Nieuwe Media En Populaire Cultuur: Computergames (2009-2010) College 2 (17 November): Participatie En Educatief Ontwerp Joost Raessens

Nieuwe media en populaire cultuur: computergames (2009-2010) College 2 (17 november): Participatie en educatief ontwerp   Joost Raessens

Wat gaan we doen vandaag? 1. Computer games as participatory media culture 2. Voorbeeld: Playing politics 3. Game design and meaningful play 4. Digital game-based learning 5. Voorbeeld: Playing history

1. Computer games as participatory media culture Drie domeinen van participatie: A. Interpretatie (deconstructie) B. Reconfiguratie C. Constructie

A. Interpretatie Cultural Studies breekt met: • •

Hoge versus lage kunst/cultuur Passieve publiek, publiek als slachtoffer (Horkheimer, Adorno over cultuurindustrie)

Drie lezingen Lara Croft: • • •

Dominante lezing (“harmless dream woman”) Onderhandelende lezing (“postfeminist icon”) Oppositionele lezing (“female enemy number one”)

Deconstructie Friedman: “Learning and winning a computer game is a process of demystification” Turkle: • Simulation resignation • Simulation denial • Simulation understanding

Mediawijsheid (Raad voor Cultuur, 2005)

B. Reconfiguratie Exploratie van onbekende werelden en selectie van voorgeprogrammeerde mogelijkheden

C. Constructie Modificatie van bestaande games en maken van nieuwe games

Participatie in politiekideologisch perspectief • • •

Top-down versus bottom-up Homogenisering versus heterogenisering De realiteit versus het mogelijke: Games en de werkelijkheid zijn open-source (www.youtube.com)

2. Voorbeeld: Playing politics “Politics is a fascinating game” Harry S. Truman 33d President of the United States

Framing (George Lakoff)

Tax relief: Tax is an affliction Result: Hero takes this affliction away (Bush), bad guy tries to stop him (Kerry) “I’m against tax relief”: you’re still trapped into a conservative worldview Farah Karimi (Groen Links): “The failure of the war on terrorism in Afghanistan”

Conservative frames: • Taxation is an affliction • War on terror • Climate change • Strict father Democratic frames: • Taxation is an investment • War in Iraq • Global warming • Nurturant parent

“Frames are mental structures that shape the way we see the world. As a result, they shape the goals we seek, the plans we make, the way we act, and what counts as a good or bad outcome of our actions…

... In politics our frames shape our social policies and the institutions we form to carry out policies. To change our frames is to change all of this. Reframing is social change” (Lakoff, 2004, p. xv)

John Kerry: Tax Invaders (RNC, 2004) Massive tax increases said to be required to pay for Kerry’s promised spending

Space Invaders (Taito, 1978)

John Kerry’s Tax Invaders (RNC, 2004)

Darfur is Dying (mtvU, 2005) Based upon the (democratic) metaphor of the ‘nurturant’ parent: “In foreign policy the role of the nation should be to promote cooperation and extend these values to the world” (Lakoff)

Goal of Darfur is Dying : •

To actively help stop the crisis in Darfur while playing the game

•

Website offers the player all kinds of possibilities ‘to take action’ outside the game

The (conservative) metaphor of the ‘strict father’: “In foreign affair the government should maintain its sovereignty and impose its moral authority everywhere it can, while seeking its self-interest (the econmic self-interest of corporations and military strength” (Lakoff)

There are three levels of medium-specificity: A. B. C.

A reconfigurative level A deconstructive level A constructive level

See: ‘Computer games as participatory media culture’, in Handbook of Computer Game Studies (MIT Press, 2005)

A. Reconfigurative level New, maybe more effective ways of propaganda Why? Players are actors in the scenario’s the game represents. John Kerry’s Tax Invaders and Darfur is Dying not only verbalize and visualize the metaphors of theft and the ‘nurturant’ parent, but also turn them into embodied activities

B. Deconstructive level Challenging the game’s built-in assumptions or frames as a means of consciousnessraising Why? To win the game you have to figure out what will work within the rules of the game. A game is played over and over untill all the game’s secrets have been discovered

1.

