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Reading Notes:

 

WEEK ONE:

Manifesto For a Ludic Century

 

  • Games are ancient 

    • One of the first interactive system that was created by humans 

    • Has become apart of human nature 

  • Digital technology has given games a new relevance 

    • games function like digital computers- sorting numerical states 

    • Games created computers

  • The 20thcentury was the century of information

    • Emergent of information before electronic computers 

    • Abstraction of information allowed for intuitions to flourish  

  • In our Ludic Century, information has been put at play 

    • Digital networks are flexible and organic 

    • Information has become a community, where people together create information for the system as a whole 

  • In the 20thcentury, the moving image was the dominant cultural form 

    • Expression most powerful through film and video 

    • Rise of imagine is connected to rise of information 

  • The Ludic Century is an era of games 

    • Games are systemic, modular, customizable and participatory 

    • Leisure time will be experienced like games 

  • We live in a world of systems 

    • We live in a modern time with complex system of information 

    • Systemic society therefore games have a natural fit 

  • There is an need to be playful 

    • a playful system is a human system

    • this initiates innovation and creativity through play 

  • We should think like designers 

    • Must have an active relationship with technology and games 

    • Understand systems and how they work/ are created 

    • This will allow us to fully engage in the world 

  • Games are literacy 

    • Idea of gaming literacy 

    • Literacy= creating and understanding meaning 

    • the rise of new literacies, technological literacy and gaming 

  • Gaming literacy can address our problems 

    • Thinking through the lens of gaming literacy can help us with our modern day issues 

    • Help us to understand complex systems 

    • Skills to analyze and transform systems 

  • In the Ludic Century everyone will be a game designer 

    • Games require active participation 

    • Game design involves particular skills 

    • Blur the lines between game players and game designers 

  • Games are beautiful. They do not need to be justified 

    • Have value within soceity 

    • Appreciating the aesthetics of the game 

 

WEEK TWO:

How to Do Things with Videogames By: Ian Bogost 

 

  • The book outlines different aspects about videogames and how videogames posse qualities that effect the player and their experience with the game 

  • Art 

    • Games as art, something that is visually appealing and enhances the game and the players experience 

    • The medium of videogames can be used as a platform for artistic expression 

  • Empathy 

    • Play as someone else 

    • Put the player in someone else shoes- live through someone else 

    • Foster a sense of empathy through this 

  • Reverence 

    • Creating respect- inclusion and other positive characteristics

    • Can these values be inside videogames?? 

  • Music

    • Music being shared in this public space

    • Videogames allow for a change in how music is constructed and viewed (ex. Rock band, Guitar Hero) 

  • Pranks 

    • Tricking the player throughout the game process 

    • Pranks allow for social power

    • “One form of videogame pranks arises from tricks that game developers play on their employers or publishers. (37)” 

      • Used the example of Easter egg pranking

  • Branding 

    • Games have the legacy through this branding (ex. Monopoly) 

    • Complex social behavior linked to branding 

  • Electioneering 

    • Political videogames that are closely connected to elections or any other political event 

    • Politically endorsed games 

    • De-emphasize politicking in favor of policy 

  • Promotion 

    • Linking promoting products to videogames 

    • Used as a marketing tool

    • Connection between commercial profit and videogames 

    • Gaming and advertising products 

  • Snapshots 

    • Creating a unique visual game- sense of uniqueness through the development of the game 

    • Photography conveys the developers ideas and perspective 

  • Relaxation 

    • “lean back” media 

    • associated with relaxation, passivity and even gluttony 

    • mindless playing 

    • abandon the values of leaning forward and only focus on the leaning back values 

  • Titillation       

    • To give us an uncomfortable and defamiliarized experience 

    •  Done through stimulation of other human 

  • Exercise 

    • Exergames- making the demands of the videogame more so that people are able to get more physically involed in the game 

    • Celebrate exercise potential 

    • Ex. Wii sport 

    • They stimulate and create social rituals that make us become physically active 

  • Work 

    • Performativity in videogames 

    • Gameplay to real world action

    • Player has a conscious understanding of the purpose, effect and implications of their actions – they have an effect ton cultural meanings 

