Useful links

Maintained by David Thomas, Buzz Cut is a hybrid of a web log and an information portal. In the words of its creator, it is devoted to "the theory and criticism of electronic entertainment."

The Digital Games Research Association is an international association of scholars and game developers

For the past six years, Gama Sutra has been essential reading for game developers. The site includes articles about designing games, interviews with industry figures, discussion forums, job announcements, and a gallery of student work.

Founded by Jane Pinckard, Game Girl Advance "brings alternative perspectives to videogame culture. We want to analyze various aspects of gaming but also we want to put it into context, into the larger arena of modern pop culture. We're interested in what makes games fun, what makes games interesting, what we can learn from games, and what forces convert perfectly normal people into rabid gamers. We're also interested in music, film, and fashion. And girls. We love girls."

Game Studies is a peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journal devoted to the "aesthetic, cultural, and communicative aspects of computer games."

Bringing together developers, designers, and scholars, the IGDA is the premiere non-profit professional association for people interested in games. They have recently announced a scholarship program providing full-access passes to college students who want to attend the Game Developers Conference in March 2004. The deadline for applications is January 28th.

Ludology.Org is a game-themed blog/portal maintained by Gonzalo Frasca.

MUD-DEV-L is a mailing list devoted to the design and implementation of multiplayer games on all types of computer platforms. This high-traffic list is populated by scores of professional game developers. Topics range from the highly technical to the purely sociological.

Created by a small squad of developers, animaters and game designers who call themselves IT Hare, the Programming Guide for Video Gamers is dedicated to the proposition that "Anyone can make a video game, but to be successful, a creator should have a good understanding of programming, a solid concept, and the willingness to collaborate with other artists if necessary." The authors of this site link to dozens of pages which cover the nuts and bolts of game design along with articles about how to build a career in the games industry. Many thanks to Adam F. for highlighting this useful resource.

The Resource Center for Cyberculture Studies (RCCS) nurtures the emerging field of cyberculture studies.