Nothing crazy today, just wanted to report that I have two new sources that I am going to be reviewing. First is Janet Murray and her book Hamlet on the Holodeck. She has been calling for a need to appreciate video and computer games as a storytelling medium since the early 90s, so I am fairly certain I can make good use of her work!
My other source meanwhile is Marc Prensky, who I actually have two sources from. I have already reviewed his essay "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants" and am awaiting my copy of his book Digital Game-Based Learning. In his Digital Natives essay, he says that the reason students are not succeeding in reading print is because they are "spend their entire life surrounded by and using computers, video games" and are then forced to "unplug" themselves from their comfort zone (1). I love this argument, and can honestly see this is the students I tutor at MCC. I hate showing my age here, but my younger tutees come in with tablets, laptops, or flash drives, and want me to write comments in their Word document to help remind them. Meanwhile, the older generation of students come in with print outs, their textbooks, and will write notes to themselves all over their drafts. It is a small example, I know, but these subtle differences are just the beginning. PowerPoint and videos have enhanced the college classroom in such a way that digital natives can succeed. So naturally, English, the class that teaches students how to read print, will be the class that these modern students struggle through the most.
Prensky argues that video games can teach a great number of lessons in the classroom, something I have already discussed in a couple ways for the high school English class. From Prensky's biography, I learned that he is actually an educational game designer himself! There have been English classroom-oriented computer games since I was a child (Reader Rabbit has been around in various iterations since the 80's), but I doubt high school students will enjoy being humilated by a dancing and singing rabbit congratulating them on spelling words correctly. Instead, we must retain that "cool" factor with modern games that students/players could see themselves purchasing on their own. But, I think developers like Prensky could create games that adolescents would feel comfortable with, and could enjoy. They could show narrative elements without patronizing students. I will have to do more research to see if maybe he is already in the process of doing this.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Narrativity: An Ending
Well that didn't take too long after all, did it!
I think I have some great ideas to go forward with. I am going to discuss Character, Narrative Space, Pacing, and Interactivty & Immersion as my key elements. I think this section is going to be the most translatable to DVD as well. I always knew that I'd want to show examples of good games or what makes up good games, but now I think Abbott's discussion has inspired me to break down elements that are unique to video game narratives.
I have made a preliminary outline plan as follows for this hypothetical DVD and elements:
Character - This is going to relate to the focus on identity that I have already written about. Players can relate very easily to video game characters since the character require input to do anything. Games that allow character creation and/or relationship systems will be strong examples. Some games to keep in mind for this are The Sims, WoW, or Dragon Age.
Narrative Space - I am not sure if narrative space is the best word, but am using it for now. Narrative space is something that is created in a reader's mind, where the space in which a video game world takes place is already pre-coded. Anyway, the best video game narrative space is going to be a very detailed world. Some games to keep in mind for this are WoW, one of the Final Fantasies, Zelda, LittleBigPlanet, or any other games that have "personality."
Pacing - This is going to tie in a bit with gameplay/interactivity/immersion because the pacing is broken up into period of watching and periods of playing. Games can take what is great about film, and add a layer of "hands-on" to it. Also, I'm pretty sure all games are required to have captioning, I am trying to think of any that don't have captions on by default. So while there is voice acting in newer games, there is still text. And of course the older titles definitely relied on text to add personality. This can be a benefit in the classroom! Some games to remember for this are Final Fantasy titles, StarCraft, Portal, and Half-Life.
Gameplay/Interactivity/Immersion - I already touched on this last post, but it dawned on me that I can relate this to New Literacy studies a la James Paul Gee! New Literacy studies call for multi-literacy, and regard the teaching of said multi-literacy to still be the responsibility of English classrooms, so what better way to become digitally literate than via entertaining video games? I will have to flesh that out some more. But Heavy Rain is a lock for this category, since I am very biased in favor of this game. I just think the way David Cage and co. present their story, this is the way of the future, this is how story and play will be married and applied in the classroom.
There is definitely a need for refinement in these elements. And if I am serious about making the DVD with footage from these games, I am going to have to be quick about choosing them, and getting to a point within each game that clearly demonstrates the chosen element of narrativity. I still think it's amusing that my homework is going to consist of playing some of my favorite titles, and still love this topic thankfully!
I think I have some great ideas to go forward with. I am going to discuss Character, Narrative Space, Pacing, and Interactivty & Immersion as my key elements. I think this section is going to be the most translatable to DVD as well. I always knew that I'd want to show examples of good games or what makes up good games, but now I think Abbott's discussion has inspired me to break down elements that are unique to video game narratives.
