IAP 2019 Activities by Category - Games, Gaming, and Tournaments

Mendel Keller, Course 18

	Jan/15	Tue	12:30PM-02:00PM	34-301
	Jan/17	Thu	12:30PM-02:00PM	34-301
	Jan/22	Tue	12:30PM-02:00PM	34-301
	Jan/24	Thu	12:30PM-02:00PM	34.301
	Jan/29	Tue	12:30PM-02:00PM	34-301
	Jan/31	Thu	12:30PM-02:00PM	34-301

Enrollment: Limited: First come, first served (no advance sign-up)
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: Interest in MMORPGs

Back in 2005, one fantasy MMO game swept the internet, second in popularity only to WoW. For four years, Runescape reigned supreme, and then slowly faded into a memory. In this course we will investigate what made the game so popular, what went so wrong, and what has been going on with the game since. We will be taking a holistic approach, looking at: combat, gameplay, quests & lore, graphics, marketing, in game economy, and the constant fight against cheating. With the recent release of Runescape mobile, the game has seen a resurgence of interest, making this an opportune time to take a second look at this favored childhood pastime. Will the new generation of child gamers relive the nostalgia of trekking from Lumbridge to Falador?

Sponsor(s): Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Contact: Mendel Keller, chiller@mit.edu

David Roe

Jan/23

Wed

06:00PM-11:00PM

2-290

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

The Mathematics Department invites the MIT community for an evening of board games.  Games available will include Code Names, Dominion, Eclipse, Hanabi, Set, Seven Wonders, Splendor, and Terraforming Mars; you are also welcome to bring other games you'd like to play.  All are welcome, regardless of your experience with board games.  Feel free to drop by at any point in the evening.  Light refreshments will be provided.

Sponsor(s): Mathematics
Contact: David Roe, 2-252B, roed@mit.edu

Mikael Jakobsson, Richard Eberhardt

	Jan/16	Wed	01:00PM-05:00PM	E15-335
	Jan/17	Thu	01:00PM-05:00PM	E15-335

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/14
Limited to 16 participants
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions

What messages and ideologies are embedded in the games we play, why does it matter, and how can we do better? In this two day workshop, we will look at contemporary board games with colonialist themes set in the Americas. We will discuss and play the games using a critical postcolonial lens in order to see how we can understand the function of these cultural artifacts in a greater political context. We will look at problematic issues which are prevalent in current commercial games, but we will also look at examples of counter-colonialist games.

The first day will focus on games set in Latin America, and the second day Anglo-America. We will discuss the rhetorical power of messaging through games and investigate both its negative and positive potential. Participants will spend a substantial part of the workshop playing and analyzing games. We do this since the object of analysis often is designed to transcend a meta-analytical mindset while having interactive properties which require authentic engagement through play. In other words, participants will have fun playing games while maintaining a critical analytical frame of mind. Since we are dealing with sensitive subjects, there will be special guidelines in effect in addition to the MIT Game Lab anti-harassment policy to make sure all participants feel safe and included.

We hope that you will join us in our quest for a more inclusive and exciting future for board games. Contact Mikael Jakobsson mjson@mit.edu to sign up.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Mikael Jakobsson, mjson@mit.edu

David Roe

Jan/25

Fri

12:00PM-06:00PM

2-290

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

The Mathematics Department challenges all MIT bridge players to a team-of-four tournament. Those without a full team are welcome; we will do our best to help you find teammates.  Format will be either stratified round robin or Swiss teams, depending on number of participants. 

Prizes will be awarded. Come enjoy the refreshments and have a good time!

Sponsor(s): Mathematics
Contact: David Roe, 2-252B, roed@mit.edu

Rik Eberhardt, Studio Manager, MIT Game Lab

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions

Make games with us! Register now at: http://gamelab.mit.edu/event/global-game-jam-2019-at-mit/

The Global Game Jam (GGJ) is the world's largest game jam event taking place around the world at physical locations. Think of it as a hackathon focused on game development. It is the growth of an idea that in today’s heavily connected world, we could come together, be creative, share experiences and express ourselves in a multitude of ways using video games – it is very universal. The weekend stirs a global creative buzz in games, while at the same time exploring the process of development, be it programming, iterative design, narrative exploration or artistic expression. It is all condensed into a 48 hour development cycle. The GGJ encourages people with all kinds of backgrounds to participate and contribute to this global spread of game development and creativity.

