Thanks

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A large number of people have encouraged and supported the development of Video Game Law as a course and website:

Associate Dean Bruce MacDougall, as well as former Associate Deans Janine Benedet, Benjamin Goold and David Duff for their great support for the course and its less than orthodox methods. Their faith in the enterprise and their ability to remain kind and full of humour while suffering my constant barrage of emails over the years on matters large and small remains awe-inspiring.

Many others at the Allard School of Law have encouraged my efforts. These include Dean Catherine Dauvergne and former Deans Lynn Smith and  Joost Blom, Q.C. Always willing to help have been Professors Joel Bakan, Graham Reynolds, Joe Weiler, and Associate Dean Doug Harris. Rohan Sheehan, Dan Silverman, Tom Dudas and Bernie Flinn have all worked very hard and with admirable consistency over the years to improve and grow the technological capabilities of the course. Susan Morin Director, Student Academic Services, must be thanked for all the many administrative things she has done over the years to make teaching as smooth as possible for me (and so many others).

The UBC Centre for Teaching, Learning & Technology for being an incredible facilitator of ideas, support and inspiration – in particular three wonderful collaborators.  The amazing Novak Rogic for leading me to the creation of a website, making it happen and meeting with me regularly  to design, improve, refine and evolve the on-line presence of the course. Will Engle has selflessly provided a seemingly endless supply of ideas, encouragement and follow-up. A very special thanks is owed to the extraordinary Richard Tape who so often and so skillfully implemented many  improvements, and made them dramatically better than expected every time. A particular thanks is owed Richard for all he has done so much to help create and evolve Version 1 of the Socratic tool on the website  Over the years there are a great many others at CTLT who have made real contributions to evolution of the course, including David Brabbins, Enej Bajgoric, Jeff Miller, Devindra Payment, Richard Tape, Joe Zerdin, as well as the unfailingly professional Saeed Dyanatkar who was so much more than our camera-person during the Spring 2013 semester. Erin Fields of UBC Libraries who leads the Open Badges UBC project was integral to the incorporation and evolution of open badges within the course for a number of years, and was a joy to work with on that project.

To all the students of Video Game Law over the years for always being engaged, passionate and informed. Yours were terrific classes filled with amazing individuals who I continue to admire as your many accomplishments come to the fore.

Jia Lang who T.A.’d during Spring 2013, Helene Love and Chira Perla of the Allard School of Law, and Ken Cavalier , for their support of the course, as well as for generously sharing their knowledge and perspectives.

All of the guest speakers in the course with special mention to those who over the years travelled considerable distances to join us live. Among those, a special shout-out goes to Ian Verchere who has been a “must-see” part of the course for many years.

Richard Smith, Director of the Centre for Digital Media for actively encouraging and providing perspective and support in respect of the pedagogical and technological directions of the course. Larry Bafia, Patrick Pennefather and George Johnson, colleagues at the Centre for Digital Media, who indulged my pretty constant desire to discuss and debate issues and subjects of the course. Patrick has been a huge influence, particularly on the pedagogic evolutions in the course. Dr. Kimberly Voll of the CDM/Riot Games, and possibly the best pure teacher I have ever seen, for often providing inspiration and intellectual back-up when I was trying to figure out how to present complex materials.

A special thanks to Dr. Gaetano Dimita of Queen Mary University of London. Collaborator, friend, and fellow-traveller.

My wife Corinne and our children Jeremy, Dara & Avrel for the support that really matters.

Apologies to all I have missed.

Jon