We talked
yesterday about an op-ed criticizing the practice of
teaching game design at universities. Today there is a
rebuttal from Shawn Rider, the editor-in-chief of GamesFirst, and also an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Media
Study, SUNY at Buffalo teaching "new media design and critical approaches to videogames and game design." This makes
him exceptionally well qualified to lambaste the "naive moral agenda" of Dr. Ted Reuter, or should be call him…
Dr. Politics. Check out his site if you want to read more from Reuter or look
into any one of his ten hardhitting political science books, including his quadrology: The 267 Stupidest Things
Democrats Ever Said, The 267 Stupidest Things Republicans Ever Said, 449 Stupid Things Democrats Have Said, and 449
Stupid Things Republicans Have Said. Now we've established credentials, let's see some blood!
Rider's most potent response is explaining the role of academic game programs in changing the flaws that Reuter
himself thinks are so endemic in the industry. On the role of women in games Rider says, "...to block game design from
becoming a mainstream discipline is to force game development to remain an exclusive old-boys club, away from which it
is trying to evolve." On violence in videogames he responds, "In fact, most of the games available from [Carnegie
Mellon's] Experimental Gameplay Project are
not violent in nature, and they are some of the most intriguing new gameplay
concepts we've seen." By turning Reuter's argument against itself, Rider has disarmed his opponent, his argument proven
ineffective. Rider writes, "Limiting the freedom of individuals to practice and study the form will only slow its
development. It will not prevent it. Rueter and his ilk have much more to gain by working to educate young developers
to create better, more interesting and more fulfilling games."
[Thanks, Aaron]
