The First Slide
How I came here
What I’d like to describe:
Games I’ve known
as first time user
as designer, programmer, producer
as father of twins
as director of research for Apple’s Advanced Technology Group
as videogame producer
The Knowledge Community Pitch
Game’s I’m Learning About as an Education Program Consultant to Foundations
Some things I’ve learned:
it’s all about the rules
it’s all about the stories
its all about the players
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
1
GAMES I’VE KNOWN
… as first-time user
Animal (Twenty Questions)
• early 70’s, Kiewit Hall, Dartmouth Time-Sharing System (DTSS)
• an algorithm + an animal + a community = a menagerie
• managing the zoos (scrubbing)
Football
• programmed by John Kemeny, RA to Albert Einstein, co-inventor of
BASIC, President of Dartmouth College
• this is not the Pac 10
Adventure
• with Hunt the Wumpus, the roots of MMORPG
• character development is in your head
SimCity
• Created by Will Wright and discovered by Jeff Braun
• Based on a theory of urban ecology (hint: love light rail)
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
2
GAMES I’VE KNOWN
… as a designer, programmer, producer (This, These, Things Like That)
Tribunal and Demogame/Demoform/Demo…
• designed and programmed in mid-seventies on DTSS
• a very specific historical concept (revisionism) and an orthodoxy toolkit
The Would-Be Gentleman (FAD and Carolyn Lougee)
• wrapped in social history of the era of Louis XIV (very consuming)
• sequel 2003 a simulation engine (funded by ALLL)
The TheaterGame (Charles Kerns and Larry Friedlander)
• solution for the “Shakespeare is not just a …”
• extended individual performance into an all-role work product to share
Mogul (Charles Kerns and Henry Breitrose)
• apprenticeship in the early movie industry, staff Adolph Zuckor
• emotional investment without historical liberties
Shogai (coming of age in Japan) & Alias (social science simulation toolkit)
• Harumi Befu and Brodie Lockard (mid-eighties, born of the age of the Mac and Hypercard)
• specific cultural context, generalized authoring environment (but needed coder)
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
3
GAMES I’VE KNOWN
… as a father of twins (N > 1)
Cosmic Osmo
• published in 1989 by Cyan, distributed by Activision
• developed by creators of Man Hole, a Hypercard-based product, and then
Myst
• my interest: mousing for two
Guess-A-Sketch
• produced by Digiplaent about 1997; closed down, reinvented in 2001
• my interest: socializing with the world (2x10=20)
American Idol
• Fox Television, 2002-present, Simon Cowell, executive producer
• my interest: my daughters participating in a small and a humongous
community of players.
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
4
GAMES I’VE KNOWN
… as Director of Education Research at Apple’s Advanced Technology Group (when there was one)
Visual Almanac
• published in 1989 by Apple’s San Francisco Multimedia Laboratory
• collection of multimedia objects and tools for teachers & kids to create with
• real attempt to get what digital media kids might use to express themselves
Aspen Kids Project
• summer of 1990 at International Design Conference
• kids making collections of multimedia objects and manipulating them
Wireless Coyote
• produced in 1991 by Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow (ACOT)
• kids in a canyon with all sorts of toys with which to do science
MediaFusion
• produced in 1992 by Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow (ACOT)
(software by Rick Borovoy, now Ph.D. from MIT/Media Lab [see iBall] and co-founder of nTag)
• kids on opposite sides of the continent talking issues
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
5
GAMES I’VE KNOWN
… as videogame producer
What’s My Story?™
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
6
GAMES I’VE KNOWN
… as videogame producer
What’s My Story?™
What?
• CDROM published in 1995 by Digital Pictures, distributed by Brøderbund
(back then, one of CDROM Today’s “Best 100 Discs Ever”)
• collection of movies of eight folk tales
• Individual story elements (scenes looped at cut represented by first frame)
• series of Story building exercises (e.g, pick a character, what is that
character’s worst fear, how does that character overcome their worst fear)
• children’s tales captured in audio while selected scenes are knit together
• music and sound effects studio collection
• designed for non-readers
Why?
• help children learn to tell stories by giving them characters in context,
exercises to practice and rich media accompaniment
• story tellers learn stories more avidly
• kids building stories alone or together have a lot of fun!
• to offset Sewer Shark, Night Trap, etc.
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
7
THE KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY PITCH
Pensare Knowledge Community
What?
