Star Wars Galaxies: Jedi Academy

Adrian Pavel, who runs the countries Star Wars Club, decided to found the Jedi Academy after getting so many questions from fellow fans on how they can be more like their heroes in the Star Wars films.

He told local daily Libertatea: "We have meetings and lectures, and we dress like Jedi's, but this is no longer enough. We'll soon learn how to handle the lightsaber's in academy classes."

The academy is open to everybody. There is a quiz with 100 questions that will cover even the darkest aspects of the Star Wars phenomenon that needs to be done in 24 hours. Anyone who passes quiz will have a place in the Jedi Academy.

The course is very much for real and (as someone pointed out in an earlier post) it does analyze the game dynamics as a social network and system. I am trying to not "take the fun out of it," since I see fun and play as two vital aspects of the MMOG experience (there is an entire literature on play and social learning coming out of the work done by Piaget and Vygotsky, for example). The class is on MMOGs (not SWG specifically) and we are using SWG as an "object" to think about bigger issues.

I am also very lucky to have people like Gary and Ronda helping me out with access to the game, video conferences, and guest speakers for the class.

There has been a long tradition of studying issues of identity and role playing in MUDs and MMOGs are the next evolution in that direction.

I am also interested in MMOGs because they do exist as virtual worlds, with social networks and economies and rules, ethics and norms all unto themselves. Even their own languages (Tell someone on the street, "I've been TKM and CH, but I'll be glad when pub 10 is out so I can quit hologrinding" and see how they respond).

We are also exploring the industry and issues of development, examining how game design creates, facilitates and blocks various forms of social interaction. Another area of examination is fan communities, message forums, and developer/player communication.

There is a whole lot to study in these contexts. You should also keep in mind that 95% of the world has no idea what a MMOG is, what they look like and are generally blown away by what happens in them. Like it or not it is a social and sub cultural phenomenon.

There are a number of similar classes being taught at other universities as well.

Doug

I am currently attending the Art Institute of San Francisco for Visual and Game Programming. We also have a course for Game Art and Design. I think they are both great programs, and programs like these are the future of the gaming industry, because we are being taught by those who came before us.

A problem I see is that if it is an academically sound course, it will involve analytically breaking down the subject. Which might for some people ruin the game as a fun activity now that they can no longer see the flower because they have spent too much time studying the pulled off petals and stem. It's a problem with Literature courses - you can come away having lost the innocent joy you might have had in appreciating a book on the level it appeals to you.

I hate to be the one to break it to you, but people do actually go to school to learn how to write code and develop content for MOVIES AND GAMES! Tell them that Star Wars isn't real, and they would say yes...But look at this real BMW and this real three story home that they (insert Star Wars, EQ, Doom 3, any studio movie project here) fantasy has bought