My experience with computers began in 1985 as I learned the beauty of Logo on a Packard Bell computer at the vocation school and the ability of a turtle to move through an electronic field by giving the turtle directions. I’ve enjoyed writing programs for computers in BASIC, simple JAVA and ActionScript for years. The connection to the world of cyberstudies came from my first experience on a bulletin board system (BBS) during my middle school years. I got to see virtual interactions on a textual level. Little did I know that I would be studying those interactions for my doctorate later in life.

A Narrative of My Research

One of the pieces of wisdom that I acquired during grad school was that supposedly a good scholar could explain their research agenda, with clarity and precision, in around 200 words. I could have followed this sage wisdom if my research followed a specific, specialized route. I’ve learned over the...

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Werewolves in the Classroom

I am happy to report that SAGE Open has published my presentation from the 2015 National Communication Association Game Studies Pre-Conference ("Introducing Game Studies to the National Communication Association"). “Winning Through Deception: A Pedagogical Case Study on Using Social Deception Games to Teach Small Group Communication Theory” was modified from...

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A Layover of Food: Introduction

“Without experimentation, a willingness to ask questions and try new things, we shall surely become static, repetitive, and moribund.” ~Anthony Bourdain Anthony Bourdain was an adventurer, creative force, writer, and, most importantly, a chef. It is this last role that he was able to explore cultures through the framing of...

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The Mental Map of the World

Mapping the vital parts of life, much like mapping out the environment of a video game world, involves having a clear understanding of the terrain that is being mapped out. In "Breath of the Wild," a crafted map that a player can find online can be used to show the...

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One of the beneficial components of a gaming experience like Minecraft is the ability of players to create their world and experiment with the space in a way that was foreign to other gaming series.

Minecraft as a Model for Emotional Awareness

A more apt representation and simulation of how to map out the social and cultural terrain using affect theory might be from “Minecraft.” “Minecraft” is a more open-world experience than “Breath of the Wild’ as the player is responsible for maintaining and creating most of the elements that appear within...

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Dragon Warrior and the Guide to Get You Home

Those lucky individuals who owned a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and had a subscription to Nintendo Power at the end of 1989 were rewarded with both the game “Dragon Warrior” and a guide to help play “Dragon Warrior.” (Oxford, 2018). This rare moment of generosity by Nintendo promoted not only...

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Appalachian Discourse

This research was presented at Theorizing the Web 2017 in Brooklyn, NY on the 8th of April. The focus of the presentation was to examine the narratives from Appalachian regional media sources and national media sources that describe the Appalachia region and people & their views of the national election....

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