I have made a preliminary outline plan as follows for this hypothetical DVD and elements:
Character - This is going to relate to the focus on identity that I have already written about. Players can relate very easily to video game characters since the character require input to do anything. Games that allow character creation and/or relationship systems will be strong examples. Some games to keep in mind for this are The Sims, WoW, or Dragon Age.
Narrative Space - I am not sure if narrative space is the best word, but am using it for now. Narrative space is something that is created in a reader's mind, where the space in which a video game world takes place is already pre-coded. Anyway, the best video game narrative space is going to be a very detailed world. Some games to keep in mind for this are WoW, one of the Final Fantasies, Zelda, LittleBigPlanet, or any other games that have "personality."
Pacing - This is going to tie in a bit with gameplay/interactivity/immersion because the pacing is broken up into period of watching and periods of playing. Games can take what is great about film, and add a layer of "hands-on" to it. Also, I'm pretty sure all games are required to have captioning, I am trying to think of any that don't have captions on by default. So while there is voice acting in newer games, there is still text. And of course the older titles definitely relied on text to add personality. This can be a benefit in the classroom! Some games to remember for this are Final Fantasy titles, StarCraft, Portal, and Half-Life.
Gameplay/Interactivity/Immersion - I already touched on this last post, but it dawned on me that I can relate this to New Literacy studies a la James Paul Gee! New Literacy studies call for multi-literacy, and regard the teaching of said multi-literacy to still be the responsibility of English classrooms, so what better way to become digitally literate than via entertaining video games? I will have to flesh that out some more. But Heavy Rain is a lock for this category, since I am very biased in favor of this game. I just think the way David Cage and co. present their story, this is the way of the future, this is how story and play will be married and applied in the classroom.
There is definitely a need for refinement in these elements. And if I am serious about making the DVD with footage from these games, I am going to have to be quick about choosing them, and getting to a point within each game that clearly demonstrates the chosen element of narrativity. I still think it's amusing that my homework is going to consist of playing some of my favorite titles, and still love this topic thankfully!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Narrativity - A Beginning
I started reading through H. Porter Abbott's "Cambridge Introduction to Narrative" and am a little overwhelmed by the amount of detail that he has placed in here. Literally, any element of story or narrative-- and according to Abbott there is a huge difference between the two -- is listed out in painstaking detail.
At the suggestions of my Adviser, I am looking at Abbott's discussion on narrativity. As Washington and Lee University English professor Suzanne Keen words it, narrativity is “the set of qualities marking a narrative” (Abbott 25). The definitive elements of this narrativity vary depending entirely on the individual scholar, as the matter of narrative is entirely subjective. Another scholar, Marie-Laure Ryan, says that narrativity is the "ability to bring a world to life" (Abbott 25). Video games clearly have elements of narrative that accomplish both of these definitions, but I think it will be pretty boring if I just come up with a big list of narrative elements. I think I am going to review more of Abbott's book and try coming up with elements that are specific to video games, or function differently than they do in print. I already know that Gameplay or Interactivity & Immersion will be one element of narrativity that I want to explain. It is the key difference between print and video game, so I will explain how playing belongs in an English classroom.
Welp, that leaves me with some homework. I am housesitting for my neighbors this week, so it will be nice and quiet for the next few days. And it also means that I could get away with doing this without anyone giving me a weird look. Once I'm finished dancing, it's back to work!
At the suggestions of my Adviser, I am looking at Abbott's discussion on narrativity. As Washington and Lee University English professor Suzanne Keen words it, narrativity is “the set of qualities marking a narrative” (Abbott 25). The definitive elements of this narrativity vary depending entirely on the individual scholar, as the matter of narrative is entirely subjective. Another scholar, Marie-Laure Ryan, says that narrativity is the "ability to bring a world to life" (Abbott 25). Video games clearly have elements of narrative that accomplish both of these definitions, but I think it will be pretty boring if I just come up with a big list of narrative elements. I think I am going to review more of Abbott's book and try coming up with elements that are specific to video games, or function differently than they do in print. I already know that Gameplay or Interactivity & Immersion will be one element of narrativity that I want to explain. It is the key difference between print and video game, so I will explain how playing belongs in an English classroom.
Welp, that leaves me with some homework. I am housesitting for my neighbors this week, so it will be nice and quiet for the next few days. And it also means that I could get away with doing this without anyone giving me a weird look. Once I'm finished dancing, it's back to work!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
You Gotta BE the Book!
