As of 4pm January 2, I'm pleased by the progress that Leslie, Stephan, Evan and Kayla have already begun. Good job!

Each day that a J-Term class meets is worth the equivalent of more than a week of classes during the regular term. We've got a lot of ground to cover, so here's a road map of sorts -- a checklist, to help you stay focused.

Click on the Jauary 2, 2006 course page and read through all the items in order.

• Welcome to "Video Gaming" (no homework, just read it.)
  
• Blog Activity (no homework; a list of what your peers are blogging; for future reference)
  
• Course Overview (no homework, just read it.)
  
• Definitions and Key Concepts (no homework, FYI)
  
• Introduction to Weblogs (just FYI; full instructions will be available when required)
  
• History of Video Games (several links for you to browse or consult when necessary)
  
• J-Web: Orientation and Reflection (a bank of short-answer questions, due by 9:AM Tuesday.
  
• Gamer Culture in Movies (post a comment on the course webe page for any two of the movies on this short list. Participate in the online discussion by interacting with your peers and with me.)
  
• Red vs. Blue (watch this short online video, and post a brief response.)
  
• My Trip to Liberty city (watch this short online video, and post a brief response.)
  
• Strong Bad on Video Games (watch this short Flash animation, sample each of the four included games, and post brief comments as directed.)
  
• Initial Reactions (just a place where I'll be sure to look for course-related questions and comments)
  

I won't always post a list in such detail, but additional work due for tomorrow is:

• Ex 1a (rough draft of a game review; due on J-Web by 9am)
• Read and post a brief response to "A Rape in Cyberspace"
• Read and post a brief response to "New Games Journalism"
• Read and/or listen to "Storytelling in Videogames" and post a brief response
• Read the short articles on the "Interactive Fiction" page and sample the game "Adventure"
• Watch the short film ">Interactive" and post a brief response
• Complete the J-Web unit "Studying Video Games" (the due date I have in mind is 4pm on Jan 3, but in case you're backed up a little, the system won't actually lock you out until 9am on Jan 4)
• Ex 1-b: Peer review of your game review. Due by 6pm Jan 3.
• General Discussion. (I'll post discussion prompts based on issues that have come up so far. If you have participated in a good online discussion that you want to call to the attention of the class, mention it on this page.)
• RRRR. (Just FYI... more details about how I plan to integrate your individual weblogs into the daily course activity.)