beyond bait: video games and literacy
DESCRIPTION
Presented at the On the Front Lines Conference, Springfield, IL March 16, 2010TRANSCRIPT
Maggie HommelUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Beyond Bait: Video Games and Literacy
This will not be about:
Will be about:
Why Librarians Should Care…
97% of U.S. teens 12-17 play video games
Source: Pew Research, “Teens, Video Games and Civics” 2008
Why Librarians Should Care…
87% of 8-18 year-olds have a game console in their home
8-10 year old boys are the biggest gamers- 73% play on any given day
Why Librarians Should Care…
PEW Research Center, “Adults and Video Games”
Why Librarians Should Care…
Could video games be good for the brain and cognitive development?
James Paul Gee
Eric Klopfer, MIT
Marc Prenksy
Why Librarians Should Care
Why Librarians Should Care…
Video Games = Bait?
Or something more…
Not All Games Are Alike…
Complex Games
Simple or Mini-Games
Defining Literacy
Read & Write (functional)
Comprehension
Discuss / Write About
Flow
Critique /Analyze
Video games can enhance at each level
Defining Literacy
Multimodal
Defining Literacy
Social
Defining Literacy
Situated
Defining Literacy
Technical
Video Games and Literacy
Content vs.
Critical Learning
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2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2
Video Games and Literacy
Semiotic Domains in video games▪ Text is essentially a set of symbols that readers
decode▪ All symbols are embedded in specific “domains”▪ Imagine reading a rule book about basketball
without ever seeing, playing, or hearing about a game
Video Games and Literacy
Design Grammars
Video Games and Literacy
Video games teach how to learn, navigate, and interpret semiotic domains
Video Games and Literacy
Intertextuality
Video Games and Literacy
Transfer
Video Games and Literacy
Are Video Games Narrative?
Yes: embedded stories No: stories peripheral
Video Games and Literacy
Source: Johnson, Steven. Everything Bad is Good For You (2005)
Books vs. Video Games
Video Games and Literacy
Embodied Experience
Video Games and Literacy
Stories IN GamesStories ABOUT Games
Video Games and Literacy
AASL 21st Standards for the 21st Century Learner
Video Games and Literacy
Interpreting Analyzing
Critiquing Synthesizing
Arguing Relate to own life
Attend to detail
Real Game Examples
Myst (rated Everyone) http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8npW85PW0s
Real Game Examples
Final Fantasy XII (rated Teen) http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCJJALqGQHM&feature=PlayList&p=977479D95F542BBF&index=2
Real Game Examples
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Teen) http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=69EBDlnDw2k
Real Game Examples
Portal (Teen, Part of Orange Box) http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TluRVBhmf8w
Library Applications
Wofford College Shared Worlds http://sharedworlds.wofford.edu
Library Applications
Fan Fiction @ Englewood Public Library (CO) http://eplcoolcafe.wordpress.com/tag/fan-fictio
n/
Library Applications
Free Web 2.0 Tools http://www.digitalstoryteller.org/ http://www.voki.com/
Library Applications
Clubs and Discussion Groups http://www.etc.cmu.edu/etcpress/node/2
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Questions?
Maggie [email protected]