in a Google Hangout App.

  • The script progresses Karaoke-style, with a reading highlight and helpful cues. Sound effects bring you into the world of the play.
  • Applaud talented performers with the click of a button, and their worldwide ranking improves.
  • The director invites the company and casts the show using drag-n-drop.

Remember reading scenes from Shakespeare in front of the class? Now you can get the same learning experience from home, in your pyjamas.

Technical requirements: participants need a desktop/laptop with audio hardware (webcam is very helpful, headset is ideal) and network connection. An up-to-date browser (Chrome or Firefox) and the Google Talk plugin are necessary. Participants use their Google (G+) account to sign into Hangouts.

Shakespeareoke is one of those “cannot be unthought” applications of video/audio chat, especially Hangouts. It’s a project of kirk.zurell.name begun in January 2013.

The brochure site is at shakespeareoke.kirk.zurell.name.

About the session

Take a “backstage tour” of the app’s architecture, and share (hard-won) experience using Hangouts as a collaboration and casual game design platform. The possibilities for your art, communication, and game inspirations are virtually endless, but there are a few surprises along the way.

In any creative challenge, the creator can lose sight of fresh perspectives. I need lots of first impressions to make this product meet people’s expectations.

And it’s just plain fun! Chew up the scenery as Macbeth or Puck! Woo your sweetie as Hermia or Lysander…or Helena! Be the Weird Sister you always knew you were!

Looking forward to sharing my labour of love/obsession in its first public appearance.
Kirk

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Lauren Burr <![CDATA[(Un)Schedule Posted]]> http://immerse2013.thatcamp.org/?p=427 2013-07-02T18:22:59Z 2013-07-02T18:22:59Z

The schedule for THATCamp IMMERSe 2013 has been posted as of July 1st. We’ll be filling in the TBAs and updating it with more information before we kick things off on the 12th, so keep an eye on the schedule (or our Twitter feed!) for updates!

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Lauren Burr <![CDATA[UPDATE: Registration Extended]]> http://immerse2013.thatcamp.org/?p=339 2013-06-08T23:36:26Z 2013-06-06T23:56:48Z

Registration has been extended till July 1st. (Tell your friends!) We’ll be posting a tentative (un)schedule in the next couple of weeks, so check back soon for some exciting announcements!

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Lauren Burr <![CDATA[Registration Now Open]]> http://immerse2013.thatcamp.org/?p=298 2013-04-01T14:01:16Z 2013-04-01T14:01:16Z

Registration for THATCamp IMMERSe is officially open! It will remain open until JUNE 15th or until all available spots are full. Visit our registration page to get yourself signed up today! Once you’re registered, you should also check out our call for workshop leaders and call for games.

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Lauren Burr <![CDATA[Call for Games]]> http://immerse2013.thatcamp.org/?p=271 2013-03-27T21:28:10Z 2013-03-27T01:46:11Z

On Sunday, July 14th, we’ll be mixing things up with a public gaming event hosted by The Games Institute at THEMUSEUM in downtown Kitchener. “Campers Only” activities will be running alongside a public showcase of AAA and indie games, as well as those made by academics and amateurs. And we need YOU to help make it better! If there is anything you’d like to contribute to this one-day public showcase, either games you’ve made or games you love to play, we’re open to including just about anything. If we get enough interest from our attendees, we’ll set up a whole separate section for THATCampers’ games.

If you’re interested in contributing to the games showcase, please contact us at thatcampimmerse [at] gmail [dot] com with the subject line “Museum Gaming Event” and the following information:

  • Your name and affiliation
  • Title of game
  • Brief description of game
  • A/V and any other requirements (including tables) needed for showcase

Deadline: July 1st

This particular event is still in the early planning stages, but if you have any questions, concerns, comments or ideas on how to make this thing a smashing success, don’t hesitate to contact us.

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Lauren Burr <![CDATA[Call for Workshop Leaders]]> http://immerse2013.thatcamp.org/?p=269 2013-03-30T17:45:18Z 2013-03-27T01:19:43Z

THATCamp IMMERSe will hold a multi-track series of games workshops on Friday, July 12th at the Centre for International Governance Innovation in UpTown Waterloo. These workshops will be scheduled well in advance of THATCamp IMMERSe, but this does not prohibit you from volunteering to teach something during a Saturday session, or even put in a plea for someone else to teach something you’ve always wanted to learn but is not offered on our slate of officially designated workshops. For further information about THATCamp workshops, you can check out our Workshops page.

