Comments on: How not to write a college essay about videogames

By: Darius Kazemi

Darius Kazemi — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:32:20 +0000

Fair enough. It doesn’t mean that students aren’t going to encounter vague requests in the ‘real world’ after graduation, though.

By: Tynan Sylvester

Tynan Sylvester — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:21:06 +0000

To be honest I’m not a fan of intentionally vague questions that don’t call out their own vagueness. You’re practically begging the respondent to misinterpret the question.

I’d suggest clarifying the question to explicitly call out the fact that it is open-ended, and invite disagreement.

These kids have enough challenges without questions being stated in partial riddle form.

By: Chris Parsons

Chris Parsons — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:35:42 +0000

Badly written content has become the norm for video game sites. Even somewhat intelligent articles are ruined by poor grammar and usage. You are providing a huge service to these kids when you show them what good writing looks like. BTW, I was tempted to write “Your providing…” in the previous sentence as a joke, as that’s one of my pet peeves. I just couldn’t bring myself to do it :-)

By: This Week In Video Game Criticism: From The Supreme Court To Race In Games | Contains Games

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:35:55 +0000

[...] Darius Kazemi on his blog Tiny Subversions writes “How not to write a college essay about videogames.” [...]

By: Dan

Dan — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:43:50 +0000

I agree. That was the first thought in my mind when I read the “red” version.

I am also grateful for the discussion that this post has generated. Videogames aside this is an excellent article on how not to write a paper, period.

By: Dan Silvers

Dan Silvers — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 17:53:07 +0000

I agree, it’s good to know about specific pieces of art, especially if they were taught. I find, though, that as a learner, it is more challenging, and therefore more stimulating, to apply my knowledge to my own experiences instead of quoting a textbook.

By: Darius Kazemi

Darius Kazemi — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 03:12:48 +0000

Yes! Those are the ones. Thank you.

By: Kerry Johnson

Kerry Johnson — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 01:32:00 +0000

You can see that he was trying to fluff up his word count.

By: Rollin Bishop

Rollin Bishop — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:41:52 +0000

Have to chime in here with links to those specific articles, as they are great, or at least what I think were the ones used based on the above paragraph.

Michael Abbott at Brainy Gamer: http://www.brainygamer.com/the_brainy_gamer/2010/05/game-in-frame.html

Sparky Clarkson at Discount Thoughts: http://mwclarkson.blogspot.com/2010/06/gringos-who-saved-mexico.html

Kirk Hamilton at Gamer Melodico: http://www.gamermelodico.com/2010/06/flawed-ballad-of-john-marston.html

By: Peter Haigis Jr.

Peter Haigis Jr. — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:05:17 +0000

I both appreciate the tips and agree with you fully, Darius. As a current Game Dev student I can attest to students, including myself unfortunately, believing that game reviews are an example of critical analysis. From my perspective, when I look around at fellow students, it seems like the main issue is that many Game Dev students approach the industry as fans despite the fact that they are seeking a career.

Since I was once a student of yours I can state that you truly did attempt to correct this mindset; as well as many other practices and misconceptions. At the risk of coming across rather harsh however, there will always be those individuals that cannot distinguish between being part of game culture, and being part of the game industry. There truly are fellow students I’ve come across that believe that a career in the game industry is similar to what is seen in the movie ‘Grandma’s Boy’ sadly. Fortunately, in a true academic setting or through the blessing of a good educator they will find out that isn’t so, and will either find a new career path or be weeded out due to poor performance.