WRIT1133

1. If you have 11 points for Studio Plans, then you do not have to do any more studio plans.  You cannot go higher than 11!

2. The Schedule says that Project #2 (Solo) is due on Wednesday.  This is the ideal turn in time to give you revision time before the final final deadline (June 3).  However, technically, you can turn it in on Monday (Memorial Day, no class) by midnight and still receive comments and feedback and revise it, but you might be more pressed for time, and although you will get it back within a week’s time, your actual time to revise is much shorter (24-48 hours).

3. You have received an email from Amy Kho about portfolios.  I will cover these in some detail on the last official day of class (May 29).  The point is that you are assembling three pieces of writing from this class and writing a cover letter about it, making sure to point out how your performance on these three projects demonstrate that you understand the course goals (see the syllabus or the portfolio prompt for those course goals).

1. Solo Research Plan (RP2) is due tonight at midnight.  Remember, you cannot start your research until you hear back from me with comments on your research plan.
2. Stop answering the Hypothesis question on the Research Plan.  Seriously.  OK, you can answer it if your study is experimental or hypothetical in nature; however, if you are NOT doing a test, experiment or otherwise creating a metric to statistically determine effects of a variable, then don’t make up some hypothesis.
3. The Solo Rhetorical Genre Analysis (RGA2) is due Wednesday at midnight.  I want to strongly encourage you to pick an article that you want to emulate (technically, you have to do that, but I don’t want to insist if you want to take a genre and tell me all the ways that it doesn’t do a good job).  The problem is that many people did a group RGA on one article and then their group project didn’t match what they said they were going to do.  It’s much easier to pick a genre you want to emulate it and then emulate it (the intention of that assignment).
4. You should receive your group projects before Wednesday before midnight (or after or before that depending on what I got it—remember, week turnaround time).  You should plan on working in your groups this Wednesday.

1. Project 1 is due this Wednesday, by midnight.  You might want more time to complete this, and that is perfectly understandable, but it is important to remember a few things.  First, there is a guaranteed week turn around on getting comments/feedback/grade from me on that project.  So, the longer you take to get me your “first” draft, the closer to the end of the term it will be when you get it back, leaving you less time to revise.  Second, it is time to start working on your solo project.  As you hopefully have come to learn, the sooner you get the Research Plan in, the better.
2. If you get a survey request from another student in the WoW classes, please be kind and fill it out.  Of course, if you get a survey request and it isn’t clear who it is from or what it is about, you can respond however you see fit.
3. On the schedule, it says that the Publication Reflection is due Wednesday, May 8.  That is a “reminder” due date more than anything.  Ideally, the Publication Reflection is designed to give you feedback from an external audience on either the Group or Solo project that you can apply to that and future projects—which is why it’s not due just at the end.  However, the “final” due date for Publication Reflections is technically May 29, so it can be due at the end if you want.
4. Project 2 Research Plan (Solo Project) is due a week from today.  However, you can get it done before then so you can move forward on your solo project.
5. It is fair and fine to use research collected from your group project for your solo project as long as you are a) clear in your method where it came from and b) add in a substantially different way to the data, scope, and  analysis beyond what you did in the group project.

1. Grades are available on the course website, updated on Sunday every week, from now until the end of the term.  Percentages are based on the total available points to that point.  If your grade does not come up, it’s because your email address on the website is different than the one you told DU you were using.  I can fix it; just let me know.
2. Getting enough check pluses on studio plans will lead to you not having to do a few studio plans at the end.  As a reminder, a good studio plan not only says what you are doing but makes observations, reflects on learning, draws connections, asks questions, or makes me laugh (not from sharing random expressions of insanity but through reflecting, connecting, or questioning what you are doing that day).
3. The Rhetorical Genre Analysis tends to be a bit longer than the suggested page length on the assignment.  While you can get it done in 2-3 pages, it is more likely to be longer depending on your article.  Don’t stress this.
4. Remember, for Research Plans, Rhetorical Genre Analyses, and the Publication Reflection, an A or B earned by going above and beyond.  This might include drawing connections to readings we have done, discussions we have had, activities you have done, or doing more than what was asked (say, including 3-4 relevant sources rather than just 1).
5. Begin thinking about your solo project while working on your group project.  Although the due dates might seem far off now, they will be here before you know it.  Also, it is totally possible to complete the course around week 10 or even week 9.  In fact, every year I’ve taught this class, about 6% of the students have all their work (including their portfolios) done by Memorial Day.
6. I will be visiting extensively with each group today.  Have a question?  Ask.  Want to show me a part of something you are working on?  Please.  Need to vent about your group?  Thank you.
7. Do not stress page lengths.  Yes, it is somewhat important, but I want good projects rather than only long projects.  The average page length from projects past is 12.52 (SD = 1.52) pages for group projects and 15.71 (SD = 2.30) for solo projects.  I’m reasonable in grading as long as you are reasonable in practice (i.e., don’t turn in a 5 page group project then a 10 page solo project and get pissed that you didn’t get an A).

