Progress Report 6: A Fast February

February may be a quick month, but I can happily say that a lot was accomplished in this short span!  I got a chance to meet with my advisor, and we have developed a game plan that I feel will allow me to complete my project in time, and to be very satisfied with the end product.  Some highlights from our first 2012 meeting:

• My current organization of "Stages" in my essay may need to be reconsidered.  The first section takes an almost defensive stance by immediately going into the learning principles of video games.  Why not go into how games are currently utilized in classrooms before going into these mechanics?
• More info is needed on English classrooms and teaching.  This is rectified in Stage 3 (which was not "completed" in time), but again may need to be reordered and reorganized for the final product.

Some great advice moving into the final month and a half of the project!  I continued working for the remainder of the month, and have tentatively finished Stage 3, although I will still need to review this for errors, typos, organization, etc.  At this point, I am generating a lot of content, and want to get as much out as possible.  From there, it is much easier to chop parts that don't work, to add sources, or to restructure the argument.

Another major development this month comes in the form of my HD PVR, a device which enables me to record video game footage as I play it.  The device also comes with video editing software which allows me to incorporate PowerPoint presentations and audio recordings, and burn the final product onto a DVD.  While I may an English major instead of a techie, it seems straightfoward enough to produce an excellent video component to the final project.  I've tested out a few sample video game recordings, and there is a bit of a delay from my controller actions to the screen itself.  The delay may help though, as I want viewers to be able to see text on the screen in order to emphasize the reading component of my sample games.  Through practice and meticulous timing, I think I can handle this to create decent video footage. 

I am currently at 45 pages, and am very excited to be nearing the end of this final project.  I have one more stage to complete, tentatively titled "Stage 4 – The Narrativity of Video Games:  What Makes a Good Literary Game."  I am aiming for a grand total of roughly 65 pages, which coupled with the production blog and the DVD will make a strong final project that I am and will always be proud of.  If I have any major updates from now until the beginning of March, I shall return on here to post/brag/rant about.  Until then, thank you all again for your support!