If you would like to propose a workshop, please email thatcampimmerse [at] gmail [dot] com with the subject line “Workshop Proposal” and the following information:

  • Workshop Title
  • Workshop Description
  • Presenter(s) Name and Affiliation
  • Presenter(s) Bio(s) (less than 300 words)
  • A/V requirements

Deadline: June 15th

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Lauren Burr <![CDATA[What We’re Planning]]> http://immerse2013.thatcamp.org/?p=246 2013-03-19T06:00:18Z 2013-03-18T23:04:27Z

Greetings, campers! As of this afternoon, we’ve reserved our main venue spaces and just need to finalize a few more key details before opening up registration on April 1st! I know we’ve been quiet for a while, so I’d like to give you all an update on what we have planned so far…

We’ve booked a different venue for each day of THATCamp IMMERSe. This arrangement gives campers a chance to see more of what both “UpTown” Waterloo and downtown Kitchener have to offer, and to partake in fun gaming and social events sponsored by The Games InstituteTHEMUSEUM, and Kitchener City Hall. Most of our THATCamp activities will be held in downtown Kitchener, within an easy walking distance of both recommended hotels and the main transit hubs. Events on Friday July 12th will be held in UpTown Waterloo, approximately 10 minutes up the road by car or bus.

So here’s what’s on the agenda:

  • July 12th: Workshops will be held at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, located at 57 Erb Street West in UpTown Waterloo.
  • July 13th: Unconference sessions will be held at Kitchener City Hall, located at 200 King Street West in downtown Kitchener.
  • July 14th: A public showcase and gaming event, as well as a private THATCamp Design Lab, will be held at THEMUSEUM, located at 10 King Street West in downtown Kitchener. Admission to this event will be covered by The Games Institute, but THEMUSEUM will also be offering discounted tickets to their other summer exhibits.

Details about social events and a few other surprises will be updated as soon as we know more.

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Lauren Burr <![CDATA[Registration Details]]> http://immerse2013.thatcamp.org/?p=248 2013-03-27T20:22:09Z 2013-03-18T23:03:48Z

Registration for THATCamp IMMERSe 2013 will begin on APRIL 1st. It will remain open until JUNE 15th or until all available spots are full.

Before you register for THATCamp IMMERse 2013, please note:

  • The dates and location of the event: July 12-14, 2013 in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario.
  • We can accommodate no more than 100 people. We encourage you to register as soon as possible, but please do not register unless you know for sure that you are able to participate.
  • To attend, you need to complete and submit a brief registration application. Once you’re accepted, you will receive a message confirming your registration.  If you decide that you can no longer attend, please let us know so we may give the seat to another participant.
  • To keep up with THATCamp IMMERSe news, you might want to follow @thatcampimmerse and the #thatcamp hashtag on Twitter.
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Lauren Burr <![CDATA[About THATCamp IMMERSe]]> http://immerse2013.thatcamp.org/?p=54 2013-07-03T18:36:32Z 2013-01-29T04:34:51Z

THATCamp IMMERSe is an unconference hosted by the University of Waterloo Games Institute, in partnership with the IMMERSe Research Network for Videogame Immersion, and inspired by THATCamp Games. THATCamp IMMERSe was founded as a way to bring together theorists and practitioners of game studies and the digital humanities, game developers and designers, games enthusiasts and advocates, and humanities instructors and scholars interested in games, pedagogy, and player experience. THATCamp IMMERSe serves as a space for those from all sides of the field to engage in challenging and meaningful conversation in hopes of learning from one another.

We invite games scholars, students, developers, designers, and enthusiasts interested in the confluence of games and the digital humanities to join us for a weekend this July to discuss, debate, create, and play.

THATCamp IMMERSe 2013 will be held in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario from July 12th-14th. It will feature workshops, unconference sessions, dork shorts, a design jam, gaming events and more!

Great! But what does “IMMERSe” mean?

From IMMERSe-Network.com:

The Interactive and Multi-Modal Experience Research Syndicate (IMMERSe) is a new project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Canada’s primary federal agency for social science and humanities research. IMMERSe brings together researchers from different games-related fields to uncover new insights into player experience and new strategies for improving it.

IMMERSe will expand on and apply new and existing knowledge of the gameplay experience to advance the fields of game studies and game development. The research network will connect and create relationships between stakeholders, expand opportunities for innovative scholarship at the universities associated with IMMERSe, and train highly qualified people to work in this growing field.

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Lauren Burr <![CDATA[Announcing THATCamp IMMERSe!]]> http://immerse2013.thatcamp.org/?p=1 2013-02-26T19:45:36Z 2013-01-18T16:43:27Z

There’s a new THATCamp being planned! The University of Waterloo Games Institute will be hosting THATCamp IMMERSe from July 12th-14th, 2013 in Kitchener, Ontario. Further details will be published here shortly. You can also follow us on Twitter for the latest updates!

Meanwhile, read more about the THATCamp movement and browse other THATCamps at thatcamp.org.

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