Simulation resignation: Players surrender to the seduction

2. Simulation denial: They deny the importance of the simulation 3. Simulation understanding: They learn to deconstruct the assumptions that are built into the simulation

C. Constructive level Within DIY-culture constructing and reconstructing frames is emancipating and liberating Why? Meta-gaming shows that reality is ‘open source’, meta-gamers have the ability to rethink and redesign worlds using entirely new rule sets. Result: plurality of frames (fabulization)

Two questions 1. Are political computer games powerful tools? How do we know? • Effective: because they reward the right behavior? (Konijn) • Not effective: players know it is just a game (Jansz) 2. Do players resist the message or not? Do they give dominant, negotiated or oppositional readings?

3. Game design and meaningful play A. B. C. D.

Meaningful play Framing Interactiviteit The magic circle

A. Meaningful play Salen & Zimmerman: “The goal of successful game design is the creation of meaningful play” (p. 60) A. Descriptive definition (a description of the way games operate): “Meaningful play in a game emerges from the relationship between player action and system outcome” (p. 60)

B. Evaluative definition (an evaluation of the way games operate): “Meaningful play occurs when the relationships between actions and outcomes are both discernable and integrated into the larger context of the game” (p. 61) Discernability: tells players what happened Integration: lets players know how it will affect the rest of the game (p. 62)

B. Framing 1. Frequency 1550 als formeel systeem van regels: • • • •

Objecten: spelers Kenmerken: iedereen begint in specifieke wijk Interne relaties: ene groep pelgrims sterker dan de andere Omgeving: Amsterdam

2. Framing Frequency 1550 als cultureel systeem: • • •

Wat zijn educatieve effecten? Wie speelt het? Wat is functie van spel? Anarchie (decentreren) of aanpassing aan technologie (centreren)?

C. Interactiviteit 1. 2. 3. 4.

Interpretive participation (JR = interpretatie) Functional interactivity (interface, response time) Explicite interactivity (JR = reconfiguratie) Cultural participation (JR = constructie)

D. The magic circle “This is the problem of the way we get into and out of the play or game… what are the codes which govern these entries and exits?” (SuttonSmith) “The frame of a game is what communicates that those contained within it are ‘playing’ and that the space of play is seperate in some way from that of the real world” “State of mind: lusory attitude” (p. 77)

4. Digital game-based learning A. ‘Spelers’ zijn veranderd B. Waarom het werkt C. Vijf niveaus/levels van leren

A. ‘Spelers’ zijn veranderd • • • • • • • •

Twitch speed (conventional) Parallel processing (linear) Graphics first (text) Connected (stand alone) Active (passive) Payoff (patience) Fantasy (reality) Technology as friend (foe)

B. Waarom het werkt • • • • • • • • • •

Fun: enjoyment Play: involvement Rules: structure Goals: motivation Interactive: doing Outcomes-feedback: learning Win: ego gratification Conflict: adrenaline Problem solving: creativity Interaction: social groups

C. Vijf niveaus/levels van leren • • • • •

Learning HOW: hoe iets te doen, hoe een virtuele stad besturen Learning WHAT: de regels van het spel leren, wat wel/niet doen Learning WHY: strategie Learning WHERE: leren over de wereld van het spel Learning WHEN en WHETHER: waarden, morele beslissingen

5. Voorbeeld: Playing history A. Frequency 1550 B. Leerresultaten C. Lopend onderzoek D. Nationaal Historisch Museum

A. Frequency 1550 • • • •

Back-story Technologische infrastructuur Doel van het spel Opdrachten

B. Leerresultaten Creatie • Constructionisme • Instructionisme • Exploratie, selectie en constructie = participatie

Digitale levensstijl • • • •

Motivatie paradigma Versterkingsparadigma Mix van beide Problemen: fictie/realiteit; verhaal/game; scenario; tijd; leren/plezier

Sociaal leren • •

Afhankelijk leren: spel, tactiek etc. Onafhankelijk leren: eigen verantwoordelijkheid; specifieke kennis & vaardigheden

Presentatie en reflectie • •

Presentatie: ouders, vrienden, klasgenoten Reflectie: identiteit

Geschiedenis • • • •

Leerzaam; vergelijking traditioneel onderwijs Test Problemen: veel opdrachten, complex, veel leerdoelen “Hoog” en “laag” (Vattimo)

C. Uitgebreid onderzoek • • • •

Kennis van geschiedenis Impact game-verhaal Cognitieve vaardigheden Levenslang leren

D. Nationaal Historisch Museum • • • •

Kennis van Nederlandse geschiedenis en identiteit Discussie “Environmental storytelling” Belang games