Thedangersanddelightsofworkingwithdigitalgames

ContemporaryapproachestoResearchinMathematics,Science,HealthandEnvironmentalEducation

DeakinUniversityNov24-25

Literacyassocialpractice• the‘socialturn’inliteracytheoryandresearch…hasturnedresearchers’andtheorists’attentionstotherolesoftextsandliteracypracticesastoolsormediaforconstructing,narrating,mediating,enacting,performing,enlistingorexploringidentities…Howonereadsandwritescanhaveanimpactonthetypeofpersononeisrecognizedasbeing,andonhowoneseesoneself• Textsandtheliteratepracticesthataccompanythemnotonlyreflectbutmayalsoproducetheself(Davies1989)• Textscanbeusedastoolsforenactingidentities.(Moje,Luke,Davies&Street2009p.415).

AlotofthetimethatIspendwhenI’monlineis,I’mjustsortofcruisingaroundtalkingtopeoplethatIknow.AndbytalkingtothosepeopleIcansortofpatchupthefriendshipsthatmayhavebeendestroyedwhenthisguy,youknow,didn’tdosomethingright,andsoyoucandoitlikethat.Or,ifyou– beforethegame,talkaboutwhatyou’regoingtodo,andhowmuchyouenjoyedlastnight’ssessionandwhatyouthinkcouldbeimproved,justsortoflikedebriefingsessions.AndIthinkthatisoneofthebestthingsaboutit,becauseyoucanapproacheverythingfromfromareallytacticalpointofview.

(Beavis2004p.194)

LiteracyasDesign

• Linguistic• Visual• Audio• Gestural• Spatial• Multimodal- ‘themostsignificantasitrelatestoalltheothermodesinquiteremarkablydynamicrelationships’.

(NewLondonGroup1996)

Learning about and coming to appreciate interrelations within and across multiple sign systems (images, words, actions, symbols, artefacts etc.) as a complex system is core to the learning experience. (Gee 2003)

Learning about and coming to appreciate interrelations within and across multiple sign systems (images, words, actions, symbols, artefacts etc.) as a complex system is core to the learning experience.

Learning about and coming to appreciate design and design principles is core to the learning experience. (Gee 2003)

WhatVideoGamesHavetoTeachUsAboutLearningandLiteracy

All aspects of the learning environment (including the ways in which the semiotic domain is designed and presented) are set up to encourage active and critical, not passive learning.

(Gee2003)

Literacyasdesign:StatecraftX

StatecraftXsplashpage(http://cheeyamsan.info/NIEprojects/SCX/SCX2.htm)

Multimodalliteracyanddesign

StatecraftXrunningoniPhone:symbols,numbersandiconshttp://cheeyamsan.info/NIEprojects/SCX/SCX2.htm

BUT…

Notjusttext

GamesasAction:Makingthingshappen

Theinstigationofmaterialchange

• bothobjectandprocess…can’tbereadastextsorlistenedtoasmusic,theymustbeplayed.(Aarseth1997)

• theirfoundationisnotinlookingandreadingbutintheinstigationofmaterialchangethroughaction- theactionofthemachineisjustasimportantastheactionoftheoperator.(Galloway2006)

Proceduralrhetoric• Videogames,thankstotheirbasicrepresentationalmodeofprocedurality(rule-basedrepresentationsandinteractions),openanewdomainforpersuasion;theyrealizeanewformofrhetoric.

• Icallthisnewform‘proceduralrhetoric’,atypeofrhetorictiedtothecoreaffordancesofcomputers:runningprocessesandexecutingrule-basedsymbolicmanipulation(Bogost2007).

http://www.waldengame.com/

METHODOLOGICALCHALLENGE1:

Whatareweactuallyresearchingwhenweresearchlearninganddigitalgames?Wheredowedirectourgaze?

METHODOLOGICALCHALLENGE2:

TheEthicsofInternetResearch:whatdoesthismean,andhowdowemanagethis,inresearchingyoungpeopleanddigitalgames?

GlobalMediaCulture

• Computersandthenewmediaareincreasinglycentraltothelivesoftodayschildrenandyouth….Globalpopularmediaculture,includingonlineculture,hasbecomeintegrallyboundupwithchildren’saffiliations,identitiesandpleasures....Thiskindofsocialparticipationisintegrallyboundupwiththewaysinwhichsymbolicmeaningsaremade,negotiatedandcontested,andisthereforeofcentralconcerntoliteracyresearch.(Nixon2003407-8)

• text-basedanalysesoflargebodiesofwork• Studiesofpersonsandbehaviour online• Internetastoolforcollectingdata,solicitingresearchparticipants• Focusonpeople’slivesonscreen(Turkle1997)

• McKee,H.andPorter,J.(2009)TheEthicsofInternetResearch.NewYork,PeterLangp.xvii

InternetResearch/Internet-basedresearch

Ethicalissuesinresearchingonlinesitesandcommunities

• Global,transnationalcontext– differentregulatorycontextsindifferentcountries• Intellectualpropertyquestions• Whatconstitutespublic?Areonlinecommunicationsalreadypublished,andhenceavailable?• Whatisinformedconsent?• Privacy- onlineparticipants’perspectivesonthepublic/privatenatureoftheircommunication• Publicationofdata;reportingonlinecommunicationsthroughpublicationandpresentationofresearchresults• Accesstocommunities– how,onwhatterms?• Researcherintervention– tointerveneornottointervene