  • Disinterest

    • Expand the scope and purpose of different fantasies 

    • Renew our feelings for particular actions and situations 

  • Drill 

    • Skill exercise 

    • Complex and expensive simulation typically 

    •  These drills can help people try things they typically wouldn’t experience or try 

Quotes:  

  • “In artgames like the three in question, a procedural rhetoric does not argue a position but rather characterizes an idea. These games say something about how an experience of the world works, how it feels to expreince or to be subjected to some sort of situation……(14)”

  • “If we think of brands as markers for complex social behaviours, we can also imagine recombining brands; encapsulated social values in new contexts….. (57)” 

  • “In other words, the benefit videogames can offer public life is to de-emphasize politicking in favour of policy. The role of videogames in politics lies here, in their potential to unseat elections as the unit of popular political currency, rather than to participate in them directly. (63)” 

 

WEEK THREE  

Serious Playby Suzanne De Castell and Jennifer Jenson

  • Suzanne De Castell and Jennifer Jenson argue that there needs to be a cration of educational games that are engaging like commercial games but at the same time educate the player (pg. 650).

  •  The difference between education games and commercial games is that commercial games encourage a deeply immersive environment where learning takes place simultaneously through game play (pg. 650). 

  • Often are being told to play educational games, which take away a certain degree of enjoyment.   

  • Shift away from edutainment 

    • A commercial hybrid product that is neither entertaining nor educative 

  • Many current education games are edutainment because they are overly focused on the education aspect without making the game immersive and enjoyable to the player 

  • “The cultural environment of schools today is, in many ways, antithetical to the immersiveness of play-it insists on timed activities, curriculum is designed mostly to ‘survey’ a subject area, with little opportunity to study one or two subjects in depth; and goals and immediate feedback are often held back from students in institutionally sanctioned power struggles between students and teachers (De Castell and Jenson pg. 662).” 

  • the authors bring up a relevant concern about the current schooling environment. 

  • Educational gaming: recalling culture 

    • Gaming and violence 

      • Sociocultural lens to study computer games

    • Stereotype play

      • More boys play videogames then girls- difference in play styles based off of gender 

    • Learning by design 

      • Learning is embodied within the game structure and not outright in the game 

      • Approach of play and education intertwined 

 

A Model for Critical Game Literacyby Tom Apperley and Catherine Beavis 

 

  • argue the value and positive skills that come out of creating games specifically with youth (pg.1)

  •  examine the importance of digital and media literacy and game based curriculum

    • new literacies associated with digital technologies and games 

  • students need to gain the understanding of gaming literacy 

  • “In order to connect new literacies frameworks for understanding digital and out of school literacies with conventional iterations of literacy as presented in state and national curriculum documents, the games as text layer maps four foci for study in relation to the model of game play outlined in the game as action layer. (pg.5)”  

  • the four foci addressed in this layer are 

    • knowledge about games 

      • brining a critical literacy perspective on game play and to cultural artifacts- consider the ascetics 

    • the world around the game

      • global contexts, expanding ones knowledge – their visual and physical space 

    • me as a game player 

      • focus on the players identity and how it can change with different type of digital games- allow them to explore 

    • learning through games 

      • what is being learnt through games 

      • there is a type of serious games and knowledge being learnt 

 

Beyond Gamifcation: Reconceptualizing game-based learning in early childhood environments by Jason Nolan and Melanie McBride 

 

  • focus on the benefits of digital play in early education

  • feel that early exposure to digital play would encourage multimodalities, emergent literacies and help capture the interest and needs of our diverse learners (pg. 595). 

  • digital games have the power to captivate our students and allow them to develop autonomy through play

  • “The meaningful, playful and autonomous exploration of limits and self-regulation through digital game-based learning would require an equally engaging and open-ended pedagogical orientation (Nolan and McBride pg. 599).”

