Drew Davidson, Well Played – Video Games, Value, and Meaning. What makes a game good? or bad? or better? Well Played (journal, books, presentations, etc.) provide in-depth close readings of video games that parse out the various meanings to be found in the experience of playing a game. Sequences in games are analyzed in detail in order to illustrate and interpret how these various components of the game come together to create a fulfilling playing experience that leads to a literacy and mastery of gameplay mechanics. The goal is to help develop and define a literacy of games as well as a sense of their value as an experience. Videogames are a complex medium that merits careful interpretation and insightful analysis.

Drew Davidson is a professor, producer and player of interactive media. His background spans academic, industry and professional worlds and he is interested in stories and transformational experiences across texts, comics, games and other media. He is the Director of the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University and the Founding Editor of ETC Press and its Well Played series and journal. With his CMU colleagues, he is articulating best practices in creative development and how diversity improves innovation. He explores the art, design and science of making media that matters, working to expand our notions of what media are capable of doing, and what we are capable of doing with media. He has written and edited books, journals, articles and essays on narratives across media, serious games, analyzing gameplay, and cross-media communication.

Interactive media and games increasingly pervade and shape our society. In addition to their dominant roles in entertainment, videogames play growing roles in education, arts, science and health. These talks bring together a diverse set of experts to provide interdisciplinary perspectives on these media regarding their history, technologies, scholarly research, industry, artistic value and potential future. As the speakers and title suggest, the series also provides a topical lens for the diverse aspects of our lives.