I have to thank Jess (one of the only people who actually reads this blog by the way!) for lending me her copy of Jeffrey Wilhelm's You Gotta BE the Book! What an inpsiring read-- it approaches English education in a way that I, as someone who often sees himself as a non-traditional English educator wannabe, can readily relate to. Wilhelm tells his own personal narrative, how he evolved from a traditional English educator who, in his own words, thought he knew how to teach reading and knew how to teach writing (1). However, that all changed when he had his first class of students who all detested English class. While these students shook his very ideology of teaching in the English language arts, he steeled his resolve, and sought to discover what could "help reluctant readers to reconceive of reading as a creative and personally meaningful pursuit" (10).
Although Wilhelm never mentions video games explicitly, games can work in the same ways that Wilhelm's proposed alternatives do. For example, Wilhelm said that his students detested the "passive act of receiving someone else’s meaning" as opposed to making their own meaning (13). Video games are set up in such a way that the player control the protagonist's every action. The player moves the action at their own pace, and can work through the events of the game at his or her own pace. The player can make their own meaning, or at least have the illusion of making their own decisions (since everything is already precoded). This especially evident of Heavy Rain (there is a reason I keep coming back to that game in these posts!) because the narratives that players experience are decided by the player's own decisions.
Another issue Wilhelm brings up is students' "inability to visualize the story world…to relate to characters…or to connect the literature to life" (103). Good video games are a great stepping stone to help struggling readers envision the story world, to construct their own narrative space. Good video games are extremely detailed, with its own denizens, atmosphere, and landscapes. Again, by comparing good video games to literature, it can greatly assist in readers' ability to imagine the world in which story characters can exist.
I am thrilled with this book, and will have to reread it before adding it to the Final Project.
Although Wilhelm never mentions video games explicitly, games can work in the same ways that Wilhelm's proposed alternatives do. For example, Wilhelm said that his students detested the "passive act of receiving someone else’s meaning" as opposed to making their own meaning (13). Video games are set up in such a way that the player control the protagonist's every action. The player moves the action at their own pace, and can work through the events of the game at his or her own pace. The player can make their own meaning, or at least have the illusion of making their own decisions (since everything is already precoded). This especially evident of Heavy Rain (there is a reason I keep coming back to that game in these posts!) because the narratives that players experience are decided by the player's own decisions.
Another issue Wilhelm brings up is students' "inability to visualize the story world…to relate to characters…or to connect the literature to life" (103). Good video games are a great stepping stone to help struggling readers envision the story world, to construct their own narrative space. Good video games are extremely detailed, with its own denizens, atmosphere, and landscapes. Again, by comparing good video games to literature, it can greatly assist in readers' ability to imagine the world in which story characters can exist.
I am thrilled with this book, and will have to reread it before adding it to the Final Project.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Revisiting Serious Play
I had made a couple posts back in September about Serious Games, specifically about an article that was a Socratic Dialogue between Dr. Geoffrey Rockwell and Dr. Kevin Kee as a plenary presentation to the 2009 Interacting with Immersive Worlds Conference at Brock University in St. Catharines, Canada. Well, the time has come to revisit this lovely dialogue in order to support the argument about the rhetoric of video games. In order to establish that play can be serious, I will be reviewing the arguments made by these gentlemen in their mock argument, some of the assertion I made in those previous posts, and looking at the presentations made at the Serious Play Conference.
I am going to have to review the presentations made at the conference and check back in. From what I have seen so far, there are a wide variety of subject areas, including games for learning, simulations, military games, health industry games, and corporate games as well. This is an excellent shot in the arm for the thesis, as all of these subject areas would seem like the unlikeliest candidates for games, as they are all of the "important" or "serious" realms of our lives, not a place for fun. Instead, learning through fun games can inspire all types of learners-- whether it is to teach certain skills to the members of the armed services, or to train health care professionals in new regulations or budgetary practices, this conference is aimed at producing effective yet entertaining media that is the wave of the future. This will support the fact that video games do have a place in the classroom, and that there is indeed a form of serious play. Even the games that are entirely fun can be appreciated and understood in literary terms-- I think that once the "Rhetoric & Serious Play" section of the thesis is finished, it will naturally lead right into the "Narrativity of Games" section.