  • educators need to be okay with the idea of unstructured time and feel comfort in the “disorganization” of the classroom

  • idea that students are digital natives and have this natural ability and adaptability to technology 

  • autonomy- is essential to young children’s socio-emotional development, critical thinking and decision making 

  • videogames provide a platform for autonomous learning experiences 

 

WEEK FOUR 

 

Revisiting the Media Generation: Youth media use and computational literacy instruction by Jennifer Jenson and Milena Droumeva 

 

  • What is 21stcentury learning and who is apart of and benefiting from this type of learning 

  • No curriculum constructed that explicitly states what 21stcentury learning/ teaching is 

  • “Designing and making digital games, as prior work suggests, might well provide an ideal framework for operationalizing 21stcentury learning: creating digital artifacts entails technical, computational and aesthetic forms of competence whose success depends on bridging between art and sciences- an intersection increasingly characteristic of the contemporary job market and effective participation in social life. (213)” 

  • computational literacy- new trend just like media literacy 

  • STEM instruction in class and schools 

  • Get youth familiarized with computation and computational thinking 

  • The research looks at computational literacy pre and post test

    • Exploring students and their ability to compute and knowledge in the particular STEM area 

  • Screen based generation vs. face to face generation 

  • The difference between gender- boys vs. girls and how they are comfortable with technology 

    • Boys reported playing games more then girls 

  • Boys had a more sense of confidence when it came to gaming where as girls are less confident and act more incompetent when they are playing with boys 

  • Conclusions 

    • Not all students are digital natives- some students are more competent then other students 

    • There are still gender differences in attitudes towards confidence particularly 

    • Girls were less likely to make public displays of confidence and competence and knowledge- they are more likely to show incompetence 

    • Confidence based off digital games and gender 

  • In the classroom girls need to be given the opportunity to build their computationtal literacy 

  • Increase the STEM related activities to build up confidence 

 

Game Design Workshopby Tracy Fullerton 

  • The role of the game designer is to be an advocate for the player 

    • Complex idea and could be hard to accomplished 

  • Focused on the player experience and not with other concerns of production 

  • Qualities of a game designer 

    • Communication

    • Teamwork

    • Confidence in the process 

    • Inspiration

    • Creativity

  • Playcentric design process 

    • Keep value to the players experience 

    • Setting player experience goals

  • “learning how to set interesting and engaging player experience goals means getting inside the heads of the players, not focusing on the features of the game as you intended to design it (pg.11)” 

  • understanding the value in prototyping and playtesting- a game by be intended to have a specific purpose and method but once it is tested the outcome may be different and players may respond different to the game then it was originally constructed 

  • Iteration process 

    • Step one: brainstorming 

    • Step two: physical prototype 

    • Step three: Presentation 

    • Step four: Software prototype 

    • Step five: Design documentation 

    • Step six: Production 

    • Step seven: Quality Assurance 

  • You want your design to be innovative and to convey a breakthrough player experience and an emotional experience 

  • As a designer you need to go beyond any limitations in order to create something unique 

  • Type of player game 

    • Single player vs. game 

    • Multiple individual players vs. game 

    • Player vs. player 

    • Unilateral competition 

    • Multilateral competition 

    • Cooperative play 

    • Team competition 

  • These ways all have a way to engage the player and to engage in different type of playing 

  • They all allow for deep involvement in different ways 

  • Type of objectives 

    • Capture

    • Chase

    • Alignment

    • Race

    • Rescue or escape 

    • Forbidden act 

    • Construction

    • Exploration

    • Salutation

    • Outwit

  • What are rules? How do they help the player play the game? Can these be changed and how do these effect the player and their process with the game 

  • Rules have the ability to define objects and concepts and change the way the game gets played 

  • Rules determine effects 

  • Types of resources in games 

    • Lives

    • Units

    • Health

    • Currency

    • Actions

    • Power-ups

    • Inventory

    • Special terrain 

    • Time

    • Conflict

    • Obstacles

    • Opponents

    • Dilemmas

    • Boundaries

  • These elements have the ability to create a game that is recognizable to the audience

  • These elements have to work together to create a fully functional game that is enjoyable 

  • The rules and procedures can be revised and change the game and how it is played this will ultimately effect the game play and will mod the game  

 

WEEK FIVE 

Nature and Significance of Play as  a Cultural Phenomenon By: J. Huizinga 

  • The term play has an interesting connection to learning and the education system. Using the definition of Huizinga play is an ideology that is beyond human life (Huizinga pg.99).

