John Wills

In 1975, design engineer Dave Nutting completed work on a new arcade machine. A version of Taito's Western Gun, a recent Japanese arcade machine, Nutting's Gun Fight depicted a classic showdown between gunfighters. Rich in Western folklore, the game seemed perfect for the American market; players easily adapted to the new technology, becoming pistol-wielding pixel cowboys. One of the first successful early arcade titles, Gun Fight helped introduce an entire nation to video-gaming and sold more than 8,000 units.In Gamer Nation: Video Games and American Culture (Johns Hopkins UP, 2019), John Wills examines how video games co-opt national landscapes, livelihoods, and legends. Arguing that video games toy with Americans' mass cultural and historical understanding, Wills show how games reprogram the American experience as a simulated reality. Blockbuster games such as Civilization, Call of Duty, and Red Dead Redemption repackage the past, refashioning history into novel and immersive digital states of America. Controversial titles such as Custer's Revenge and 08.46 recode past tragedies. Meanwhile, online worlds such as Second Life cater to a desire to inhabit alternate versions of America, while Paperboy and The Sims transform the mundane tasks of everyday suburbia into fun and addictive challenges.Working with a range of popular and influential games, from Pong, Civilization, and The Oregon Trail to Grand Theft Auto, Silent Hill, and Fortnite, Wills critically explores these gamic depictions of America. Touching on organized crime, nuclear fallout, environmental degradation, and the War on Terror, Wills uncovers a world where players casually massacre Native Americans and Cold War soldiers alike, a world where neo-colonialism, naive patriotism, disassociated violence, and racial conflict abound, and a world where the boundaries of fantasy and reality are increasingly blurred. Ultimately, Gamer Nation reveals not only how video games are a key aspect of contemporary American culture, but also how games affect how people relate to America itself.Rudolf Inderst is a professor of Game Design at the IU International University of Applied Science. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

In 1975, design engineer Dave Nutting completed work on a new arcade machine. A version of Taito's Western Gun, a recent Japanese arcade machine, Nutting's Gun Fight depicted a classic showdown between gunfighters. Rich in Western folklore, the game seemed perfect for the American market; players easily adapted to the new technology, becoming pistol-wielding pixel cowboys. One of the first successful early arcade titles, Gun Fight helped introduce an entire nation to video-gaming and sold more than 8,000 units.In Gamer Nation: Video Games and American Culture (Johns Hopkins UP, 2019), John Wills examines how video games co-opt national landscapes, livelihoods, and legends. Arguing that video games toy with Americans' mass cultural and historical understanding, Wills show how games reprogram the American experience as a simulated reality. Blockbuster games such as Civilization, Call of Duty, and Red Dead Redemption repackage the past, refashioning history into novel and immersive digital states of America. Controversial titles such as Custer's Revenge and 08.46 recode past tragedies. Meanwhile, online worlds such as Second Life cater to a desire to inhabit alternate versions of America, while Paperboy and The Sims transform the mundane tasks of everyday suburbia into fun and addictive challenges.Working with a range of popular and influential games, from Pong, Civilization, and The Oregon Trail to Grand Theft Auto, Silent Hill, and Fortnite, Wills critically explores these gamic depictions of America. Touching on organized crime, nuclear fallout, environmental degradation, and the War on Terror, Wills uncovers a world where players casually massacre Native Americans and Cold War soldiers alike, a world where neo-colonialism, naive patriotism, disassociated violence, and racial conflict abound, and a world where the boundaries of fantasy and reality are increasingly blurred. Ultimately, Gamer Nation reveals not only how video games are a key aspect of contemporary American culture, but also how games affect how people relate to America itself.Rudolf Inderst is a professor of Game Design at the IU International University of Applied Science. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/technology

In 1975, design engineer Dave Nutting completed work on a new arcade machine. A version of Taito's Western Gun, a recent Japanese arcade machine, Nutting's Gun Fight depicted a classic showdown between gunfighters. Rich in Western folklore, the game seemed perfect for the American market; players easily adapted to the new technology, becoming pistol-wielding pixel cowboys. One of the first successful early arcade titles, Gun Fight helped introduce an entire nation to video-gaming and sold more than 8,000 units.In Gamer Nation: Video Games and American Culture (Johns Hopkins UP, 2019), John Wills examines how video games co-opt national landscapes, livelihoods, and legends. Arguing that video games toy with Americans' mass cultural and historical understanding, Wills show how games reprogram the American experience as a simulated reality. Blockbuster games such as Civilization, Call of Duty, and Red Dead Redemption repackage the past, refashioning history into novel and immersive digital states of America. Controversial titles such as Custer's Revenge and 08.46 recode past tragedies. Meanwhile, online worlds such as Second Life cater to a desire to inhabit alternate versions of America, while Paperboy and The Sims transform the mundane tasks of everyday suburbia into fun and addictive challenges.Working with a range of popular and influential games, from Pong, Civilization, and The Oregon Trail to Grand Theft Auto, Silent Hill, and Fortnite, Wills critically explores these gamic depictions of America. Touching on organized crime, nuclear fallout, environmental degradation, and the War on Terror, Wills uncovers a world where players casually massacre Native Americans and Cold War soldiers alike, a world where neo-colonialism, naive patriotism, disassociated violence, and racial conflict abound, and a world where the boundaries of fantasy and reality are increasingly blurred. Ultimately, Gamer Nation reveals not only how video games are a key aspect of contemporary American culture, but also how games affect how people relate to America itself.Rudolf Inderst is a professor of Game Design at the IU International University of Applied Science. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/science-technology-and-society

