An Expanded Conception of Game Media Literacy

Transcription

1 1 An Expanded Conception of Game Media Literacy Objectives In this paper, the authors (a) identify three existing models of game media literacy learning, based on a synthesis of prior research, and (b) discuss findings and implications from two separate studies of game media literacy learning Perspectives Over the last several years, there has been an explosion of interest in the educational potential of video games (see, for example, Ferdig, 2009). Video game is now an AERA session descriptor, and dozens of papers addressed some aspect of game-based learning at the 2009 conference. This burgeoning area of scholarship and practice includes, not surprisingly, some very different perspectives on the educational value of games and how games might be used to meet various sorts of learning objectives. While much attention has been devoted to designing games to teach school subject matter or professional skills, a growing number of educators have become interested in the value of what we call game media literacy. In its simplest form, game media literacy has been interpreted as the ability to critique the social and cultural assumptions underlying game content and game play, and some educators have incorporated games into a general media literacy curricula (Jolls, 2008; Livingstone, 2004). Our own conception of game media literacy (variously called gaming literacy and game design literacy) is somewhat different, and based on the assumption that an understanding of games and their features as designed objects, as well as their social and cultural significance, is a valuable stepping stone to desirable cognitive, attitudinal, and performance outcomes. Based on a review of prior scholarship and practice, we have categorized work relevant to the development of game media literacy into three general categories or models of game media literacy learning: Model 1: Game media literacy developed through reflective game play In this model, game media literacy is presumed to be developed through playing, discussing and critiquing existing games. Jim Gee (2003) for example, discusses how game play can lead to design knowledge, systems thinking, and an understanding of games as semiotic domains, with distinctive internal and external grammars. Forums associated with game fan sites abound with examples of fans engagement in assessment and critique of game features, analysis of game strategies, and in general, reflection on game design. As Gee notes, one aspect of game media literacy is the ability to identify game genres, and to compare games within and across genres according to relevant features. Game media literacy also is fostered through games that incorporate design and construction of game features into game play. Many games allow players to choose character attributes, difficulty levels, or otherwise customize their game play. Some games allow players to change features that have significant effects on the game itself. For example, Will Wright s recent game Spore requires players to design game characters whose attributes affect subsequent game play. Interestingly, this sort of game media literacy learning seems to take place informally for the most part, through playing entertainment-oriented games and participating in fan sites, rather than in deliberately scaffolded educational environments or with overtly educational games. One exception is the recently developed GameStar Mechanic, an online Flash-based world in

2 2 which players take on the role of apprentice game designers, learning about game design principles through playing games as well as fixing broken games, creating their own games, and critiquing games created by other players (Salen, 2007). Model 2: Game media literacy developed through modding games In this model, game media literacy is developed through modifying (modding) features of existing games, by changing the software code, by using game editors or tools provided by the game manufacturer. The most extensive mods consist of entirely new games based on an existing game engine, such as Counter-Strike, a mod that ultimately became a retail game. Some game developers provide extensive tools and documentation for game modders, with the belief that modding adds to a game s shelf life and sales. These kinds of mods typically require sophisticated computing skills, such as knowledge of Python or other programming languages. Other types of game modding can be done without extensive knowledge of programming. For example, games like the Tony Hawk series have long included tools that enable players to create their own skate parks and skate moves. Similar to Model 1, this kind of game media literacy learning still occurs predominately in unstructured out-of-school settings. Fans have created websites, Wikis and manuals devoted to learning about modding (see for example, The Elder Scrolls Construction Set Wiki at A few formal educational efforts have recruited entertainment games to engage learners in similar types of modding activities. For example, Kurt Squire and his students (e.g., Durga & Squire, 2009; Squire, 2004; Squire & Giovanni, 2007) designed and studied an afterschool club in which participants played Civilization 4 and learned to use modding tools to rewrite history by designing historically-based game scenarios. Model 3. Game media literacy developed through designing and programming games In the third model, game media literacy is developed through creating new games, typically using game design software or simplified programming languages. One popular game design software tool is Game Maker, which uses a drag-and-drop system allowing users unfamiliar with traditional programming to intuitively create games. Other popular software used to create games includes the visual programming language Scratch. Educators have also made use of game making to teach students how to program in Flash. To date there has been more use of this third model than the others in formal education, though many of these efforts have the goal of enhancing students knowledge of computer programming, rather than of game media literacy per se (see Hayes & Games, 2008, for a review of research on such approaches). The above models need not be discrete, and indeed they might readily build on each other. We will argue that game media literacy is most effectively developed when the approaches are used in combination. There are few models of this approach to game media literacy. GameStar Mechanic, mentioned above, is intended to engage learners in all three, though preliminary data suggests that participants need the support of an educator or other facilitator beyond the game itself. Globaloria.org, an online affinity space and social network organized around game play and game design, draws on all three approaches as well, to develop game media literacy as well as academic content knowledge and skills such as engineering (Harel Caperton, Oliver & Sullivan, (2008). At the same time, Globaloria engages young people in the type of the Web2.0 creative-community-style work environments they will encounter in many professions. Participants acquire game media literacy through a team approach, in which they

