Gamegraphy

Hey class! I found this article which relates so much to our game discussions in class. I thought some of you might enjoy! I don't play video games and sometimes I feel as if I am missing out on this type of learning. Enjoy!



Erin

//Games, Cognition & Transformative Learning: GAMEGRAPHY as Method//

Wainess et //al.// rely on “cognitive load theory” (3) as a framework for examining the role of games in learning. Simply put, these authors are concerned with the relationship between learners’ memory and instructional methods as applied by particular games. Their report assesses thirty-four popular games, delineates a number of instructional strategies and isolates viable instructional methods for future game development. They conclude that “certain commercial video games are popular” because they “effectively teach players how to play the game” (29). They also note “//methods”// as the “scholarly significance” of their work because the cognitive work required for effective game playing may also be essential for learning (32).

My challenge in this assignment is for you to consider //games// and how various //play// has (1) shaped your autobiography, and (2) fostered transformative learning?

Consider the question: Do mediated experiences achieved through games transform the way we understand others, the world and ourselves? Help me consider explanations for the term “transformational learning experiences.” To begin, I see these experiences as having a profound impact on the way humans learn, develop new perspectives, change modes of thinking, and see others’ point of view.

To this end, I ask you to create a //GAMEGRAPHY.//

The //goals// in this challenge include the following:
 * 1) i. self-exploration;
 * 2) ii. reflect on transformative learning experiences;
 * 3) iii. explore autobiographical frame and context;
 * 4) iv. compare individual experience with others;
 * 5) v. discuss the concept of transformative learning through media;
 * 6) vi. apply insight meditation to stages of learning;
 * 7) vii. explore challenges for education, research, media, knowledge and design.

//Instructions//
 * 1) Draw a game timeline from birth to today on a piece of paper;
 * 2) Think of your first “meaningful” game experience;
 * 3) Interview parents, guardians, grandparents, older siblings, etc. to learn what games you may have ‘played’ when you were younger;
 * 4) Draw a circle around “significant” experiences and label it (consider your //knowledge, skills and values)//;
 * 5) Draw larger circles around more “momentous” experiences;
 * 6) Look at your timeline and structure it;
 * 7) Find a partner (in class) and explain your //GAMEGRAPHY//. Talk about your knowledge, skills and values; explain your structure;
 * 8) Identify a single experience as the “most meaningful.” Explain in detail the setting, context, and your “transformative learning;”
 * 9) Listen to your partner’s story about her/his //GAMEGRAPHY//; ask questions about “transformative learning;”
 * 10) Consider the questions, issues, challenges and/or other things that you might address to the class as a whole (in discussion) or in your digital portfolios?

Consider the QUICK example from the research of Mitgutsch (2011):



//Final thoughts// I am indebted to Konstantin Mitgutsch of the MIT GAMBIT Game Lab at MIT for suggesting this kind of exercise. According to his research, game players develop “meaningful learning patterns” however the transformation to everyday life is “never direct.” As he explains, a “pattern learned in a game does not lead to an immediate transformation process, but it can allow transformation if a connection to real life settings is fostered at the right times” (66). His research focuses on digital games and suggests how these mediated experiences “can be a door opener for transformative learning processes, but such a transformation is not obligatory – it remains a delicate process which is highly dependent of the contextual setting” (66). His research supports the view that game playing, itself, is noteworthy because of its value as a quotidian practice.

//Works Cited// Mitgutsch, K. “Playful Learning Experiences: Meaningful Learning Patters in Players’ Biographies.” International Kournal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations 3.3 (2011): 54-68.

Wainess, Richard, Deirdre Kerr, and Alan Koenig. Improving the Way we Design Games for Learning by Examining how Popular Video Games Teach. CRESST Report 798. National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST). 300 Charles E Young Drive N, GSE&IS Building 3rd Floor, Mailbox 951522, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1522. Tel: 310-206-1532; Fax: 310-825-3883; Web site: http://www.cresst.org, 2011. ERIC. Web. 4 Jan. 2012. Also available at: <[]>.