Dr Barry Atkins

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The staff profile of Dr Barry Atkins, Associate Dean (Research and Enterprise), Newport School of Art, Media and Design.


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Job title: Associate Dean (Research and Enterprise)
Research group/centre: Synergy    
Telephone: +44 (0)1633 432987     
Email: barry.atkins@newport.ac.uk
Room: H2a
          
Profile:
With a background in narrative and critical theory and previously teaching digital games design at Liverpool John Moores University, his research interests focus on games aesthetics and questions of textual pleasure. He is author of More than a game: The computer game as narrative form (Manchester: MUP, 2003), co-editor (with Tanya Krzywinska) of Videogame, Player, Text (Manchester: MUP, in press), and has published a number of articles on games narrative and aesthetics. He is a member of the Synergy Research Group at the University of Wales, Newport that seeks to explore the relationship between videogame research and practice.

Subject expertise:
Narrative, Critical Theory, Game Studies.

Responsibilities:
Convenor of Screen Media and Performance Research Group, Programme Leader BA (Hons) Computer Games Design

Teaching:
Game Studies (Yr1), Games and Animation Studies (Yr2) Post-Digital Analogue (Yr2)

Research Interests:
Games aesthetics and questions of textual pleasure

Professional activities:
Member of the editorial board of the journal Games and Culture (Sage).

Publications/exhibitions:

  • Atkins, B. (2008) 'What can Game Studies learn from Spore?' Keynote address to 'Digital Games: Theory and Design Postgraduate Conference', 16th September 2008 at School of Arts, Brunel University, West London.
  • Atkins, B. (2008) 'Playing in a Dickian Universe' invited speaker, PKDD2, 14th June 2008, Nottingham Trent University, http://pkdday2atntu.webs.com/programmes.html
  • Atkins, B. (2008) 'Videogames and Excess' invited speaker at WIRAD TRIPS Research Seminar, Cardiff School of Art, March 4, 2008.
  • Atkins, B. , and Krzywinska, T (co-eds) (2007) Videogame, Player, Text . Manchester: Manchester University Press.
  • "Killing Time: Time Past, Time Present and Time Future in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" in Videogame, Player, Text , ed. Barry Atkins and Tanya Krzywinska. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
  • (2006) "What Are We Really Looking At?: The Future-Orientation of Videogame Play" Games and Culture: A Journal of Interactive Media , 1.2., 127-140.
  • (2005) "Games" in Re-reading the Lord of the Rings , ed. Robert Eaglestone, London: Continuum, 151-161.
  • (2005) "Replicating the Blade Runner" in The Blade Runner Experience: The Legacy of a Science Fiction Classic , ed. Will Brooker, London: Wallflower.
  • (2005) "La Critica Videoludica Funziona?" Ripetizione, iterazione ed estetiche del videogioco" [Is Game Criticism Working?: Iteration, Repetition and Aesthetics"], in Gli Strumenti del Videogiocare: Logiche, Estetiche e (V)ideologie [ Understanding Videogames: Logics, Aesthetics and (V)ideologies , ed. and trans. Matteo Bittanti, Milan: Costa Nolan.
  • (2005) "La Storia é un'assurdità: Civilization come esempio di barbarie storiografica?" ["History is Bunk: Historiographic Barbarism in Civilization "] in Civilization: Storie Virtuali, Fantasie Reali [ Civilization: Virtual Stories, Real Fantasies ], ed. Matteo Bittanti, trans. Valentina Paggiarin, Milan: Costa Nolan, 65-81.
  • (2005) "Presagi di Doom III: Tra le Viscere delle Prime Schermete" ["Portents of Doom III : Reading the Entrails of the Early Screenshots"] in Doom: Giocare in Prima Persona [ Doom: The First Person Reader ], ed. Sue Morris and Matteo Bittanti, trans. Paolo Ruffino, Milan: Costa Nolan, 95-105.
  • (2005) "Ort und Zeite für Spiele" ["Finding a Time and a Space for Videogame Play"] in Kunstforum 176, 116-21.
  • (2004) "To Infinity, and Beyond: Dialogue and Critique in Popular Film's Portrayal of Video Games", TEXT/Technology 13.1, 32-51.
  • (2004) "What Mastery of Which Arts?" in The Ivory Tower [Electronic publication] IGDA/DiGRA. Available online at http://www.igda.org/columns/ivorytower/ivory_Nov04.php
  • (2004) "Amministrare il reale: per una letura di SimCity " ["Administering the Real: Reading SimCity "] in SimCity: Mappando le città virtuali [ SimCity: Mapping the Virtual City ], ed. and trans. Matteo Bittanti, Milan: Unicopli, 2004,156-73
  • (2003) More Than a Game: The Computer Game as Fictional Form, Manchester: Manchester University Press.