We open our doors on Friday, January 25th at 5pm and run until 11:30pm that day. Our site is open Saturday, January 26st from 9am until 11:30pm, and Sunday, January 27th from 9am until 6pm.

Participants are welcome from MIT, local universities & colleges, and the general public - including local professional game developers. All participants must register to attend:

http://gamelab.mit.edu/event/global-game-jam-2019-at-mit/

We have 30 free slots open for the MIT Community (must have an @mit.edu email address to register). Registration for Non-MIT community members costs $22 + fees.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, Game Lab
Contact: Richard Eberhardt, E15-329, 617 324-2173, REBERHAR@MIT.EDU

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Keynote & Kickoff Presentations

Jan/25

Fri

05:00PM-06:00PM

32-123

The jam begins with a keynote, presentations about the Jam, and reveal of the Jam topic.

Teams will be formed by 8:00pm.

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Game Jam

	Jan/25	Fri	06:00PM-11:30PM	32-144, 32-141
	Jan/26	Sat	09:00AM-11:30PM	32-144, 32-141
	Jan/27	Sun	09:00AM-03:00PM	32-144, 32-141

Work days for the Jam. Participants will be working in teams to create their games.

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Presentations & Postmortem

Jan/27

Sun

03:30PM-06:00PM

32-123

Game Jam participants will present the work they created over the weekend and postmortem their process.

This is open to the general public - no registration is required for this session.

Paxton Turner

Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/29
Attendance: Contestants must qualify. See Tues, Jan. 29
Prereq: need to pass the qualifying test on 1/29 to enter the Bee

See individual session descriptions below.

Sponsor(s): Mathematics
Contact: Paxton Turner, 2-332A, pax@mit.edu

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Integration Bee Qualifying Testing

Jan/29

Tue

04:00PM-06:00PM

4-231

Stop by at any point during the session, for a quick test of your single variable integration skills. Top scorers qualify for the Integration Bee. No knowledge beyond 18.01 necessary.

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Integration Bee

Jan/31

Thu

06:30PM-10:00PM

26-100

No enrollment limit. No advance sign up (but contestants must qualify, (testing on January 29). Come watch your fellow students match wits and single variable integration skills for prizes and the title of

Mark Throop

Enrollment: 24
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: None

Contract Bridge is played at MIT both socially and competitively. MIT students have won competitions on the international level, and of course, have idled away precious hours in their living groups! The course teaches bidding and play. No partner is required. 

Sponsor(s): MIT/Draper Lab Bridge Club
Contact: Mark Throop, 508-308-4468, mthroop@mit.edu

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Learn To Play Bridge!

	Jan/08	Tue	06:00PM-09:00PM	2-135
	Jan/10	Thu	06:00PM-09:00PM	2-135
	Jan/15	Tue	06:00PM-09:00PM	2-135
	Jan/17	Thu	06:00PM-09:00PM	2-135
	Jan/22	Tue	06:00PM-09:00PM	2-135
	Jan/24	Thu	06:00PM-09:00PM	2-135
	Jan/29	Tue	06:00PM-09:00PM	2-135
	Jan/31	Thu	06:00PM-09:00PM	2-135

Micah Nathan

Jan/24

Thu

11:00AM-02:00PM

2-105

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/22
Limited to 30 participants

My first video game writing job was a year-long stint with an iOS company that wanted to start a game franchise. They had a concept: mercs with guns. They had a genre: sci-fi. They didn’t have a game title, a universe, bad guys, weaponry, spaceships, or a plot.

So I gave them what they needed (SHADOWGUN) and they paid me for it, and thus began my somewhat-lucrative job as a video game writer. In this one-day, three-hour seminar, I’ll tell you what I’ve done right in my career, what I’ve done wrong, and I’ll offer suggestions on both world-building and character-building. Questions from the audience are both expected and needed.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Micah Nathan, micahn@mit.edu