I am going to have to review the presentations made at the conference and check back in. From what I have seen so far, there are a wide variety of subject areas, including games for learning, simulations, military games, health industry games, and corporate games as well. This is an excellent shot in the arm for the thesis, as all of these subject areas would seem like the unlikeliest candidates for games, as they are all of the "important" or "serious" realms of our lives, not a place for fun. Instead, learning through fun games can inspire all types of learners-- whether it is to teach certain skills to the members of the armed services, or to train health care professionals in new regulations or budgetary practices, this conference is aimed at producing effective yet entertaining media that is the wave of the future. This will support the fact that video games do have a place in the classroom, and that there is indeed a form of serious play. Even the games that are entirely fun can be appreciated and understood in literary terms-- I think that once the "Rhetoric & Serious Play" section of the thesis is finished, it will naturally lead right into the "Narrativity of Games" section.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Barry Brummet's Rhetoric
Last month, all of my posts revolved around Barry Brummet, and I didn't really expound upon any of his basic ideas regarding rhetoric to begin with! A lot of great information came from this man's book Rhetoric in Popular Culture, so I thought it'd be a good idea to backtrack for a moment, and explain what his ideas are. Basically, Brummet believes that rhetoric isn't just words that can persuade us, but instead rhetoric is the way in which "signs" can influence us. A sign can be anything really, any object or event that causes you to think of something else. For example, this blog post can mean a number of things to me: It's a reminder that I am behind schedule with my project as whole, it serves as inspiration to read more books since I whipped through Brummet's quickly, and it represents a grade for me as well. No one else reading this post will have the same associations that I have with the blog-- instead, they may think of their own blogs that they post and how that blog is better than mine, it may remind them of Socrates or other rhetoricians, or maybe the reader has a deep hatred of video games, and this blog just serves as a tool to induce anger for them. The possibilities are endless!
The way Brummet's ideas tie into video games, as I mentioned in last month's posts, is how cultures or groups within cultures can form shared meanings from signs. That is the state of video games in the United States today-- there are both gamers and nongamers, where those who play video games view titles like WoW or Madden '12 in a different light than someone who has never played a game in his or her life. Furthermore, the nongaming majority forms an idea of what the gaming community is like-- whether or not those ideas are actually correct do not matter to the masses, as the opinion becomes widely shared as a stereotype of sorts.
That is why the contrast to South Korea is so sharp. In the US, so little value is placed on this recreational activity, while activities that require physical gifts are turned into media circuses (I'm looking at you Super Bowl XLVI). Both are games that children can play, but our culture has deemed that playing sports is a serious activity, one that warrants respect, and concurrently, wealth. South Korea meanwhile feels that being able to master games like StarCraft, which requires hand-eye coordination and a lightning-quick mind in order to outmanuever one's opponent, is a serious form of play. They didn't always feel this way, but a shift in culture led to a wide acceptance by the entire population. There is nothing saying something like this cannot happen in the United States, specifically for educational purposes. We've seen several examples of this throughout the blogs, which I will not rehash at this point. But as more and more minds are expanded, and the younger population is exposed to these technologies in a constructive manner, video games in the classroom may ultimately become just as normal as airing StarCraft matches in South Korea.
The way Brummet's ideas tie into video games, as I mentioned in last month's posts, is how cultures or groups within cultures can form shared meanings from signs. That is the state of video games in the United States today-- there are both gamers and nongamers, where those who play video games view titles like WoW or Madden '12 in a different light than someone who has never played a game in his or her life. Furthermore, the nongaming majority forms an idea of what the gaming community is like-- whether or not those ideas are actually correct do not matter to the masses, as the opinion becomes widely shared as a stereotype of sorts.
That is why the contrast to South Korea is so sharp. In the US, so little value is placed on this recreational activity, while activities that require physical gifts are turned into media circuses (I'm looking at you Super Bowl XLVI). Both are games that children can play, but our culture has deemed that playing sports is a serious activity, one that warrants respect, and concurrently, wealth. South Korea meanwhile feels that being able to master games like StarCraft, which requires hand-eye coordination and a lightning-quick mind in order to outmanuever one's opponent, is a serious form of play. They didn't always feel this way, but a shift in culture led to a wide acceptance by the entire population. There is nothing saying something like this cannot happen in the United States, specifically for educational purposes. We've seen several examples of this throughout the blogs, which I will not rehash at this point. But as more and more minds are expanded, and the younger population is exposed to these technologies in a constructive manner, video games in the classroom may ultimately become just as normal as airing StarCraft matches in South Korea.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Lucid Sense of Action
I know, I know- not many updates as of late, and I apologize! There is a lot of work to be done at my actual job, and I hope the thesis does not suffer as a result of it. I am currently reading a few different books, and promise to reflect on them in upcoming posts.
