Welcome

Welcome to the Ludolinguist blog! Ludolinguist basically means 'linguist that talks about games'. Linguistics is the study of languages, and ludo is Latin for 'game' (Ludology is what people who take themselves just a little too seriously call 'game studies'). I studied linguistics at university, and have been playing video games since I was five. 

Don't worry; this blog won't be filled with overly technical analyses of the dialogue in games. I don't want to be a bore for people who don't have a background in linguistics, and I won't use specialist terminology without explaining clearly what it means. Instead, what I will aim for is fun, succinct essays about language and gaming. I may occasionally post things that are only about gaming, with no link to language, but I won't ever go off in the other direction. In addition to regular articles on language and games, I will also post reviews.

Some of my articles will take an idea or observation from linguistics and apply it to a particular game or group of games. For example, I may write an article on 'code switching' (the term linguists use for people who speak multiple languages switching between them), and how games such as Assassin's Creed II use this phenomena to give a sense of authenticity. I also plan to shine a harsh light on some of the sillier video game PR out there. All too often, an obsession with empty jargon obscures the substance of announcements in the video games industry. With this in mind, look out for regular posts examining the meaning (or lack thereof) of 'Bullshit Gaming Buzzwords', as well as eviscerations of stupid press releases whenever they happen.

The plan is to post reviews on Tuesdays and mainline articles on Fridays. As well as reading the blog, you can also follow me on Twitter: @ludolinguist.

Enjoy!

-Sam


P.S. My website was put together by Kate Walker. If you like great writing, photography and art, you should really check out her website, Marquee Lights.