State Representative John Will reflects on what he considers the biggest accomplishments of the 2021 State Legislative Session including about a Billion dollars of tax reform, updating voting laws and phasing in changes for funding of mental health in Iowa. YouTube video at https://youtu.be/f3oa-Hdmez4

As the Iowa Legislature is in full swing, State Representative John Wills took a few moments to discuss legislation on Absentee Voting, K-12 School Funding, State University Tenure and  the 2021 "Omnibus" Gun Bill. YouTube video at https://youtu.be/GvqI4aaFE5A

As was the case in part 1 the second part of this episode  is full of great music choices and fantastic stories from John's 40 years as a musician, producer and sound guy. John titled his bio "My Bizarre Life of Happy Accidents and Near Misses" and given the stories he tells here you can see why . Spanning a Top 40 album with Loop , being supported by Nirvana , The Dance of the Seven Veils to "Beat It" on a boombox in a Belgrade Nightclub , a Top 50 show at the Edinburgh Festival and the BBC turning his house into a hill , this episode will hopefully strike a chord and put a smile on your face. This Spotify Playlist contains a track from each artist and band mentioned in the episode a number of which John played in. Just cut and paste the link into your browser. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4rTr9hPNj5sQ5OWokgUlsG?si=tVTJ11-DQNugrOeYTf3ujQIf you would like to be on the show then please contact me at musictalkspod@outlook.com Please follow and like Music Talks on Facebook at ...

My guest in this episode is John Wills who has been involved in the underground music scene  in the UK for almost 40 years. During that time has made a lot of music, played in many bands, seen a lot of the world and collected a raft of great, fascinating, and funny stories. So many in fact that this episode is a two-parter and it’s  a great way to kick off the new year.  The bio John  sent through to me was entitled “My Bizarre Life of Happy Accidents and Near Misses” and as you listen to this episode you will see how apposite that title is Musically, John’s biggest commercial success was with the band Loop whose third album "A Gilded Eternity", released in 1990, made the Top 40 and was a Number 1 on the Indie Chart in the UK.  He’s played Reading Festival,  done multiple Peel sessions and been supported by The Happy Monday’s and Nirvana.  In 2001 John moved with his wife and musical collaborator Pinkie  Maclure to  Scotland and they now live in the beautiful village of Cellardyke in the East Neuk of Fife.  John and Pinkie perform under the name of Pumajaw and have released six albums with another in the works. Additionally, in 2013/4 they staged a multimedia show at the Edinburgh Festival called "Song Noir" which was voted in the Top 50 shows of the Festival This Spotify Playlist contains John's choices and a track from every artist mentioned during our chat. just cut and paste into your browser. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/64gcrLCFjQpyIcBdpqXnvY?si=YXBtZST-RIm0Uyn4STqc0gContact Details John's Personal email : johnw9906@gmail.com For Podcast work          : editpod007@gmail.com Pumajaw website          : https://pumajaw1.bandcamp.com/ If you would like to be on the show then please contact me at musictalkspod@outlook.com Please follow and like Music Talks on Facebook at ...

The Iowa Legislative session is about to begin. Following a COVID shortened session in 2020, State Representative John Wills is prepared for a full agenda this session and to take care of some unfinished business from last year. Here are some of his priorities... Video on YouTube https://youtu.be/M6aSY1SfGWw

State Representative John Wills of Spirit Lake reflects from Smith's Bay on the Trump Boat Parade last Saturday. He also has plenty to say as students and teachers plan on school starting back up with the bipartisan "Return to Learn" bill which was signed by the Governor. We also chatted about the increase of domestic abuse and human trafficking due to COVID-19 and election safeguards in place as November ballots are prepared. Plus Representative Wills has an upcoming event with Iowa's Senior Senator Chuck Grassley.

In Episode 127, Dan and Michael chat with Dr. John Wills about his new article in Theory & Research in Social Education titled, “‘Daniel was racist’: Individualizing racism when teaching about the Civil Rights Movement.”