Researching Virtual Playlands
John Rice
CECS 6220
Dr. Knezek
Rise of the Video Game
• As computer power and graphics increased,
sophisticated video games became possible
• As broadband became widespread, online
gaming grew more sophisticated
• As video gaming grew into an industry that
eclipsed Hollywood in profits, social
scientists took increasing note
Research Paradigms
• Social scientists studying the use of video
games in education fall into one of several
fields:
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–
–
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Cognitive Studies
Narratology
Representation
Ludology
(Wolf & Perron, 2003)
Cognitive Studies
• Cognitive studies of video games explore
the relationship video games have with real
world applications
• Researchers apply the lenses of cognitive
psychology to studying video games
• Video games offering simulations of real
world activities often interest cognitive
studies researchers
Cognitive Studies
• Cognitive studies remains one of the most
interesting areas of research for video
games
• Prominent researchers include Henry
Jenkins of MIT and Kurt Squire at U.
Wisconsin, Madison
Narratology
• Narratology concerns itself with using
narrative studies to approach the research of
video games
• Narrative studies examine how we structure
meaning through story telling
• One of the most popular paradigms
• Comparisons with story, film, and drama
narratives
Narratology
• One of the most acclaimed researchers who took a
narratology approach was Gee (2003)
• Book: What video games have to teach us about
learning and literacy created a sensation
• Gee blended cognitive measures with a narrative
approach (his background is lit. studies)
• “Games are far better suited for things our tests
don’t cover”
Representation
• Researchers exploring representation in
video games are concerned with use of
graphical elements and issues of
engagement
• Foundational work from Laurel (1991)
• Heavy cross currents with research in
Virtual Reality
Representation
• Some of the more controversial aspects of
video gaming can be explored through the
field of representation
• Sex, violence, alternate gender roles, etc.
can all be explored through representative
elements in video games, providing many
opportunities for research
Ludology
• Ludology is the study of the subcategory of
video games within the broader context of
all games
• Ludologists propose a new paradigm for
studying video games that supercedes
previous ones co-opted for video game
research
Ludology
• A relatively new paradigm, advocates are
arguing for terms and acceptance
• A concise argument was laid out by Frasca’s
chapter in The video game theory reader
(2003)
Research Centers
• MIT Media Lab
- http://www.media.mit.edu/
• Serious Games Summit
- http://www.seriousgames.org/
• Digital Games Research Association
- http://www.digra.org/
Journals
• Game Studies: The International Journal of
Computer Games Research
– www.gamestudies.org
• International Journal of Intelligent Games &
Simulation
– http://www.scit.wlv.ac.uk/~cm1822/ijigs11.htm
Articles
• Gee, J. P. (2003, May). High score education: Games, not
school, are teaching kids to think. Wired, 11(05).
• Lee J., Luchini, K., Michael, B., Norris, C., & Soloway, E.
(2004). More than just fun and games: Assessing the value
of educational video games in the classroom. In
Proceedings from Conference on Human Factors in
Computing Systems (pp. 1375 - 1378). Retrieved
November 3, 2004 from
http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=985921.986068
• Squire, K. and Jenkins, H. (2003). Harnessing the
power of games in education. IN>>SIGHT 3(1)
Books
• Gee, J. P. (2003). What video games have to teach
us about learning and literacy. New York:
Palgrave Macmillan.
• King, B & Borland, J. (2003). Dungeons and
dreamers: The rise of computer game culture from
geek to chic. New York: McGraw-Hill/Osborne.
• Wolf, M.J.P. & Perron, B. (Eds.) (2003). The video
game theory reader. New York: Routledge.