Process, Truth and Consequenceinformal reflections on games, game communities and their use

within Higher Education

Michael Begg, David Dewhurst, Rachel EllawayUniversity of Edinburgh

Learning Technology Section,College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine

O v e r v i e w

• Game Processes and Learning Processes

• The Community Processes

• Game Research Scope

• Implementing game principals : Case Study

• Further questions, further issues

G a m e P r o c e s s : L e a r n i n g P r o c e s s

• The player adopts an appropriate identity

• The player enters the environment; perceiving challenges, goals, tasks

• The player adapts to the environment through interaction

• The appropriate vocabulary is acquired

• Expectations and judgements are realigned through direct interactions

• The student adopts an appropriate identity

• The student enters the environment; perceiving challenges, goals, tasks

• The student adapts to the environment through interaction

• The appropriate vocabulary is acquired

• Expectations and judgements are realigned through direct interactions

G a m e P r o c e s s : L e a r n i n g P r o c e s s

G a m e P r o c e s s : L e a r n i n g P r o c e s s

• Reflective, critical practice, reappraising cause and consequence through interaction

• Learning is a game

• All games need to be learned

• The imperative, perhaps, is to be aware of the principals of play that lead certain representations of games to be more successful than others

C o m m u n i t y

• Successful games breed active communities

• Encompass enquiry, research, evolution, expansion, modification, analysis.

• Encourage extremely long hours of selflessly diligent attention, reflection, participation

• Meritocracy

C o m m u n i t y C o n s e q u e n c e

• Active games communities impact upon the parent domain. . .

• Everquest – a fictional island of real fiscal consequence

• LambdaMOO – The irresistible rise of virtual democracy

G a m e R e s e a r c h A c t i v i t y

• Cultural impact of games• narrative theory, social informatics, cognitive psychology, HCI,

Intelligent agents, Artificial Intelligence systems, studies of immersion, presence, engagement, virtual realities, virtual communities, educational theory, game theory, game development, ludologists, learning technologists…

• Literature spans multiple domains

• Multiple vocabularies describing similar processes

• Developmental structures yet to fully emerge

I d e n t i f i e d P r i n c i p a l s o f G o o d L e a r n i n g

• Identity – the contextualised participant

• Agency – the consequential participant

• Environmental consistency

• Dynamic feedback

• Narrative structure

G e o r g e : : A C a s e S t u d y

G e o r g e : : P r e s e n t

• Student role contextualised

• Narrative structure

• Real-time release of information

• Environmental consistency

• Limited consequence from interactions

• Linear CAL sequence delivery

• Narrative element fully pre-scripted

G e o r g e : : F u t u r e?

• Virtual networked clinic

• Consequence through agency

• Iterative consultation period with George

• The student believes in the consultation

• The student inhabits the environment

• The student contributes to the domain

• The student adjusts behaviour, vocabulary, judgement and expectation

W h a t i s R e q u i r e d ?

• Input from multiple domains• Server, network, licensing issues• Environment/character modelling• Behaviour/language modelling• Case and character structuring• Extensive R & D throughout• Institutional administration• Resourcing

I s I t F i c t i o n ?

• None of this is beyond us, technically

• Robust cross-domain development community to match networking community

• Involve full range of available skill sets; technicians, developers, artists, academics

• CAL sequences exist as potential content models

Q u e s t i o n s

• How do we bring the academy and the commercial game developer closer together?

• Do we want to normalise our vocabulary?

• What kind of learning activity is best suited to digital game principals and processes?

• Should we consider the game community in conjunction with the game process?

• How will developments impact upon existing structures?

S u m m a r y

• Learning is already a game

• What we need is the best game…

• The game as constructive alignment of identity, task and outcome

• The student as motivated, contextualised player, with a perceived consequential role, learning through personal discovery and realignment of personal beliefs

S u m m a r y

• Such a student carries implications for current teaching practices

• How do we author it?

• How do we deliver it?

• How do we assess it?

• How do we evaluate it?

Process, Truth and Consequenceinformal reflections on games, game communities and their use

within Higher Education

Michael Begg, David Dewhurst, Rachel EllawayUniversity of Edinburgh

Learning Technology Section,College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine

Thank You

Contact Michael Begg michael.begg@ed.ac.uk