But the point of this post is to refer back to what James Paul Gee called a Lucid Sense of Action, meaning that players don't really pay attention to the narrative of a game, but can understand why the character must complete whatever his or her objective is. I argued against this fully, pointing to sites like fanfiction.net, and to games like WoW which have a huge amount of lore, or RPGs like the Final Fantasy series that are driven entirely by the storyline. While I am not going to go back on my word that stories are of the utmost importance, I have finally experienced what Gee is talking about here in the form of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. As I play along the single player campaign mode, there are jaw-dropping cinematics, intense gunfights, and a great overarching story that keeps the action coming at a insanely fast speed. However, when I control characters like Yuri or Frost, I don't really think about the story of the game at all. Instead, I am thinking mainly about the various mission objectives, how to meet them, and appreciating (aka shouting out in shock) the game's impressive visuals and explosions.
This doesn't change much for my argument, but I thought it would be smart to at least acknowledge that Gee does have a point. There are games that are experienced in this fashion, where you can lose sight of what's going on quite easily. But I don't know if Gee ever played Heavy Rain, where the storyline is the game. With the player making major decisions for the four protagonists, driving the plot forward in the process, you as a player are not afforded the luxury of forgetting what the narrative is, even during the most intense scenes of the game. I think for the sake of the thesis, I would have to point to not only using good games in the English classroom, but also those that do enforce theme, narrative, and strong/memorable characters.
But the point of this post is to refer back to what James Paul Gee called a Lucid Sense of Action, meaning that players don't really pay attention to the narrative of a game, but can understand why the character must complete whatever his or her objective is. I argued against this fully, pointing to sites like fanfiction.net, and to games like WoW which have a huge amount of lore, or RPGs like the Final Fantasy series that are driven entirely by the storyline. While I am not going to go back on my word that stories are of the utmost importance, I have finally experienced what Gee is talking about here in the form of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. As I play along the single player campaign mode, there are jaw-dropping cinematics, intense gunfights, and a great overarching story that keeps the action coming at a insanely fast speed. However, when I control characters like Yuri or Frost, I don't really think about the story of the game at all. Instead, I am thinking mainly about the various mission objectives, how to meet them, and appreciating (aka shouting out in shock) the game's impressive visuals and explosions.
This doesn't change much for my argument, but I thought it would be smart to at least acknowledge that Gee does have a point. There are games that are experienced in this fashion, where you can lose sight of what's going on quite easily. But I don't know if Gee ever played Heavy Rain, where the storyline is the game. With the player making major decisions for the four protagonists, driving the plot forward in the process, you as a player are not afforded the luxury of forgetting what the narrative is, even during the most intense scenes of the game. I think for the sake of the thesis, I would have to point to not only using good games in the English classroom, but also those that do enforce theme, narrative, and strong/memorable characters.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Progress Report 4: It's A New Year - December Reflections
Well then, last month's argument took a sudden turn, didn't it! I hadn't expected to delve that far into the rhetoric of the game, but Barry Brummet's ideas work very well in this case. The thesis committee, or anyone else who hasn't played video games, needs to know that the language created around video game culture by those on the outside looking in is what's responsible for the negative connotations associated with gaming. Also, they need to know that our culture's opinion is not the only one out there-- video gaming is cherished, with great players hailed as national treasures in South Korea. I don't think this is too much of a sidestep, as this information will assist in making the argument to include games in the classroom, as it will allow readers to see the cause of their skewed perceptions and view what other cultures believe.
I have a lot of work to do, but I am happy to note that I will begin meeting with my thesis advisor on a weekly or biweekly basis. I met my goal of 30 pages by the end of December (I am currently on page 31, and haven't finished with my section on Rhetoric/Serious Play), and am very pleased with my progress. But I am not pleased with my lack of reading, too many distractions have allowed the print sources to pile up, even though my scholarly web journals are still coming along nicely. I don't want this to be a "Wikidemic" project, as difficult as this might prove since there are so few texts on the material out there.
Lastly, I am going to start looking into a Macbook, as the purchase may have to be made in order to get my video up and running. I will start storyboarding ideas for what the video presentation will entail, and how to go about recording this alongside the project.
I have a lot of work to do, but I am happy to note that I will begin meeting with my thesis advisor on a weekly or biweekly basis. I met my goal of 30 pages by the end of December (I am currently on page 31, and haven't finished with my section on Rhetoric/Serious Play), and am very pleased with my progress. But I am not pleased with my lack of reading, too many distractions have allowed the print sources to pile up, even though my scholarly web journals are still coming along nicely. I don't want this to be a "Wikidemic" project, as difficult as this might prove since there are so few texts on the material out there.
Lastly, I am going to start looking into a Macbook, as the purchase may have to be made in order to get my video up and running. I will start storyboarding ideas for what the video presentation will entail, and how to go about recording this alongside the project.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)