3 3 collectively design and create games, gaining exposure to different perspectives as well as enhancing their team work skills. Globaloria is the focus of one study described below. Methods & Data Sources The paper will describe two different studies that illustrate the development of game media literacy in different contexts. The first study draws on two sets of data. The first set of data comes from a larger virtual ethnography of Sims fan communities. The subset of data used for this study consisted of forum data and user-generated artifacts associated with a game design practice focused on creating game play challenges for other players. The second set of data consisted of field notes, interviews, and artifact analysis from a six week game design workshop for low-income high school age girls. This workshop engaged the girls in playing The Sims and creating game play challenges for each other, based on social justice issues. Examples of such challenges could include raising children as a low income single mother, or surviving in a crimeridden neighborhood. The second study utilizes data from ongoing design-based research into the process and outcomes of Globaloria. Data collected over the last three years includes surveys, observations, interviews, and digital media artifacts such as student-created blogs and wikis. Student-created games have been assessed using innovative rubrics and holistic coding schemes (see for more detailed discussion of the overall research agenda). A categorization scheme including six contemporary learning abilities (CLAs) (Reynolds & Harel Caperton, 2009) serves as the guiding framework for data analyses. In the present study, we will report on analyses of data from the wiki and blog posts as well as the assessment of student-created games. Wiki activity was considered in case studies of student learning, particularly as it related to an increase in the quality of student game designs and critiques. Findings Findings from both studies will be presented in the form of case studies that illustrate key insights into the process of game media literacy learning and evidence of learning outcomes. The Sims research identified a wide range of skills and knowledge that were recruited in the design of Sims challenges. While challenge design did not require sophisticated technical skills, such as knowledge of programming, it did require an understanding of the game as a system of variables and its strengths or limitations as a means of engaging players in simulated real life scenarios, such as the experience of a poor single mother. A somewhat unexpected finding was the importance of socio-emotional intelligence, both in the design of appealing challenges and in facilitating players experiences as they played through the challenges and provided feedback. Sims challenge design does not fall neatly into one of the above models of game media literacy learning. Players design Sims challenges using the game as a toolkit rather than modding game attributes. Modding consists, in this case, of creating rules for the game play and requires a thorough knowledge of the existing game properties. At the aggregate level across 13 pilot locations, Globaloria has resulted in statistically significant increases in students frequency of engagement in, motivation towards, and selfreported knowledge of activities central to game media literacy, such as writing game design documents and evaluating game designs. However, results vary by location, and site-specific analyses are identifying program factors that contribute to learning outcomes. It is clear that teachers need extensive support for developing their own game media literacy abilities in order

4 4 to best support student learning. A particular challenge for students and teachers alike was the design of games with an educational or social awareness goal; game media literacy must include an awareness of the affordances of games, as well as their limitations, for different purposes. Student case study findings to be reported in this paper indicate that some students who were otherwise disengaged from school and low academic achievers, were highly motivated by gamerelated activities, and were able to demonstrate aptitudes and abilities that otherwise went unrecognized in traditional instructional formats. Developing appropriate assessment tools to capture various dimensions of game media literacy remains a challenge. The integrated approach of combining game play, game modding, and game design proved to be more conducive to engaging student interest in learning programming than more traditional computer science instruction. Significance Current approaches to using games for educational purposes have been limited by an emphasis on using games to teach academic content or professional skills. In this paper, we identify several models of how to foster game media literacy, which we argue is valuable in its own right. We use case studies from two distinctive educational programs to illustrate the kinds of knowledge and abilities that can be fostered through game play, modding, and creation. Our findings suggest that engagement in game media literacy learning can lead to the development of abilities that may have broader value, such as systems thinking, socioemotional intelligence, and technical skills. Furthermore, our findings suggest that efforts to foster game media literacy might most fruitfully draw on all three practices of game play, game modding, and game making. Through this paper, we hope to stimulate a broader conversation about the nature and importance of game media literacy, and how it might be fostered as part of a broader agenda for 21st century learning. References Durga, S. & Squire, K. (2009). Productive gaming and the case for historiographic game play. In R. E. Ferdig (Ed.), Handbook of Research on Effective Electronic Gaming in Education (Vol. 1, pp ): IGI Global. Ferdig, R.E. (Ed.) (2009). Handbook of research on effective electronic gaming in education. IGI Global. Gee, J. P. (2003). What videogames have to teach us about learning and literacy. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Harel Caperton, I., Oliver, A., & Sullivan, S. (2008). Implementing Globaloria in West Virginia: Results from Pilot Year-1. Available: WorldWideWorkshop.org/reports Hayes, E. & Games, I. A. (2008). Making computer games and design thinking: A review of current software and strategies. Games and Culture, 3(3-4), Jolls, T. (2008). Literacy for the 21st Century: An overview & orientation guide to media literacy education. Center for Media Literacy. Available:

5 5 Livingstone, S. (2004). Media literacy and the challenge of new information and communication technologies. The Communication Review, 7 (1), Reynolds, R & Harel Caperton, I. (2009). Development of Students' Six Contemporary Learning Abilities in Globaloria. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA, April, Salen, K. (2007). Gaming literacies: What kids learn through design. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia 16, no. 3: Squire, K.D (2004). Replaying History: Learning World History Through Playing Civilization III. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Indiana. Available: website.education.wisc.edu/kdsquire/replaying HISTORY.doc Squire, K & Giovenatto, L. (2008). The higher education of gaming, E-Learning, 5(1), 2-28