Author Archives: ianrl1989

Earnest’s Demographic of Video Gaming

Posted on April 19, 2018

Earnest, a technology company that analyzes data pulled from loan applications, surveys, and/or publicly available data sources released their finding on the demographics of video game consumers. In this case, they pulled their data from student loan refinancing applications. Data sets … Continue reading →

Posted in gaming, Research, Sociology, Study, Technology, Uncategorized, video games | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Presentation on Capitalism and Video Games at San Diego State University

Posted on April 7, 2018

I’ll be presenting at the “Capitalism: Culture and the Individual” on April 14th at San Diego State University.  The presentation, entitled “Now You’re Playing With Power: Video Games and Capitalism”, will focus on how video games have contributed to a … Continue reading →

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Splatoon 2 Players Fight Hate with LGBT Pride

Posted on August 23, 2017

There’s been an interesting development going on in the Splatoon 2 community. Players can interact with their fellow peers via shared in-game pictures and messages. For anyone familiar with Mii-verse, these messages are more or less mii-verse posts in game … Continue reading →

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Can the Nintendo Switch Create Physical Gaming Spaces?

Posted on May 29, 2017

I recently did a pilot study of physical gaming spaces and why individuals choose to attend gaming events. I’m currently looking to extend the pilot study to a fully realized research project, and will hopefully share it when it is … Continue reading →

Posted in gaming, Research, Sociology, Study, Technology, Uncategorized, video games | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Coming of Age in Second Life by Tom Boellstorff

Posted on May 11, 2017

I’m a few years late with this, but I recently had the chance to read Coming of Age In Second Life by Tom Boellstorff, an anthropological ethnography of the Massive Multiplayer Online World Second Life. I know this might be … Continue reading →

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2017 ESA Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry

Posted on April 19, 2017

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has published their annual report about the computer and video game industry. This yearly report is an invaluable asset for researcher looking for statistics and figures concerning video game usage and consumption, as the ESA … Continue reading →

Posted in gaming, Shenmue, Sociology, Technology, Uncategorized, video games | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Google Releases Findings on What Teens Find Cool

Posted on April 5, 2017

How do you do, fellow Kids? Google today released  It’s Lit: A Guide to What Teens Think is Cool  a report of the brands, technology, and products teens think are cool. Of the topics covered in the report are what … Continue reading →

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Video Game Music: Discussion and Resources

Posted on March 25, 2017

I often find myself listening to video game music as background music while I read or write. It makes sense, most of the tunes we hear in video games were meant to be just that: background music to your adventure … Continue reading →

Posted in gaming, Sociology, Uncategorized, video games | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Queerness and Games Conference

Posted on February 8, 2017

Just wanted to give heads up to a exciting conference in the near future: The Queerness and Games Conference at The University of Southern California, taking place April 1st and 2nd, 2017. The schedule is an impressive list of panelists … Continue reading →

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Games Studies and The Sociology of Video Games

Posted on January 29, 2017

Having started upon a path towards advanced degrees with an emphasis in interactive media and online communities, it has increasingly become evident to me that there is no singular route to studying the emerging field of video games. As I … Continue reading →

Posted in gaming, Psychology, Sociology, Technology, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments