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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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Ph.D. student Colin Stricklin.
Date: December 3rd, 2021
Time: 1:30-3:30 EST
Location: https://bluejeans.com/275036233/1617
Committee: Dr. Michael Nitsche, Dr. Philip Auslander, Dr. Jay Bolter, and Dr. Aaron Trammell
Title: Designing the Open Work World
Description: The proposed dissertation studies the transmission of analog play through distribution platforms like Twitch and YouTube. It examines the effects on gameplay when "private play becomes public entertainment,” seeking to first characterize and then design for that shift. This research has roots in both performance studies and game studies, tracking the movement of performative gameplay from its traditional context — entertaining a small audience in a private setting — to the broader milieu of an outside audience. With a focus on the "actual play" genre of streaming tabletop roleplaying games, this dissertation seeks to describe the various socio-technical elements that shape such programs, emphasizing the role of the audience in shaping performance as much as the players’ transformation into performers beyond the game’s magic circle.