By Bailey Fernandez, Graduate Writer, and David Hall, Graduate Data Management Specialist
Photograph By Emily Youree, Graduate Photographer
The Digital Literacy and Communications (DLC) Lab is proud to announce that it has been awarded the Center for Faculty Excellence/Lenovo Instructional Innovation Grant for the development of the “Greenlaw Gameroom.” Greenlaw 316 will now be outfitted with consoles, video games, audio equipment, and five large LCD screens. This initiative promises to greatly expand the resources available to faculty who want to incorporate gaming in their teaching and research.
Many people might be surprised to see gaming initiatives in English departments, but video games are increasingly becoming one of the most widespread and culturally relevant forms of narrative. Games and consoles, however, are expensive, and faculty who would like to explore them in a classroom setting have often been financially prohibited from doing so. Now, however, instructors have a reliable, dedicated space that encourages gaming and game studies.
DLC lab director Courtney Rivard says of the development that “having the space dedicated to gaming pedagogy on campus will open up possibilities for collaboration through the university and throughout the Triangle.” She continues, “The Greenlaw Gameroom will provide the equipment, training, and space to think critically about the narratives produced in and through games by actually playing games in their coursework. In conjunction with the opening of the Greenlaw Gameroom, the DLC is beginning a reading group on game studies and gaming pedagogy, will hold monthly workshops on gaming, and will offer consultation services to instructors interested in teaching with games.” The lab promises not only to enrich the educational experience of students in the English department, but also to serve as an interdisciplinary and interdepartmental space that can foster public engagement and forge connections with other institutions.
Students and faculty interested in hearing more about the new initiative are invited to read more about the Gaming Initiative here as well as attend the first of a series of gaming workshops on Wednesday, September 25th, from 1:15–2:15 p.m., in Greenlaw 316, the new Greenlaw Gameroom.
