Gonzalo Frasca

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Gonzalo Frasca (Montevideo, 1972) is a game designer and academic researcher (in the Center for Computer Games Research at the IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark). His weblog, Ludology.org, is an important publication for academic researchers studying video games (see ludology for more information).

Frasca, is from Uruguay, where he established Powerful Robot Games, a videogame studio in Montevideo. In video game theory, Frasca belongs to the group of so called "ludologists", who consider video games to be simulations based on rules. They see video games as the first simulational media for the masses - which means a paradigm shift in media consumption and production.

Frasca's game studies are evolved from the work of Norwegian game academic Espen J. Aarseth. Beginning in December 2004, Frasca has studied games at the Center for Computer Games Research at the IT University of Copenhagen. He received his PhD in Videogames studies on August 2007.

His most famous (or infamous, depending on your point of view) game is September 12th, a response to the 9/11 attacks. It's based on the political argument that a direct military response will only increase the likelihood of further terrorist attacks on the West.

Interestingly, some argue this attitude was supported by the 2004 Madrid train bombings, which was also responded to in game form by Frasca in the online title Madrid. Alternative commentary says that such geo-political events are far more complex than can be encompassed with simplistic game-based structures however.