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Sebastian Alvarado's Blog
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I'm an academic with an interest in how science is portrayed in popular media. As a result I am particularly interested in improving the quality of science as it is used in the video game industry. I have worked in the private biotech sector for 4 years before pursuing an academic career at McGill university. My own research interests revolve around understanding the neuroscience of the gaming mind, evolutionary biology, and epigenetics.
Blog articles are submitted from Thwacke! and come from a network of academics with an interest in their field of specialty and video game development. Topics range from rationalizing science fiction in video game narrative to the psychology and neuroscience of the gaming mind. Our articles are meant to inform and educate the public about the relevance of science and its use in the making of video games. |
Member Blogs
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DIY: Mass Effect's Genophage |
| Posted by Sebastian Alvarado on Mon, 13 May 2013 02:07:00 EDT in
Design,
Serious
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| In this post I go over the real science that could exist behind Mass Effect's Genophage, a DNA eating virus capable of sterilizing an entire race... |
| Read More... | 0 Comments |
Nanotechnology as Portrayed in Video Games - The Crysis Nanosuit  |
| Posted by Sebastian Alvarado on Thu, 21 Feb 2013 12:56:00 EST in
Serious,
Design
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| Nanotechnology expert, Kevin Neibert, breaks down the reality behind the Crynet Nanosuit from the Crysis Franchise. |
| Read More... | 1 Comments |
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Death and Resurrection in Borderlands: Breaking the 4th wall? |
| Posted by Sebastian Alvarado on Fri, 25 Jan 2013 02:00:00 EST in
Serious,
Design
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| Physicist and postdoctoral fellow , Ivan Marin, walks us through the unlikely physics of respawning in Borderlands 2. |
| Read More... | 0 Comments |
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Zerg Rushes, Suicide Attacks and Splash Damage: How Real Insect Warfare is Similar to StarCraft |
| Posted by Sebastian Alvarado on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 11:19:00 EDT in
Serious,
Design
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| Evolutionary biologist and super-soldier creator, Rajee Rajakumar, explores how real insects compare to StarCraft's Zerg. |
| Read More... | 1 Comments |
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Immersion: Getting into the game |
| Posted by Sebastian Alvarado on Mon, 08 Oct 2012 12:14:00 EDT in
Serious,
Design
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| Neuroscientist at the Douglas Institute and McGill University, Ian Mahar, discusses how immersion works in the mind of a gamer. |
| Read More... | 2 Comments |
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The Evolution of Stars: Exploring the “fiction” behind Mass effect, Halo, and Starcraft 2 |
| Posted by Sebastian Alvarado on Fri, 06 Jul 2012 10:05:00 EDT in
Design,
Serious
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| In this article written by Ryan Anderson (Soon to be steering the Mars Rover in August!)we explore how stars, black holes and supernovas all get used in video game sci-fi and how they evolve in the cosmos. Follow more @ThwackeMontreal |
| Read More... | 10 Comments |
[More Sebastian Alvarado Blogs]
Sebastian Alvarado's Comments
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Comment In: Limbo sound design: Ambiguity is the key to atmosphere [News - 07/17/2012 - 09:40]
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I think it 's a ... I think it 's a matter of finding artistic merit in selling atmosphere with thought out sound design vs saving a dollar. anyone can do this but finding the right context helps the quality of the experience. |
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Comment In: The Evolution of Stars: Exploring the “fiction” behind Mass effect, Halo, and Starcraft 2 [Blog - 07/06/2012 - 10:05]
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We host articles like this ... We host articles like this regularly at www.thwacke.com. Also made the edit thanks for pointing it out |
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Comment In: Neuroscience in video games- Deus Ex: Human Revolution [Blog - 05/24/2012 - 06:20]
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We appreciate the comments. Just ... We appreciate the comments. Just to clarify I am not the author of this specific piece, I am only using this account to host reposts from www.thwacke.com. r n r nIan Mahar, neuroscientist at McGill university wrote this one up. |
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Comment In: Animating the Animus: Genetics, Epigenetics and Brain Scanning in Assassin's Creed [Blog - 04/07/2012 - 11:18]
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Thanks for the link. Not ... Thanks for the link. Not so much the task as it is fun to be creative with ones field. I usually find these ideas stumble when thrown into game narratives. Hope you enjoyed |
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Comment In: What's NASA doing making video games? [News - 02/13/2012 - 07:11]
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@Bart Stewart I'm on the ... @Bart Stewart I'm on the same page. Thing is, edutainment has failed time and time again and there is no gold standard to aspire to yet... . In fact if you look at the market/audience for these games it's parents picking the games their kids play. Basically your players aren't ... |
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