research & experiments
1. A brief list of the research and experiments you’ve performed the past two weeks.
- I interviewed Katie Salen and among other things discussed the possibility of working with her and the Wagg Society on a big game called the Island Project. She also gave me a list of relevant contacts and offered to make introductions for me. Katie also pointed me towards some areas of pedagogy that I should research.
- I met with Anne Gaines, the director of Parsons Summer, Pre-College Academy & Continuing Education, about planning a special Election Day run of Re:Activism with prospective students. Following the game I will be facilitating a workshop about game design and testing some post game curriculum activities.
- I have been in email correspondence with Mary Flanagan from Tiltfactor. She has agreed to have a phone interview with me.
- I called a meeting with the Re:Activism collaborators to discuss refinements of the game.
- I wrote a new design document for Re:Activism that outlined new rules and game play that are congruant to my research questions. In conjunction, I have been working on creating playing cards for a new mechanic that will be tested.
- I have been working on a prototype of a multi-media timeline that will archive the media that is collected during the play of Re:Activism. I would like to have the media upload in real-time from phones during game play.
- I participated in the Little Big Planet game jam. My team’s game won the “most personal” award.
- I have been working with area/code on the creation of a game about the fiscal crisis. The game will be played on college campuses in the Spring. The development process is still in the brainstorming/concepting phase.
- I ordered buttons to use in my next prototype. The buttons say “Hablame en Espanol. Quiero aprender!” which is Spanish for “Speak to me in Spanish. I want to learn.”
A list of questions about process/procedure that have surfaced for you, as a result of what you’ve done.
- From my discussion with Katie Salen I have been reading specific texts about education theory. This has lead to questions about cognitive vs. situated learning. My research makes an argument for situated learning, but I would like to explore more about how cognitive principles can used in my game.
- Also from my discussion with Katie I have been asking questions about assessment. How can the learning experiences that I am creating be assessed after play?
- Drawing from the big games I have participated in I would like to question the notion of interface in big games. How can simple interfaces assist in the learning process when playing a game? How can they encourage public engagement in a big game?
- From my work with area/code I had been thinking about the value of spectacle in a big game. Does this encourage quality interaction with the public? Does spectacle serve as a secondary learning experience to the general public that observes or partakes in it?
- What game mechanics can be applied to a Re:Activism to replace the race or treasure hunt mechanic? Will other mechanics encourage more quality learning? Will losing the race mechanic make the game less fun?
