ACADEMIC PAPERS
Because why not write about games and Hamlet?
One Quarter Goes a Long Way
An essay comparing the grave digging clowns in Shakespeare's Hamlet to a video game that both Hamlet and the audience play through. The merits and quality of this "game" are based on Raph Koster's criteria for a good game in his book A Theory of Fun For Game Design. Through Koster's metrics I find that Hamlet and the audience's experience differ so much so that the grave digging clowns may be offering each party an entirely different game experience.
Accountability and Interactivity: Hamlet and Videogames
An essay comparing the grave digging clowns in Shakespeare's Hamlet to game designers that present Hamlet with a game. Once again, this game is examined through Raph Koster's system in A Theory of Fun For Game Design; however, this time I find that the game is awful by Koster's standards--so awful that it desensitizes Hamlet to a point where he is ready to slay others. Because games impact players' minds, Koster claims that designers have a responsibility to ensure that "no one gets hurt in the process." In this sense, the clowns fail in their responsibility as game designers and Hamlet becomes the ultimate example of the negative effects that an irresponsible can have on the mind.
