Discourse Chronicle

The game industry has held up better than many other forms of entertainment during the recession as consumers cut back on their discretionary spending. That’s because many see games as a good value since most titles feature dozens of hours of play.

[…] From January through May, gamers surveyed by Nielsen bought an average of 3.4 used games, up 31% from the same period last year. Although they’re still buying new games, one third of their purchases were used discs, up 13% from last year. –Alex Pham

[True. According to my PS3, I logged over 52 hours playing Street Fighter IV; over 6 days playing Call of Duty: World at War; and over 6 days playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. I avoid purchasing used games because I’m a game snob (much like how hate buying used textbooks), but with things like eBay, I am able to buy new games at used prices. BK]

category: Gaming, Popular Culture, Rhetoric and Poetics, Technology    

[Seeing this game almost makes me want a Wii. Almost. BK]

category: Gaming, Popular Culture, Rhetoric and Poetics, Technology    

[Here is my first refereed journal article publication! BK]

category: Acceptances, Life, Popular Culture, Rhetoric and Poetics    

[Here is another game I am looking forward to next year. Patrick Stewart being on-board is awesome. BK]

category: Gaming, Popular Culture, Rhetoric and Poetics, Technology    

[SquareEnix announced FF14 Online will be released in 2010 as well as long-awaited FF13. I resisted FF11 Online because otherwise, as my best friend Nick Stepaniak says, “Nobody would ever see me again,” but I anticipate many lost hours after next year BK]

category: Gaming, Popular Culture, Rhetoric and Poetics, Technology    

[E3 is a major conference for video game developers and fans that often features official announcements about upcoming games. I believe Beatles Rock Band may be the best Rock Band game to date and certainly puts Guitar Hero to shame (sorry, Guitar Hero fans). BK]

category: Gaming, Popular Culture, Rhetoric and Poetics, Technology    

“We are excited to celebrate The Simpsons on postage stamps,” said U.S. Postal Service Executive Director of Stamp Services David Failor. “Eyebrow-raising to say the least, this witty, well-written pop icon continues to irreverently satire its parody of a middle-class family as it lampoons American culture. The Simpsons stamps, which includes known philatelists Bart Simpson, will serve as a great opportunity to interest youngsters into stamp collecting.” –USPS

category: Humor, Popular Culture, Rhetoric and Poetics, Television    

This article takes an interesting approach and is potentially a valid addition to the scholarship on comics. However, at present it is seriously flawed and is not publishable in a refereed journal. The author would need to make substantial corrections to the article, rewriting significant sections of the argument, for it to be published.

[Here is a “revise and resubmit” for an article I submitted about reading comics through a rhetorical lens. I plan on working with this submission further toward publication, but I do not understand how I misunderstood a source that I use regularly in my work. I am hoping things will become clearer after I revisit the article. BK]

category: Comics, Life, Popular Culture, Revisions, Rhetoric and Poetics    

[I recently contributed a literacy narrative to The Ohio State University’s Digital Archive of Literacy Narratives and now my story is available for viewing on its website. Any person may make a contribution at any time and researchers (undergraduate, graduate, post-graduate) will make use of them. From Cynthia. BK]

category: Gaming, Life, Literacy, Pedagogy, Popular Culture, Rhetoric and Poetics, Technology    

Whatever the revenue gap between RB and GH is now, expect it fluctuate as both titles release big-name versions this year: Guitar Hero: Metallica hits shelves March 29th (James Hetfield talks that game here) and The Beatles: Rock Band, perhaps the most-anticipated game in either franchise’s history, will be released on September 9th, 2009. To counter, Guitar Hero reportedly has a Van Halen-dedicated version on the way.

[I’m not a big fan of Metallica and playing “Enter Sandman” on Rock Band 2 is as tough (if not tougher) as playing “Green Grass and High Tides” on Rock Band. I am more impressed with Rock Band’s catalog compared with Guitar Hero and its securing The Beatles’ music (which is an important digital first for the band and its catalog) makes me feel better about being a Rock Band player. BK]

category: Gaming, Popular Culture, Rhetoric and Poetics, Technology