Monthly Archives: November 2006

another one

Posted on by July 6, 2012
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The research of ↑Andrew Mactavish “focuses on the participatory and performative elements of digital game play, especially within the context of a politics of cultural production and consumption. I am interested in how digital games and gamers “play” with and within cultural and social arrangements of power.” Currently he is “writing a paper on the cultural politics of game mods, which are player-designed modifications to digital games, mainly PC games. These modifications include game levels, total conversions, character skins, and machinima. Part of this research entails the development of an (eventually) online database of game mod tools.” And he has … Continue reading →

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seemingly flexing tension

Posted on by July 12, 2012
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instances of the appropriation of the cell phone    Ever ↑heard about monster packs, flashes, flexes, and seems? Well, all of you carry them around within your cell phone. You are aware, that contemporary cell phones are computers, running applications on operating systems, and possessing a kind of BIOS, the bootloader, “below” the latter? A complex piece of technology, surrounded by interpretive flexibility, open to reworking, to modding.  Increased popularity of an item does not only boost its sales numbers, but spawns surrounding cultures and communities once critical mass is reached. The V3 series of Motorola cell phones is extremely … Continue reading →

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razr modding

Posted on by October 1, 2012
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It seems that I am attracted to ↵things “Razer”, however spelled, just ↑like John Romero is … ;-) As some may remember, I am the owner of “that girlish piece of hardware” [tnx 2R] called the Motorola Razr—which at some times is quite ↵inconvenient. As it is with inconvenient, but nevertheless popular pieces of technology … they get hacked and appropriated. Because the following information was deleted at the place where it originally stems from, I’ll repeat it here:  ↑ModMyMoto.com (M3)—The premiere Motorola modding forum site! A very helpful and friendly site dedicated to modding all the versions of the … Continue reading →

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full circle

Posted on by October 2, 2012
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computergame violence as a result of economical competition  Media coverage on the amok run in Emsdetten on 20 November 2006 already dwindles away, but the discussion on computergames is going on—and I direly hope that it will go on for longer, as long as it stays above the naive level of “killergames”-rhetorics. There indeed is a need for a broad public and political discussion on computergames, I think—over here in Germany and everywhere else where computergames are sold and played [on the whole globe, that is?]. Although I am always quick to point out, that there is way more about … Continue reading →

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history repeating?

Posted on by July 12, 2012
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amok runs, killergames, and modding culture  In the morning of 20 November 2006 the radio told me the sad news of yet another amok run in a German school. Although depressed by the fact, I couldn’t suppress a little Merlin’s smile. The next morning I attended a philosophy lecture about freedom and determinism. The speaker said, among other things, that there could not be freedom nymore, if we knew everything, especially everything that will happen in the future. Well, sometimes you know, hence the Merlin’s smile—because I knew that the usual suspects within the political circus would act accordingly. And … Continue reading →

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fragged by speed

Posted on by July 12, 2012
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DigitalHawk’s jaw virtually dropped when Teh_Lamerer overtook him. He had been well on his way to that red armour, but now Teh_Lamerer got it. Hawk was aware that Teh_Lamerer since quite some time was in contact with that other culture, the trickjumpers. And trickjumping originated in speedrunning, so much he knew. But that kind of velocity … The other one had whizzed by at double or almost thrice his own speed. But he himself already went at the maximum speed the institutions of this universe allowed. Still baffled he saw his newly armoured opponent turn around, facing him at point … Continue reading →

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speeding up

Posted on by July 12, 2012
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Quite some time ago the things in my life seem to have decided on their own to hereafter occur at a blistering pace. Or is it just me getting older by the day and the world’s rest being reluctant to slow down and get in sync with my rhythm? Be that as it may, in another world I have speeded up significantly—1885ups.

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defrag wikipedia

Posted on by October 2, 2012
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wikipedia as a field medium—the case of the DeFRaG mod  Still I am preoccupied with writing my article on “The playful appropriation of gamespace—From skilful playing to gamemodding and back again,” or so. A bit late, you may say, as the article is due in two weeks already [Yes, Mr Chair of Anthropology, Sir, I am also going to prepare that presentation you invited me for, in time ;-) But, as you know, I am—just like you—more prone to the hands-on things, than to theoretical write-ups. Erh … which doesn’t show up prominently in my publications till now, I know.], … Continue reading →

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