This page contains several papers I wrote during the Master New Media & Digital Culture at Utrecht University. Some publications are in Dutch, most of them are in English. Each one of them
is accompanied by a brief introduction.
The aim of this paper is two-folded. First this paper explores augmented reality as an information technology by (1) providing a working definition of augmented reality and briefly discussing how the concept of augmented reality evolved over time, (2) discussing in what forms today’s augmented reality applications are presented, (3) what expectations regarding augmented reality can be traced in popular discourse and Layar’s own rhetorics. Second this paper sets out to critically explore the Dutch augmented reality landscape through a case study of the Dutch augmented reality browser Layar. A case study of Layar will be presented in which 621 available layers in the Netherlands have been examined. This will result in a layer taxonomy that provides a categorization and an ordered classification for future reference. The case study of Layar is centered on the two main expectations: information everywhere & user participation. Regarding information there are two things worth noting. The current state of information in Layar appeals to the idea of a static environment. Whether build by users or brands layers display static information and remediate existing information in a new medium. Also, over half of the information within augmented spaces is produced by brands or brand-related agents. This paper presents these layers as modern versions of brandscapes: unique spaces created by brands.
Link.
Easter eggs as a Game Design Practice: an easter egg taxonomy
This research focus in on easter eggs as a game design practice. It argues that this practice occurs on three levels: designer-user interactivity, spatial exploration and commercial purposes. This paper will eventually propose an easter eggs taxonomy that can be used as a ordered classification for future reference in the field of game studies. It uses exemplary easter eggs found through qualitative research on the extensive crowdsourced archive at www.eeggs.com and provides a new definition for future reference.
Link.
How game industry’s power can backfire: the case of Nintendo Wii U
At E3 2011 Nintendo presented their new hardware. Surprisingly, the day after the Wii U was presented Bloomberg Businessweek announced that the Nintendo Corporation shares fell to the lowest in more than five years. The announcement of a brand-new gaming console is the sort of thing that is supposed to excite consumers, which in turn excites shareholders, which naturally pushes share prices up, even if only temporarily. So what happened? In this article my focus is on the build up to the announcement of the Wii U and I will present a case wherein game industry power over game journalists can backfire.
Link.
An Archeology of the Window Metaphor – from Renaissance art to Augmented Reality
In this archaeology of the window metaphor I trace back this dominant cultural metaphor of the window to the beginning of the fifteenth century and I will show how it reappears over and over again in media discourse history. I will explore the metaphor of the window in academic and popular discourse alongside different screen types and investigate how the metaphor is used to describe the mediating role of the screen between spaces.In this historical approach three types of screens will help distinguish the use of the metaphor in a specific media context. First the classical screen is explored and then the early years of the dynamic screen and finally the screen of the computer. My goal is to place the metaphor within a wider social and cultural frame of reference.
Link.
The Urban Playground: playful practice of navigating with(in) information
This groupjournal is a special issue for the academic journal The Spaces of (New)Media: Spatiality in Digital Audiovisual Cultures, part of theMasterprogramme New Media & Digital Culture (NMDC) at the University of Utrecht. This journal contains 7 articles that dive into the ludification of culture and what this means for dealing with information and the practice of navigating in city spaces. My article argues that the urban playground (city spaces) facilitates a playful construction of information that constantly changes the social construction of space. Mobile tagging will be presented as an important driver to this playful construction.
Link.
Netneutraliteit: van informatiesnelweg naar tolweg
Dit paper benadrukt het belang van netneutraliteit en benaderd dit thema vanuit een politiek-economisch perspectief. Dit paper betoogt dat netneutraliteit een voorwaarde is voor een gelijk en open web waar innovatie zowel van binnenuit als van buiten kan plaatsvinden.
Leeslink.
Location based games: offline interface voor een online wereld
Dit paper gaat in op de rol van applicaties als Foursquare in de publieke ruimte. Het focust daarbij op hoe de collectieve productie van kennis met betrekking tot deze ruimte gezien kan worden als ‘meaningful play’.
Leeslink.