- Raleigh, North Carolina
- North Carolina State University, CRDM, Graduate StudentUniversity of the Pacific, Communication, Faculty Memberadd
- Despite struggling through K-12 education and vowing never to return to school, Charles entered higher education at t... moreDespite struggling through K-12 education and vowing never to return to school, Charles entered higher education at the age of 22 after working for five years in various fields. Starting at Northampton Community College in North Eastern Pennsylvania to his Doctoral program at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC. Charles has cultivated a research and teaching agenda that focuses on digital technologies, communication strategies, and contemporary digital production practices. Charles' research agenda incorporates critical approaches to culture, technology, mobilities, and social media. His professional experience ranges from traditional public affairs/relations for government officials and agencies to strategic communication and production for influencers and gaming organizations. His work has appeared in Critical Studies in Media Communication, The International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations, and Well Played: video games, value and meaning. He is a regular attendee of conferences held by the National Communication Association, the Association of Internet Researchers, and the Popular Culture Association. You can also find him at various popular culture conventions across the country.edit
This article illuminates the transmedia storytelling techniques in The Walking Dead comic book and video game. Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead localizes itself within the comic book world of The Walking Dead by acting as a transmedia... more
This article illuminates the transmedia storytelling techniques in The Walking Dead comic book
and video game. Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead localizes itself within the comic book world of
The Walking Dead by acting as a transmedia storytelling device and using intertextuality comics to
assist game players with meaning-making. By participating in the game, Telltale rewards players with
additional information about The Walking Dead universe, as well as creating a contingent but separate
narrative that expands upon the existing Walking Dead world. This exploration of The Walking Dead
offers insights into the specific methods that are being employed by creators to further engage the
audience in the transmedia storyworld.
and video game. Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead localizes itself within the comic book world of
The Walking Dead by acting as a transmedia storytelling device and using intertextuality comics to
assist game players with meaning-making. By participating in the game, Telltale rewards players with
additional information about The Walking Dead universe, as well as creating a contingent but separate
narrative that expands upon the existing Walking Dead world. This exploration of The Walking Dead
offers insights into the specific methods that are being employed by creators to further engage the
audience in the transmedia storyworld.
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Ecenbarger, C. (2016) Mortal Kombat. In R. Mejia, J. Banks, & A. Adams (Eds.), 100 Greatest Video Game Franchises. Lanham, Maryland, USA: Rowman & Littlefield.
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March 22, 2016 Popular Culture Association National Conference. Seattle, WA
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The Bone Wars is an original educational video game about the historic 19th-century feud between rival paleontologists, Othniel C. Marsh and Edward D. Cope. This two-player game explores their race to claim dig sites and discover new... more
The Bone Wars is an original educational video game about the historic 19th-century feud between rival paleontologists, Othniel C. Marsh and Edward D. Cope. This two-player game explores their race to claim dig sites and discover new species, but it’s only by publishing their results that the players earn the fame that delivers victory. Just as their historic characters did, a successful player will end the game with little money, few friends, many publications, and crates of unanalyzed fossils. The game was designed and developed in a student-centered, faculty-mentored studio experience by a team of ten undergraduates and one graduate student. The team followed established practices of game design and agile software development, making effective use of a dedicated lab environment. The incremental and iterative development process was publicly shared on the team's blog and on Twitter. The Bone Wars was designed in conjunction with the Indianapolis Children’s Museum.
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Secret Schematics is a web based Hybrid Reality Game focused around Muncie’s Academy of Model Aeronautics. The game is intended for visitors, specifically middle-school aged children, to interact with the museum in a new, interactive and... more
Secret Schematics is a web based Hybrid Reality Game focused around Muncie’s Academy of Model Aeronautics. The game is intended for visitors, specifically middle-school aged children, to interact with the museum in a new, interactive and engaging way. The game will be played over the course of six puzzles, solvable in any order. Solving each puzzle will give the player a keyword or idea that will allow them to solve the final piece of the puzzle. The game will ask players to help the AMA crack the code for schematics for a new model airplane they have acquired. The overall narrative is driven in a way that engages players to explore the exhibits more closely - looking for clues, hints, or anything that could help them acquire the passcode to the schematics. The game is meant to be played over the course of time it takes someone to explore the museum.
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In the card and dice game Double Up, you set the challenge. Do you play it safe and choose a challenge that’s easy for both you and your opponents? Or do you raise the bar and pick a tough one, betting your friends will fail where you’ll... more
In the card and dice game Double Up, you set the challenge. Do you play it safe and choose a challenge that’s easy for both you and your opponents? Or do you raise the bar and pick a tough one, betting your friends will fail where you’ll succeed? The starting player attempts to match a pattern on a card using a specified number of dice and a hand of roll modifying cards. The player has a fixed number of attempts and dice, as indicated on the card, to successfully complete the challenge. If successful, the rest of the players must attempt the same challenge card and beat it in as many or fewer attempts than the original player. If the player fails to beat the challenge, whoever set the challenge gains a point; if the challenge is a Double Up card, however, they gain two points. The challenge is over once each player has made an attempt. The next player starts a new challenge and the game continues until one person reaches an agreed upon number of points. Double Up your opponents often to win!
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Luck of the Draw is a real time dice and card game that takes place in the Wild West. Two rival posses are having shootout at high noon and will settle the score once and for all! Roll your dice to take a shot while simultaneously turning... more
Luck of the Draw is a real time dice and card game that takes place in the Wild West. Two rival posses are having shootout at high noon and will settle the score once and for all! Roll your dice to take a shot while simultaneously turning over the top card of your shootout deck. The shootout deck can be a blessing or a curse! It’ll determine the direction of your shot, whether the cavalry comes in as backup, or if one of your Posse members can get behind cover! The first player to eliminate the opposing posse wins.