Computer Games for Social Change
Fall 2009
Thursdays 9-11:30am (Tufts students)
Tuesdays and Thursdays: 9:30 -11 (MIT students)
Locations:
Curriculum Lab at the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development
MIT: Room 4-149
Prof. Marina Bers (Tufts) Marina.Bers@tufts.edu
and Prof. Scot Osterweil (MIT) scot_o@mit.edu
Office hours: By appointment
Course Description
This course offers a unique opportunity for both Tufts students and MIT students to
collaborate in the design and prototype implementation of a computer game for social
change. The course will meet both at Tufts and MIT and will be run as a workshop in
which student teams develop their games and showcase them at an open house. We will
have guest speakers from academia and industry as well as the non-profit sector and the
gaming community.
Course Requirements
Readings (On-going): All students are expected to do the readings, and to participate in
discussions of the readings in class. Most readings will be available on-line linked from
the syllabus.
Class presentations (On-going): Most class time will be organized as discussions, not
lectures. To help get discussions started, on some sessions students will be asked to
summarize the readings and describe one question or provocative issue.
Design studio (On-going): Students will work in teams to develop a proposal for a
computer game for social change and a prototype.
Mid-term paper proposal (Due October 15): Each team will write a short proposal for
their video games for social change to be discussed in class.
Final project presentations (December 3): Students will present their final projects.
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Final paper (Due December 10): Each team will write a final paper about their video
games will present a demo prototype. Although the paper will be written as a team, each
student needs to be explicit about their contribution to the project and his or her own
learning experience.
Tentative Schedule
Note: This schedule may vary to accommodate the availability of the guest speakers.
Check the course website for an up to date schedule. Part 1 refers to class time held at
different times at Tufts and MIT. Part 2 refers to class time held together between Tufts
and MIT.
September 10: Introduction and course overview
Part 1: Course introduction. Syllabus overview.
Part 2: Introduction to games and learning MIT building 4 -149 (10-11am @ MIT)
September 17: What is in a game?
Part 1: List all the games you know (exercise in categorizing games).
Part 2: Eric Klopfer (10-11 @ MIT)
Eric will demo handheld augmented reality games about civic engagement, and discuss
Readings:
Klopfer, E, Osterweil, S & Salen, K (2009) Moving Learning Games Forward . The
Education Arcade, MIT
Brown, S.(2009) Play: How it changes the brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates
the Soul (chapter 1 & 2)
Student presentations of papers during part 1
September 24: (Scot in Vienna) Games for social change
Part 1: Playing games for social change
peacemaker http://www.peacemakergame.com/demo.php
mcdonalds game http://www.mcvideogame.com/index-eng.html
darfur is dying http://www.darfurisdying.com/
3rd world farmer http://www.3rdworldfarmer.com/
The Redistricting Game http://www.redistrictinggame.org/
watch out for popup blockers - game won't load
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Part 2: Speaker: Dan Roy @ MIT 10-11am
Readings:
Starr, P (1994) Seductions of Sim: Policy as a Simulation Game
Bers, M (accepted for publication – publishing date June 2010) Let the Games Begin:
Civic Playing in High Tech Consoles Review of General Psychology
Klimmt, C Serious Games and Social Change: Why They (Should) Work. Serious Games, Mechanisms and
Effects. Ritterfield, Cody and Vorderer; pp 248 - 270
Student presentations of papers
October 1: Let the game begin….
Part 1: Team work on convenient mutual time
Part 2: Pitching computer game proposals (Take 1)
October 8: Developing game strategies
Part 1: Game playing
Part 2: Guest speaker Philip Tan – Gambit Lab “A taxonomy of game types”
Readings
Koester, R (2004) Theory of fun for Game Design
(We strongly recommend all of you to buy or get from the library. It is very small and
cheap and a fun book to have around.)
Ecology of Games
Learning and Games by Gee
The Rhetoric o Video Games by Bogost
The Power of Play: The Portrayal and Performance of Race in Video Games by Everett
& Watkins
Student presentations of papers
October 15: Let the game continue
Part 1: Team work on convenient mutual time
Part 2: Pitching computer game proposals (Take 2)
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Team proposals due
Readings
Ecology of Games continued
October 22: Social change
Part 1: What do we understand by social change? Historical examples in the US and
around the world
Part 2: Games for decision making and conflict resolution (Larry Suskind) (9:30-11 @
MIT)
Readings;
Larry Susskind and Jason Corburn, Using Simulations to Teach Negotiation: Pedagogical
Theory and Practice. p 285 - 310 from: Teaching Negotiation: Ideas and Innovations,
edited by Michael Wheeler; Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School.
Shorris, E (1997) In the hands of the restless poor
October 29: Civic engagement as social change
Part 1: Conversations about social change: discussing the readings
Part 2: guest speaker Peter Levine
Readings:
Putnam, R (1995) Bowling alone: America’s Declining Social Capital
Student presentations of papers during part 1
November 5: Working on the prototype
Team working time and individual team meeting with the faculty
Part 2: Guest speaker Marshal Ganz, Harvard Univerity (?)
November 12: Games, toys and children
Part 1: Conversations about children and playing: discussing the readings
Part 2: guest speaker Peter Reynolds (10-11 am @ MIT)
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Readings:
Peter & Iona Opie, Singer,
Kafai, Y. B. (2006). Playing and making games for learning: Instructionist and
constructionist perspectives for game studies. Games and Culture, 1(1), 36-40. PDF
Student presentations of papers during part 1
November 19:
Part 1 The history of games.
Part 2: Guest Speaker: Clara Fernandez, MIT Singapore Gambit Lab
Readings: Toward a Cultural Theory of Gaming by Janet Murray
November 26 : No classes. Thanksgiving
December 3 Presentations
Part 1 and part 2 will be combined.
Each team will present its game
December 10: Debriefing
Part 1: Debriefing
Part 1: Final game
Final team papers are due.
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