Introducing Zones of Control

Pat Harrigan

Games with military themes date back to antiquity, and yet they are curiously neglected in much of the academic and trade literature on games and game history. Pat Harrigan and Matthew Kirschenbaum have now edited a large academic volume that fills that gap, providing a diverse set of perspectives on wargaming’s past, present, and future. In Zones of Control, over 60 contributors consider wargames played for entertainment, education, and military planning, in terms of design, critical analysis, and historical contexts. They consider both digital and especially tabletop games, most of which cover specific historical conflicts or are grounded in recognizable real-world geopolitics. Game designers and players will find the historical and critical contexts often missing from design and hobby literature; military analysts will find connections to game design and the humanities; and academics will find documentation and critique of a sophisticated body of cultural work in which the complexity of military conflict is represented in ludic systems and procedures. Pat Harrigan will be speaking about the origins, context and contents of Zones of Control, and outlining areas for future study.

Patrick Harrigan edits large academic anthologies about games and new media (Zones of Control, First Person, Second Person, Third Person), occasionally writes fiction (Lost Clusters, Thin Times and Thin Places), and has had other work published by Camden House, Fantasy Flight Games, Chaosium, Pagan Publishing, Gameplaywright, and ETC Press. He performs regularly at spoken-word venues around Minneapolis, notably at the Encyclopedia Show, A Great and Happy People, and the Not-So-Silent Planet cabaret. He also co-hosts the podcast “Get Off My World” (www.getoffmyworld.com), in which he expresses cranky opinions about Doctor Who.

The Importance of Quality Audio in Gaming, and Where to Find It

Dan Musselman

Would Super Mario be the same game without the “coin” sound as Mario plunges head first into a metallic block or without its catchy theme song? Would Halo be as immersive without its epic soundtrack characterized by otherworldly vocals and haunting strings? Successful scoring and sound effects not only help support the images on a screen, but it also propels the narrative, helps to define the branding of a game, and makes the gaming experience more vivid and immersive. This conversation will be a demonstration on the importance of quality sound design, and it will also connect you to resources in the Twin Cities where you can find high-end companies, professional freelancers and aspiring student composers who can contribute to your project.

Dan Musselman is a professional composer and musician in the Twin Cities. He received his Ph.D. in music composition from the University of Minnesota, is a faculty member at McNally Smith College of Music, and is the in-house composer for the visual media company Fusion Media North. For more information about Dan, visit www.danmusselman.com.