(McKeeandPorterp.xxii-xxiii)

CaseStudy:MMORPGs

• ‘AliteracyandgamesstudiesresearcherstudiescognitionandlearninginthemassivelymultiplayeronlinegameLineage.Inherethnographicresearch,sheinteractswithothergamers,boththroughheravatarandinherreal-worldidentity,sometimesjustinpassingwhileonseige,sometimesmoreextensively(forsevenyears)asguildleaderandasresearcher.Intheprocessofresearchingshecollectsnotesandtranscriptsonthousandsofhoursofgame-talkandinteractionin-world.Whiletheinformationshegathersasadefinedresearcher(eg interviewingpeopleoutofworld)isclearlyresearch,whatoftheexchangesandinteractionssheexperiencesinvariousgamingroles?Thatis,whensheisaPrincessinLineage,whatcansheuseinherresearchand,importantly,withwhateffectsonthecommunity/ies shestudies?’

(BasedonSteinkhueler 2005,2006,2007;McKeeandPorterp.2)

Lineage:MMORPGs

• Textorcommunity?• Publicorprivateconversations?• Researcherorparticipant?• Credibility• Whostandstobeharmed?• Whoisinterviewed- AvatarorRLidentity?

McKeeandPorter(2009)p.82

GUIDELINES:internetresearchersshould:

• Articulateandcriticallyexaminetheirownperspectives– internetasspaceorplace?• Bedeeplysuspiciousofblanketpronouncements• Consultwithmultipleaudiencesreethicalquestions• Identifyandconsidervariousregulationsandlaws,includingissuesofIP,andhowtheymayimpacttheresearch• Immersethemselvesinthespecificsofcontext

• Continuallyreflectonandinterrogatetheirresearchdesignanddecisionmaking,throughouttheprocessofresearch• Conductcomparativecaseanalysis,• Beexplicitabouttheethicalissuesanddecisionstheyhavemade.

McKeeandPorterpp.163-134

METHODOLOGICALCHALLENGE2:

TheEthicsofInternetResearch:whatdoesthismean,andhowdowemanagethis,inresearchingyoungpeopleanddigitalgames?

METHODOLOGICALCHALLENGE3:

Digitalgamesinschool:arewetryingtomanageconflictingpriorities?

http://www.seriousplayproject.org

Areasoffocus Activities• Focusonteachers• Focusonstudents• Inschool– outofschool• Focusoncurriculumandlearning• Focusongames• Focusonassessment

• LearningwithGames• Analysing Games• MakingGames

AustralianResearchCouncil(2012-2015)Beavis,Dezuanni,O’Mara,Prestridge,Rowan,Zagami &Chee:SeriousPlay:DigitalGames,LearningandLiteracyforTwentyfirstCenturySchooling

http://www.seriousplayproject.org

Students

Contexts

Thenatureofgames

Curriculum

Equity

Teachers

Thosechallengesagain:METHODOLOGICALCHALLENGE1:Whatareweactuallyresearchingwhenweresearchlearninganddigitalgames?Wheredowedirectourgaze?

METHODOLOGICALCHALLENGE3:Digitalgamesinschool:arewetryingtomanagingconflictingpriorities?

METHODOLOGICALCHALLENGE2:TheEthicsofInternetResearch:whatdoesthismean,andhowdowemanagethis,inresearchingyoungpeopleanddigitalgames?

ReferencesAarseth,E.(1997)Cybertext:perspectivesinergodicliterature.Baltimore,MD:JohnsHopkinsUniversityPress.

Beavis,C.(2004).‘'GoodGame':TextsandCommunityinMultiplayerComputergames’.InSnyder,I.and Beavis,C.(Eds)DoingLiteracyonline:Teaching,LearningandPlayinginanElectronicWorld. HamptonPress,NewJerseypp.187-205.

Bogost,I.(2007). Persuasivegames:Theexpressivepowerofvideogames.Cambridge:MITPress.

Gee.J.P.(2003)WhatVideoGamesHavetoTeachusAboutLearningandLiteracy,NewYork:PalgraveMacmillan.

Galloway,A.(2006). Gaming:Essaysonalgorithmicculture.Minneapolis:UniversityofMinnesotaPress.

Hutchby,I.&MoranEllis,J.(2001)Introduction:relatingchildren,technologyandculture.InIanHutchby andJoMoranEllis(Eds)Children,TechnologyandCulture.LondonFalmer,1-10

McPheeH.&Porterj.E.(2003)TheEthicsofInternetResearch:Arhetorical,case-basedprocess.NewYork,PeterLang

Moje E,LukeA,DaviesB,&Street,B.(2009)Literacyandidentity:Examiningthemetaphorsinhistoryandcontemporary research.ReadingResearchQuarterly44(4):415–437..

NewLondonGroup(2000).APedagogyofMultiliteracies:DesigningSocialFutures.InB.Cope&M.Kalanatzis (Eds.),Multiliteracies:LiteracyLearningandtheDesignofSocialFutures.Melbourne:Macmillan.

Nixon,H.(2003)Newresearchliteraciesforcontemporaryresearchintoliteracyandnewmedia?ReadingResearchQuarterly38(3):407-413