The current objective of Playpower is to create learning games for a $10 computer widely available in India, Brazil, and other developing regions. The computer is a “clone” of the Nintendo Entertainment System. It conveniently plugs into a TV set and includes a keyboard, mouse, and two gamepads.

Derek Lomas, Jeremy Douglass, and I co-founded the project in 2008. After recruiting a substantial volunteer base, we were awarded a Digital Media and Learning grant from HASTAC/MacArthur. We since have held several workshops (including Hyderabad, Mumbai, São Paulo, and NYC) and will release our first learning games in early 2011.

Based upon a framework developed by No Carrier of 8bitpeoples, this is an ongoing series created in conjunction with the Playpower Foundation. As a former ANSi artists, trackers, and SysOps, we are referencing the original art-packs as a blueprint to create new, low-tech aesthetic artifacts.

Video games are marked by rapidly changing game media, controller interfaces, and the proprietary game platforms for which they are designed.

By providing physical access to the most influential games and consoles, Re:Game enables practical research investigating the complex layers between game devices and game experiences.

At the core of the Re:Game research methodology is the acquisition and analysis of game-play recordings via the VGSU (Video Game Sampling Unit). In addition to video, these recordings include environmental data such as key-presses, eye movement, heart rate, and brain activity.

The lab is located at Calit2 and was co-founded by Jeremy Douglass and myself in cooperation with CRCA (the Center for Research in Computing and the Arts). The lab concept and methodology are intended for other game studies initiatives to adopt.

For five years (2002-2007), a website exposed the lives of Othello Rex, Amelia Lop, and Hamlet Ionesco to the world. Visitors were encouraged to capture snapshots and short films which were then shared on the site. Eventually it was possible to interact with the rabbits directly via an interactive feeder and other robotic interventions. A gallery of highlights has been preserved in memory of the rabbits and the project.

Rabbitat 2 is in development. Once completed, it will present a larger, entirely outdoor habitat with several rabbits. In an evolution of the Rabbitat concept, the new website will provide open-source environmental data and video archives to encourage remix culture and advanced behavioral analysis.