PETLab – Parsons’ lab for games in the social interest – has research positions, for pay and for credit! You don’t need to be a game designer or super specialist to get involved — but you do have to want to make the world a better place through play!

To apply: email macklinc@newschool.edu and pagulaym@newschool.edu with a paragraph describing your interest, skills, why you want to work with PETLab and on which project(s), along with your resume and a link to your website/portfolio.

Also, attend this information meeting on PETLab 2010-2011 projects: Wednesday Sept. 8, 5pm-6pm in the open lab and find out more!!

Here are the projects/positions:

General PETLab Research Assistant and social media-ist
Help keep PETLab site fresh (petlab.parsons.edu) by adding and updating content
Get involved in all projects as a documenter, reporter, and overall enthusiast
This is a paid position.

Activate!
Activate is a site (launching on October 1) where kids can learn to make their own video games about the environment and sustainability. It’s supported by the AMD Foundation and will be accompanied with on-site workshops in the US, Middle East, South America, Asia and Europe (i.e., there may be some travel involved during the winter and summer breaks). We are looking to build a dedicated and hard-working crew to help us expand content on the site, create a bunch of mini-games and work on revision 2.0 of the site and its features. Paid positions and credit available.

We are looking for talented:
– Teachers (teaching kids how to make games using the activate! curriculum)
– Game Designers
– Web Designers
– Illustrators
– Writers
– Graphic Designers

Games for Learning Institute
The Games for Learning Institute is a collaborative initiative with NYU, Columbia, and CUNY to investigate the power of games as learning tools. We are currently working on a series of math mini-games and testing these games in local public schools. It’s a great project for students interested in games and learning. Paid positions available.

We are looking for talented:
– Game Designers
– Illustrators
– Interface Designers

Mannahatta: The Game and other projects in DataPlay
DataPlay is an initiative at PETLab investigate games as new ways to understand real-world systems. Like information visualization, but information experienced – not just visualized. Projects in this initiative include BudgetBall and ongoing work on Mannahatta: The Game a location-based mobile game visualizing the city’s historic ecology. These and other projects (Red Cross), including self-directed projects are possible. For credit positions only (independent study), with all kinds of skill sets welcome.