  •  Play is apart of culture and has the power to shape those who engage in play

  •  Huizinga believes there are three main components to play.

    • The first is that it is something that happens naturally and organically. “First and foremost, then, all play is a voluntary activity. Play to order is no longer play: it could be at best be but a forcible imitation of it. (Huizinga pg. 102)” 

    • With this being said it is a freedom that cannot be controlled or dictated 

    • Second- play has the ability to allow people to step out of real life and participate in something beyond themselves or their reality

    •  “It is rather stepping out of ‘real’ life into a temporary sphere of activity with a disposition all of its own. (Huizinga pg. 103)”

    •  Third characteristic of play is that play has the ability for students to make their own meaning

    •  “This is the third main characteristic of play: its secludedness, its limitedness. It is ‘played out’ within certain limits of time and place. (Huizinga pg. 104)” 

    • given the opportunity to freely engage in something that is beneficial to their social and cognitive development

WEEK SIX

 

“Are Video Games Goof for Learning” by James Paul Gee

·      examines the simple question of whether videogames can be a valuable asset to the learning process.

·       Throughout the article Gee provides multiple points as to why video games are a good platform for facilitating learning

·       outlines the features of a game that are more likely to encourage a good learning experience 

·      first feature is empathy for a complex system

·       needs to be value in a complex game that embodies empathy

·      player has to be willing to participate in an immersive way and has to be able to navigate through the complex system-- by participating in this the player will be gaining valuable knowledge that can relate back to the real world and go beyond the virtual world

·      The second feature is simulations of experience and preparations for action

·      video games could be the best way to showcase our complex way of thinking

·       “Rather, the view is that humans think and understand best when they can imagine (simulate) an experience in such a way that the simulation prepares them for actions they need and want to take in order to accomplish their goals (pg. 3)”. 

·      Players are given knowledge and problem solving skills that can be applied to many different situations

·      third feature is distributed intelligence via the creation of smart tools

·      defines this as a connected between the real world player and the virtual character

·      the real world player needs to think as though they are the player in the game (pg.4).

·      link of knowledge and skills between the player and the virtual character-type of structure allows for an immersive game where the real player can embody the virtual player and learn something new through this process. 

·      fourth feature cross-functional teamwork relates to the integration of multiple players in a single game setting- players have their own role and responsibility 

·      Situated meaning is the fifth feature and means that words have different meanings depending on the situation- argues that video games allow for language to be situated (pg.7). 

 states that in games there are often situations where words take on different meanings and the contexts help the player understand what the meaning is

·     sixth is open-endedness: melding the personal and the social

·      relates to the fact that the player must figure out what the goals are of the game and then try to achieve those goals 

·     connection between the real players goals and the virtual players goals- goals can be personal or social goals. 

·     suggests that even with these features present there needs to be a larger learning system that support video games. 

·     four features of a good game that will encourage learning- Motivation, the role of failure, competition and collaboration and design of games, together help to define if a game is a high effective learning system. 

 

 “The Role of Digital Technologies in Deeper Learning” By: Chris Dede 

·     Dede’s document looks at how multimodalities are used to better the learning environment for students

·      specifically focuses on the idea of creating immersive authentic simulations

·     argument of virtual worlds and how virtual worlds are a valid way in which students can understand and learn knowledge

·     types of platforms support apprenticeship-based learning and learning for transfer (Dede, pg. 13)

·      immersive simulations have the ability for students to learn how to maneuver guidance systems within the game

·      brings up a signficiant point about assessment

·       Even though all of these features may be present in a learning experience how the student is assessed in the education system needs to be changed

·       “…. The development of more sophisticated assessments is essential for the evolution of deeper learning, and technology offers a powerful vehicle by which to accomplish this (Dede pg.19)”

·      Technology is capable of enriching student’s success but it has to be valued within the school system to see the significance

 

 

 

WEEK SEVEN

 

Chapter ONE 

Press F for Revolt By: K.Cross 

 

