RHETT BRADBURYThesis 1, Fall 2012Prof. Tom KlinkowsteinPratt Institute

LeadershipOrganizing a group of people to achieve a common goal.

RHETT BRADBURY////THESIS ONE////PROF. TOM KLINKOWSTEIN////PRATT GRAD COMMD////FALL 2012

Leadership through History

16th c. England, King Henry VIIIAutocratic

RHETT BRADBURY////THESIS ONE////PROF. TOM KLINKOWSTEIN////PRATT GRAD COMMD////FALL 2012

6th c. AthensDemocratic

Leadership through History

RHETT BRADBURY////THESIS ONE////PROF. TOM KLINKOWSTEIN////PRATT GRAD COMMD////FALL 2012

18th c. United StatesDemocratic Representation

Leadership through History

RHETT BRADBURY////THESIS ONE////PROF. TOM KLINKOWSTEIN////PRATT GRAD COMMD////FALL 2012

21st c. via the InternetEmergent

Leadership through History

RHETT BRADBURY////THESIS ONE////PROF. TOM KLINKOWSTEIN////PRATT GRAD COMMD////FALL 2012

WHAT?

The thesis presented asserts that the aspirational gaming term, “leveling up”, meaning to acquire additional power and responsibility through the accomplishment of specific quests, may be applied to re-imagining the fostering of political leadership.

HYPOTHESIS (1/3)

RHETT BRADBURY////THESIS ONE////PROF. TOM KLINKOWSTEIN////PRATT GRAD COMMD////FALL 2012

HYPOTHESIS (2/3)

Leveling up suggests heroic, almost superhuman abilities as an appropriate description of the efforts needed to resolve elusively complex societal problems typically encountered in the political arena.

RHETT BRADBURY////THESIS ONE////PROF. TOM KLINKOWSTEIN////PRATT GRAD COMMD////FALL 2012

HYPOTHESIS (3/3)

In contrast to current methods of ascertaining political power, which are confused and indistinct, this thesis will show the ability of an activity based progression system to forward political leadership and facilitate predictive and dynamic social problem solving.

RHETT BRADBURY////THESIS ONE////PROF. TOM KLINKOWSTEIN////PRATT GRAD COMMD////FALL 2012

LEVELING UP?

RHETT BRADBURY////THESIS ONE////PROF. TOM KLINKOWSTEIN////PRATT GRAD COMMD////FALL 2012

“Real-time data and quantitative benchmarks are the reason why gamers get consistently better at virtually any game they play.” Jane McGonigal Director of Game R&D at the Institute for the Future

RHETT BRADBURY////THESIS ONE////PROF. TOM KLINKOWSTEIN////PRATT GRAD COMMD////FALL 2012

RHETT BRADBURY////THESIS ONE////PROF. TOM KLINKOWSTEIN////PRATT GRAD COMMD////FALL 2012

[WH]Barack ObamaLvl. 72 US President

Integrity

IntellectCURRENT ISSUESDISCUSSION BOARDCOMPLETED TASKSSOCIAL MEDIATEAM MEMBERSBIOGRAPHY

Magnaminity

Dedication

Creativity

Openness

Assertiveness

Fairness

6.5/10

7.8/10

6/10

8/10

5/10

7.2/10

7.1/10

XP: 395,061/600,000

6.3/10

TEAM [WH]

RHETT BRADBURY////THESIS ONE////PROF. TOM KLINKOWSTEIN////PRATT GRAD COMMD////FALL 2012

PROJECT PROPOSAL

Utilize data mining to document activities of leaders under 30 engaging in examples of “leveling up”.

This to create a candidate abstract for an “Institute of New Leadership” –a non-profit developing new conceptions of leadership in civic service.

RHETT BRADBURY////THESIS ONE////PROF. TOM KLINKOWSTEIN////PRATT GRAD COMMD////FALL 2012

THESIS OUTLINE

1. Personal Observations2. Ethnographic Research3. Political Theories4. Social Power of New Media5. Gaming/Gaming for Social Good6. Politics+New Media+Gaming7. Thesis Project8. Project Results9. Conlusions

RHETT BRADBURY////THESIS ONE////PROF. TOM KLINKOWSTEIN////PRATT GRAD COMMD////FALL 2012

SOURCE LIST

Leadership & Politics

Game Design/Gaming for Social Good

Social Power of the Internet & New MediaThe Penguin and the Leviathan Yochai BenklerCognitive Surplus Clay ShirkyHere Comes Everybody Clay Shirky

Rules of Play Katie Salen & Eriz ZimmermanReality is Broken Jane McGonigal

Digital Media and Democracy Megan BolerPolitics for Dummies Ann DeLaneyThe Leaderless Revolution Carne RossCybering Democracy Diana Saco

RHETT BRADBURY////THESIS ONE////PROF. TOM KLINKOWSTEIN////PRATT GRAD COMMD////FALL 2012