MODSCOM 427October 23

1. What is the name of the term, coined by Pierre Levy, referenced by both Postigo (from today) and Steinkuehler & Duncan (from last class) to denote the production & distribution of knowledge by widespread, usually online, communities?

A) mechanical turkB) mechanical twerkC) collective intelligenceD) modding

2. What term does Postigo use to refer to people who spend their leisure time making add-on components to games? A) fan-programmersB) mod jockeysC) gold farmersD) collective intelligentsia

3. “The term _______ encompasses various levels of design complexity, including mods, maps, skins, and other changes to game play.”

A) add-onB) hackC) cheatD) mod

4. Postigo estimates that the company behind Battlefield 1942 would have had to pay out __________ in salaries in order to generate the 39 large-scale mods available for the game at the time of his study.

A) between $40 000 and $70 000B) between $10.1 million to $30.4 millionC) over $1 billionD) under $1 million

4. “Digital game companies do recruit from their hobbyist communities. The profession of _____________ may be one of the last highly technical fields that an amateur can enter without any formal training.”

A) programmerB) pro wrestlerC) pro-gamerD) game studies scholar

BONUS.

Postigo estimates that the company behind Battlefield 1942 would have had to pay out __________ in salaries in order to generate the 39 large-scale mods available for the game at the time of his study.

A) between $40 000 and $70 000B) between $10.1 million to $30.4 millionC) over $1 billionD) under $1 million

Road map for next few classes:

October 29: WORK DAY- In-class group-based work on game design docs- No readings; no quiz

October 31: PLAY DAY- Spoo-oo-ooky games- 1 reading (not online yet); there will be a quiz

November 5: E-sports

November 7: Mobile & Pervasive games- Nathan Hulsey, Guest lecturer

Mods: Part of play

Mods: Part of the industry

Mods: Part of the “assemblage”

Counterstrike (Half Life)

Defense of the Ancients (Warcraft 2)

Day Z (Arma 2)

Team Fortress (Quake)

Velvet Strike (Counterstrike)

Garry’s Mod (Half Life 2)

1. “SkyUI”: 5+ million

2. “Quality World Map”: 3+ million

3. “Immersive Armors”: 2.6 million

4. “Apachii SkyHair”: 4.3 million

5. “Skyrim HD 2K Textures”: 7.5 million

6. “Unofficial Skyrim Patch”: 1.6 million

7. “Static Mesh Improvement”: 2 million

8. “WATER”: 2.2 million

9. “Climates of Tamriel”: 2.1 million

10. “Enhanced Blood Textures”: 2.8 million

Total Conversions – “Enderal”

http://www.moddb.com/games/sins-of-a-solar-empire-rebellion/mods

What do mods do? - Fix glitches in the game- Add new characters, monsters, companions- Change the way the graphics function to make it either look more detailed or to run faster (beyond the range of specifications & customization options the game already allows)- Tweak difficulty levels- New weapons & armor- New music- New lands & quests- New character animations - Change the basic ways characters interact with the world (change the ‘rules’ for combat, dialogue, etc) – such as adding hunger, thirst, fatigue, cold to the game- Combat mechanics - change the functionality of the interface- Make other mods easier to run- Change other mods- TOTAL CONVERSIONS

GROUP WORK