University Libraries Promotion and Tenure Recognition

I was introduced to Pilgrim in the Microworld by media archaeologist and professor Erkki Huhtamo during my graduate studies at UCLA in 2004. Pilgrim in the Microworld, written in 1983 by David Sudnow, a sociology professor and jazz pianist, is unique in the field of game studies as it is probably the most accurate description of the video game experience from the point of view of the player. In the book, Sudnow becomes obsessed with the videogame Breakout and describes in phenomenological detail his three-months-long attempt at mastering the game. In the process, he reveals the singular feedback loop that exists between the player and the game, from the eye to the fingers/controller to the screen and back. It became an invaluable reference for my work, both as an artist developing installation games with an emphasis on kinesthetic learning, as well as an educator teaching computation for the arts.