Esteemed listeners, big news. Website tidyings-up and new mascots are on the way. Plus, by popular demand, t-shirt giveaways? https://videogameacademia.org/ 

It's the Sunday afternoon of the year, and we're setting up plans for the coming semesters. That means a little Planescape: Torment, a smidgeon of Shadowrun: Dragonfall, and maybe some Undertale and Stardew Valley. Help us with our follow-through? We'd love to hear from you. https://videogameacademia.org/2021/08/15/the-sunday-afternoon-of-the-year/

Discussing ch 34-35 of The Amber Spyglass, by Philip Pullman. Course page https://newschoolnotes.blogspot.com/2020/02/gamecool-books-amber-spyglass.html Music comes from Hilary James and Simon Mayer, "Over the Hills and Far Away"

Discussing ch 32-33 of The Amber Spyglass, by Philip Pullman. https://newschoolnotes.blogspot.com/2020/02/gamecool-books-amber-spyglass.html 

We throw it back to Shakespeare and Chesterton, eschewing the Holy Smokes and helping the Smuggler's friend make it back to the surface. https://videogameacademia.org/courses/deus-ex/ Music from the OST. 

Discussing ch 30-31 of The Amber Spyglass, by Philip Pullman, with a glance towards his novel Galatea. http://newschoolnotes.blogspot.com/2020/02/gamecool-books-amber-spyglass.html 

We wanted orange and it gave us lemon-lime. It's a conspiracy! Discussing the UNATCO HQ and its bizarro alter ego in Battery Park. Videos of Prof Ben's gameplay and more course materials: https://videogameacademia.org/courses/deus-ex/ Music from the OST. 

The dreaded stealth training sequence, famed first mission, and general milieu of Deus Ex: Revision. Midway through Liberty Island, Steve's neighbor must have hacked us (that is, I forgot to refresh the recording tab) so we lost a few minutes there of Prof Ben laying out what's at stake in the interlocking character creation/progression and moral choice systems and the headless Statue of Liberty. Still, not bad for a first foray into the FPS CRPG darkness. More course info and twitch streams coming soon at https://videogameacademia.org/courses/deus-ex/ Music from the OST. 

On ch 28-29 of The Amber Spyglass, by Philip Pullman, with apologies for the delay and recommendations for further listening: 

https://newschoolnotes.blogspot.com/2021/07/signum-academy-discussions-on-pullman.html 

There's short discussions of Pullman's Fairy Tales from The Brothers Grimm, Clockwork, The Scarecrow and his Servant, and The Firework-Maker's Daughter

Welcome back, it's summer again and we have much to discuss. If you'd like to get honest feedback on original work, read books with us, or suggest a future game, visit https://videogameacademia.org/ 

Another look at RPG history from Gamemaker's Toolkit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJiwn8iXqOI