• middleware wizards wanted to do education; VC’s said, “corporate training”
• Executive education play
• three generations of collaborative platform, integrated Duke’s DEEP
• IDEO collaborated on for time-based, self-paced, tool-oriented content
• Software Development Kit (SDK) for design, development and production
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
8
THE KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY PITCH:
Communities Abound
• Technology does not create communities,
but, communities absorb technology
FROM, “Learning Together, Working Better,” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D., Chief Learning Architect, Pensare, Inc.,
Kompetanse 2001, Oslo, Norway, 1 February 2001”
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
9
THE KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY PITCH:
Communities Abound
• Gathering places have become virtual
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
10
THE KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY PITCH:
Communities Abound
• Exchange is its own reward
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
11
THE KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY PITCH:
Community Strategies
• Define and articulate your PURPOSE
• Build flexible, extensible gathering PLACES
• Create meaningful and evolving member
PROFILES
• Design for a range of ROLES
• Develop a strong LEADERSHIP program
• Encourage appropriate ETIQUETTE
• Promote cyclic EVENTS
• Integrate the RITUALS of community life
• Facilitate member-run SUBGROUPS
(Amy Jo Kim, Community Building on the Web)
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
12
THE KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY PITCH:
A Listening Post
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
13
THE KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY PITCH:
A Sales Convention without the Bar
See, also,
Leadership
MUD
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
14
THE KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY PITCH:
An Executive Retreat without the Golf
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
15
THE KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY PITCH:
Architecting learning together for better work
•
•
•
•
•
Platform as Medium
Content as Catalyst
Tools as Learning
Contributions as Centerpiece
Collaboration as Value going Forward
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
16
THE KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY PITCH:
Platform as Medium
• Where things are timely and relevant to work
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
17
THE KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY PITCH:
Platform as Medium
• Where others know things you would like to
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
18
THE KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY PITCH:
Platform as Medium
• A place that complements the classroom
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
19
THE KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY PITCH:
Content as Catalyst
• Content created with scholars and practitioners
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
20
THE KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY PITCH:
Content as Catalyst
• Content is “chunked” to be accessible everyday
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
21
THE KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY PITCH:
Content as Catalyst
• Content fits within technical and cognitive limits
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
22
THE KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY PITCH:
Content as Catalyst
• Delivered to evoke insights into work life
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
23
THE KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY PITCH:
Content as Catalyst
• Tools are designed to reinforce, capture, be useful
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
24
THE KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY PITCH:
Content as Catalyst
• Tools work for you when you can do more or less
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
25
THE KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY PITCH:
Contributions as Centerpiece
• Contributions represent learning and work captured
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
26
THE KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY PITCH:
Contributions as Centerpiece
• Tagging the contribution makes it accessible
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
27
THE KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY PITCH:
Contributions as Centerpiece
• Profiling puts people in touch with their works
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
28
THE KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY PITCH:
Collaboration as Value Going Forward
• Experts judge when they can, colleagues every day
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
29
THE KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY PITCH:
Collaboration as Value Going Forward
• A comment is worth a dozen contributions
[See, also, CSILE
from OISE:
www.oise.utoronto.ca]
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
30
THE KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY PITCH:
Collaboration as Value Going Forward
• When it can’t wait, there is chat
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
31
THE KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY PITCH:
Collaboration as Value Going Forward
• As it evolves, there is threaded discussion
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
32
THE KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY PITCH:
Conclusions
Unlike the meeting, the convention, the
retreat, a knowledge community is a
process, not an event. People continue
to learn to work better together.
See, also, ChangeCompanion www.changecompanion.com
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
33
GAMES I’M LEARNING ABOUT
… as an Education Program Consultant to Foundations
Immersive and Pervasive Games
Pervasive games (Can You See Me Now? B.U.G. (Big Urban Game), …)
• USE mobile and embedded technologies in novel ways
• FOR location specific & contest aware challenges & interactions
• TO CREATE mixed, augmented, or adjacent realities
Immersive games (The Beast, Majestic, … )
ALL THAT, IN SERVICE OF
• unbounded, unframed, open-ended [play] in everyday wrap
• massive goal or solving a sprawling mystery cooperatively
• alternate realities ….
Unfiction [in direct opposition to Machinima, but what a story; cf. non-fiction
according to Star Wars Galaxies]
“The Runaway Game: Spectacle and Performance in Networked Play,” Jane McGonigal, UCB
Center for New Media, at Story Engines: Storytelling and Computer Games, Stanford U., 2/6/04.
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
34
GAMES I’M LEARNING ABOUT
… as an Education Program Consultant to Foundations
Designing Social Interaction in Games: core mechanic, magic circle, lusory
attitude, the metagame (and “chording the controller”)
MMRPS – Massively Multiplayer Rock-Paper-Scissors
There.com: User-Created Content and the Metagame (e.g.,TRLG, AdBo)
World Game Player Lifecycle: Confusion, Excitement, Involvement,
Boredom (www.costik.com)
Rich Bartle’s Player Types: Achievement, Exploration, Socializing, Imposition
(www.mud.co.uk.richard/hcds.htm)
Nick Yee, MMORPG motivation: Achievement, Immersion, Socialization, and
Escapism
(“The Demographics of Motivation”: www.nickyee.com/daedalus/archives/000753,php)
“Multiplayer Play: Designing Social Interaction in Games,” Katie Salen, Eric Zimmerman, Greg
Costikyan, Kira Snyder, IGDC2004
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
35
The Last Slide
This, These, Things Like This (aka SDK, Mods, Thereware)
N>1
Technology will catch up to people
Follow the story
Online communities are made, not born (someone designed them)
The future is the users (Jaron’s law)
it’s all about the rules
it’s all about the stories
its all about the players
UCB SIMS INFOSYS 208B: Analysis of Information Organizations:
“Analyzing Play and Games as Information Systems.” Michael P. Carter, Ph.D. 3/29/04 carter@best.com
36