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A C A D E M I C      W O R K

Senior Capstone Project
Lying to Tell the Truth

Conceived as the ultimate synthesis of my undergraduate studies in English and Communication Studies, this forty-page journal/magazine hybrid truly is a capstone to four years of diverse academic and extracurricular experience. Though lacking the graphic design acuity I wish were there, Lying to Tell the Truth does more than display the absolute best my pen and I have to offer; it displays the very core of who I am.

Note: this is a graphic-heavy .pdf file. If you choose to view or download it, expect at least enough time to brew another cup of coffee.

Senior Research Proposal
Research Proposal – Perceptions of Electronic Gaming

Nearing the conclusion of my undergraduate studies I was assigned the task of creating a research proposal. Though the actual research proposed has not been undertaken, the vetting of critical sources to determine an ideal branch of research constituted an unparalleled rewarding and informative exercise. Spanning a semester’s worth of reading and incorporating the results of an independent study course, this research proposal is perhaps the best critical writing I’ve done to date.

Senior Persuasion Theory Case Study
“I Love Bees”: Community as Marketing & Mindset

This case study assignment afforded me the opportunity to apply hard theory and data to better understand a phenomenon I actually had the chance of participating in back in 2004: the I Love Bees viral marketing campaign for Halo 2. My ability to subject personal experience to academic scrutiny was sharpened greatly by the task, resulting in one of the most engaging projects I’ve ever composed.

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O N L I N E      P R E S E N C E

AKB
2010 – ongoing

After four years of public blogging I finally made the decision to publish under my own name. Learning from the mistakes of past endeavors I have kept this blog relatively clean of the brooding and over-sharing that marred The Forge. While still a personal blog, my writing since 2010 has been designed with more of a widespread readership in mind and has, on occasion, sparked vibrant discussion in and beyond the confines of the comments section.

Deus Ex Ludus
2012 – ongoing

Two things are ubiquitous in the panorama of my life: gaming and faith. Deus Ex Ludus — God in the Game — is my latest in an attempt to synthesize the two in a way that is both personally and academically rewarding. Though in its nascent stages, each entry epitomizes the way I think, write, and feel about a past time that has become a lifestyle.

1up
2011

I joined the 1up.com community last summer seeking an expanded potential readership beyond the borders of a personal blog. While ultimately discouraged by the ease with which user-generated content is buried, I did enjoy the pleasure of seeing one story shared by the official 1up twitter account (which in turn brought it front page status). I also won one of four first-place prizes in a blog-writing competition that received well over 200 entries. Though critical and expository games writing remains a major interest of mine, I have abandoned the 1up blogging system in favor of a new project, Deus Ex Ludus.

Game & Player
2010-2011

Game & Player, an online magazine/community hybrid, saw reasonable success between its launch in 2007 and its unofficial end last summer. A long-time reader and collaborator, I was finally given the opportunity to join the fine panel of contributing editors by covering 2010’s Electronic Entertainment Expo press conferences. In addition to providing a glimpse of real-world publishing timetables (as our reports were to be posted within an hour of conference end), this opened the door for a monthly opinion column in which I critically analyzed the gaming industry and forecast with (now shocking) clarity emerging trends in producer and consumer behavior.

The Forge
2006 – 2008

Though not my first attempt at public writing, The Forge was my first project to truly gain steam and showcase my abilities. A personal blog, it ran the gamut from the extremely intimate to the universally relatable.  Though I initially assumed my writing lacked a mainstream appeal, I soon received messages from strangers informing me that I had made their day or changed their lives. Personal issues eventually led my life and writing into dark waters and killed The Forge, but it remains a testament to my young potential.