  • Anti-feminist movement GamerGate

  • “At its most basic level, gamification seeks to harness the compulsive aspects of gaming, compelling people to act in ways they might not otherwise for the sake of ‘winning’ within the game structure presented to them-” (pg.23-24) 

  • gamified activism 

    • organized political action to achieve certain goals 

  • the actions of people in real life becoming gamified and then they outlive their beliefs through the game 

  • physical world vs. the digital world (transcending lines) 

    • “…. Has led many people to become implicitly socialized into viewing actions taken online as somehow less real or otherwise lacking in serious consequences.” (pg. 25) 

    • the idea that comments made on line still don’t hurt or making a character on a game do inappropriate actions (over sexualizing women) 

  • there is meaningful social behavior on the internet- it is a reality it is not something that should be viewed as unreal

    • “real when it is convenient, unreal when it is not” (pg.26) 

  • gamification as a way to help people do the right thing in real life- to teach people 

    • a way to live out social values and morals 

    • this idea of stimulating good behavior 

  • Political activism on the web- how does this differ in real life?? 

  • What does it mean then to win in the game vs. in real life? 

  • activism becomes gamifited then there is idea of the goal losing meaning, winning does not mean achieving these political goals that were originally set out 

  • “…. That the internet is a real place and that avatars are us, a digital manifestation of our flesh and blood existence, a vulnerable form onto which we may project all that we are and hope to be, and which is thus lumbered with many of the dame vulnerabilities as our physical selves.” (pg. 32)

 

Chapter TWO 

Putting Our Hearts Into It    By: Lisa Nakamura 

  • the internet as a place to mock, harass and victimize minorities 

  • focus on female game players are how they are more likely to receive negative reactions and responses from other players specifically men 

  • sexual harassment in gaming- has been around for many years but only made light to the non-gamer world in 2014 

  • men who supported feminist ideology in the gaming world were attacked as being too sensitive or brainwashed 

  • examines the complex identity of social justice warrior 

  • how game designers can avoid stigma while pursuing a social justice issue 

  • “The term social warrior…….. refer to the struggle against forms of body-based social discrimination such as sexism, racism, ableism, homophobia, and classism.” (pg. 36) 

  • social justice feminist online holds a different meaning and faces discrimination 

  • create space with a medium for social justice discourse that goes beyond the game design- intersectional identities 

  • game design as being criticized for not being “hardcore” when the game is designed to deal with social issues 

  • what would a game look like that has social justice as its main motive or objective?? 

  • “It is in gaming culture’s best interest, and by extension the interests of American culture as a whole, to create an affectively powerful and inclusive environment for all players.” (pg. 44) 

 

Chapter THREE 

Gamer-Hate and the Problem of Women By: Jennifer Jenson and Suzanne De Castell 

 

  • Judith Butler theory and relate it back to gamers culture and communities 

  • Women do not choose careers that are tech based compared to males 

    • It is not viewed as a safe space for women rather it is male dominated and has been for many years (long history of white male ideology) 

  • Women that do enter the tech field end up leaving it quickly and find themselves unsuccessful 

  • Male dominated industry 

  • “…..Women are under represented in the design and development of mainstream games, with estimates of 11% (in the USA), only 3% of those being game programmers.” (pg.187) 

  • “A long history of violently silencing women has been documented since the days of the ancients.” (pg.188) 

    • women not having a voice and getting shamed when they do try to find their voice 

  • society gets upset when women are given a platform to speak 

  • how can we change the gaming culture so that women are given a voice and a right to play? 

  • What has to happen on the educational level for these changes to be made in the institutions? 

  • Transformation! 

  • Equal participation of women not only in Canada but globally 

  • FiG workshop to try to globally get feminist scholars connected with other feminist in other areas to create a professional network within the industry 

    • Different feminist approaches 

  • Connect those with intersectionalities and who have different experiences 

  • “But simply as women in public space, they are also il/legitimated speaking subjects who, knowing their own history, just might be able to deploy that agency to open up the misogynist world of videogames to gamers and non-gamers, and from that enfranchised speaking position they might have, as others less centrally located have not now nor ever had, the power to speak and act to change the deeply entrenched masculinist status quo which has defined – and limited- the field for too long.” (pg.195) 

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