Tuesday, May 31 at noon in the Media Theater, UCSC's Jane Pinckard speaks of "Love, Procedurally."

Abstract:

In this week’s Billboard Top 100, eight of the top ten songs are about love, romance, and sex. Shakespeare wrote 19 romantic plays – far more than any other category. The top critically-acclaimed film (and one of the most popular) is Casablanca, best known for the melancholy romantic narrative at its heart, while Titanic remains second only to Avatar in lifetime box office receipts.

Romance is a key theme across so much of pop culture, yet it is barely treated in games and when it is, it is frequently relegated to subplots. Let’s explore ways we can invent new game genres that feature love, sex, and yes, romance as primary themes integrated with gameplay.