Shallow Depths: About

About

About Cha Holland

I'm a habitual blogger from Melbourne, Australia. By day I'm an ecological research assistant. By night I solve mysteries, fight crime, explore new lands, and search for romance. Sometimes I play computer games.

This is the part where some people would demonstrate their credentials by explaining how they got their first computer before they could walk, and grew up weaving the various console generations into the fabric of their being. That's not me, but I am instead woven from a blend of imagination, play, observation, and a constant desire to understand things better. I think that's just as good.

I drink an awful lot of tea, and have an impressive collection of pretty socks and stockings. I like the idea of a society where everyone tries to live the life they want, instead of the life they feel obligated to want.

About Shallow Depths

My blogging style mainly involves a mixture of analysis and personal reflection. There is no strict update schedule.

I am currently particularly interested in investigating:

Emotional connection: The best stories and characters make me feel something. Interactive media have the potential to explore the full range of human experience.
Education: Not in the narrow book-learning sense, but a broader idea of learning as something we all do constantly. Games set parameters to explore and problems to overcome. The potential benefits range from reflex speed to social experience.
Life and culture: The intersection between life and games. Such as, the concept of a community of 'gamers', game-related etiquette, or what our play habits mean for us as individuals (good and bad).
Game writing: I'm interested in the craft of writing about games, and sometimes discuss my own experiences and mistakes as I continue to learn.

My other projects

I write anecdotal reviews on Game People's Microcosm Gamer column (under the name Amber Gilmore). These niche reviews explore how game worlds reflect elements of reality and inform my life.

Licensing