Compilation between David Pollock and Eric Williamson

Based on qualitative interview data collected on April 8th, 2013, undergraduate students at a private university in Colorado revealed that the stigma of “most WoW players sit alone in front of a computer for hours on end playing the game” is simply not true.  Most of the people interviewed performed their social activities outside the game, whether it was playing sports, going out and partying, or going on other social media like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.  The way people play, however was different across the interviewees.  Some people said they prefer to play solo while others enjoyed playing with groups and chatting online.  One person said “When I play I talk to people all the time”, and another person said they preferred playing in small groups, because they were more fun.  Only one person had thought they were addicted to WoW at one point, but they have since gotten over said addiction.  Nobody seemed to be hooked on WoW like the “super bad@$&” from the WoW episode South Park.

http://silkwormsink.blogspot.com/2010/12/wider-leaking-free-screenplay-next.html

While it seems like one of the main aspects of online games is to interact with people you don’t know and make new friends, this does not seem to be the case. The idea of having other people playing seems to be an incentive but making friends or interacting does not. A student of the WRIT 1133 class said he has, “no reason to make friends through xbox live since there are always people there” (Stump). People like having other people around but interaction can be unnecessary. The same student said, “I try not to [meet people online] I don’t like meeting people in ways besides in person” (Stump). The anonymity of online games likely deters interaction. People can easily lie about their identity in online games and other online forms of interaction.

By Lucius Fernald and Nicholas Merriam

The interviews conducted on April 8^th of 2013 by the students at the University of Denver about the MMORPG World of Warcraft showed that most of them would choose a real world, social activity over any video game, but still admitted to playing a couple hours of video games a week.  Students noted that playing World or Warcraft or any other video games with friends in real life was an enhancing factor to the game. One interviewee explained that “playing with RL friends is much more entertaining when there are friends in the room”. This approach to playing the game adds a real life social dimension, gaining social capital in the both worlds.  Another student said that “she likes playing online with a group of people. The group aspect makes it interesting … it makes it more fun to level up with other people than just by yourself”. This insight explores the social gains of relationships inside the game. In conclusion, a primary draw of playing World of Warcraft is the social interaction that stems from inside and outside influences.

Henry Craig

Diana Bendor-Samuel

Nathan Teynor

Alex Kowalski

First-hand interview data was collected at the University of Denver from a sample of students in a writing class on April 8^th 2013 revealed that social influences were associated with gameplay. Some people reveled that they were not currently social when playing World of Warcraft because of their low level or relatively minimal progress into the game. Fire Lotus said he/she did not chat with people in the game because he/she has “no friends because level two.” Gameplay that requires people to work in teams in WoW often comes later in the game. So, for respondents who have not played the game very often or are even just starting, playing in solitude for the beginning quests is almost expected. The people who play more often are usually higher levels and have a greater understanding of the game so with WoW, the social aspect may come with experience.

Some respondents noted that new aspects added to the game make it so that players don’t have to interact with others unlike how it was originally designed so people have the option to choose to work with others.

In general, people seem to tend to want to play with others during gameplay, which is not restricted to WoW. Some students said they like to play games like Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros, or Call of Duty at college because it’s more social. Samantha said in regards to social gameplay in WoW that, “I like playing online with a group of people. The group aspect makes it interesting. It definitely makes it more fun to level up with other people than just by yourself.” In the extremely social environment college presents people it is not surprising that most people want that to carry over into their online gaming experience. Whether it’s an MMORPG like WoW or some other console game, people tend to express a desire to play socially even if not currently doing so.