A framework for games literacy and understanding games

ABSTRACT

Based on research that studied the challenges and difficulties faced by students taking games studies and game design courses, we propose that, while many students enrolled in games education programs are adept at playing games, they are usually neither games literate nor do they have a deep understanding of games. In this article we provide a framework that can be used to evaluate and assess games literacy. Using Gee's notion of literacy, we propose that a deep understanding of games involves having the ability to explain, discuss, describe, frame, situate, interpret, and/or position games (1) in the context of human culture (games as a cultural artifacts), (2) in the context of other games, (3) in the context of the technological platform on which they are executed, (4) and by deconstructing them and understanding their components, how they interact, and how they facilitate certain experiences in players. We describe each of these aspects and also discuss two educational lenses that can be used to help contextualize what it means to understand and learn about games as well as support games literacy in students.

REFERENCES

• 1: Bereiter, C. 2002. Education and mind in the knowledge age. Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ.
• 2: Björk, S. and Holopainen, J. 2005. Patterns in Game Design. Charles River Media Inc., Hingham, Massachusetts.
• 3: Ian Bogost, Persuasive Games: The Expressive Power of Videogames, The MIT Press, 2007
• 4: Bogost, I. and Montfort, N. New Media as Material Constraint: An Introduction to Platform Studies 1st International HASTAC Conference, Duke University, Durham NC, 2007.
• 5: Jay David Bolter , Richard Grusin, Remediation: understanding new media, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1998
• 6: Buckingham, D. 1993. Children talking television: The making of television literacy. Falmer, London.
• 7: Buckingham, D. and Burn, A. 2007. Game Literacy in Theory and Practice. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 16 (3). 323--349.
• 8: Simon Byron , Steve Curran , David McCarthy, Game On!, Headline Book Publishing, 2006
• 9: Chen, K. 2003. Civilization and its Disk Contents. Radical Society, 30 (2). 95--107.
• 10: Connery, R. The Unoficcial Quake II FAQ v1.8 Standard Revision, 1998.
• 11: Cope, B. and Kalantzis, M. (eds.). Multiliteracies: Literacy Learning and the design of social futures. Routledge, London, 2000.
• 12: Crogan, P. 2004. The Game Thing: Ludology and Other Theory Games. Media International Australia, 2004 (110). 10--18.
• 13: Davis, G. Game Noir: The Construction of Virtual Subjectivity in Computer Gaming Honors Thesis in Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, Stanford University, 2002, 111.
• 14: James F. Dunnigan, The Complete Wargames Handbook: How to Play, Design, and Find Them, William Morrow & Co., Inc., New York, NY, 1992
• 15: Elverdam, C. and Aarseth, E. 2007. Game Classification and Game Design: Construction Through Critical Analysis. Games and Culture, 2 (1). 3--22.
• 16: Frasca, G., Ludologists love stories, too: notes from a debate that never took place. in Digital Games Research Conference (DiGRA) 2003, (Utrecht, The Netherlands, 2003).
• 17: James Paul Gee, What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy, Palgrave Macmillan, 2004
• 18: Gingold, C. Miniature Gardens & Magic Crayons: Games, Spaces, & Worlds School of Literature, Culture, & Communication, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, 2003, 123.
• 19: Mark Hoffman , Jonathan Blake, Computer literacy: today and tomorrow, Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges, v.18 n.5, p.221-233, May 2003
• 20: Holopainen, J., Bjork, S. and Kuittinen, J. Teaching Gameplay Design Patterns. in Mayer, I. and Mastik, H. eds. Organizing and Learning through Gaming and Simulation, Proceedings of ISAGA 2007, Eburon, Delft, 2007.
• 21: Jenkins, H. Transmedia Storytelling 101 Confessions of an Aca-Fan, 2007.
• 22: Kirsch, I. S., Jungeblut, A., Jenkins, L. and Kolstad, A. Adult Literacy in America: A First Look at the Findings of the National Adult Literacy Survey, 3rd Edition, National Center for Education Statistics - U.S. Department of Education, 2002.
• 23: Kücklich, J. Rez: Merging Sound and Space. in von Borries, F., Walz, S. and Bottger, M. eds. Space Time Play, Birkhauser, Basel, Switzerland, 2007.
• 24: Lave, J. and Wenger, E. 1991. Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
• 25: Mateas, M. Expressive AI: Games and Artificial Intelligence Level Up: Digital Games Research Conference, Utrecht, Netherlands, 2003.
• 26: Mäyrä, F. The Quiet Revolution: Three Theses for the Future of Game Studies, DiGRA 2005.
• 27: Murray, J. H., The Last Word on Ludology v Narratology in Game Studies. in International DiGRA Conference 2005, (Vancouver, Canada, 2005).
• 28: Navarro, A. Rayman Raving Rabids Review (GBA), Gamespot, 2007.
• 29: Perlis, A. J. The Computer in the University. in Greenberger, M. ed. Computers and the World of the Future, The MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1962.
• 30: Roth, W. M. 1998. Designing Communities. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht.
• 31: Salen, K. 2007. Gaming Literacies: A Game Design Study in Action. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 16 (3). 301--322.
• 32: Scardamalia, M. and Bereiter, C. 1994. Computer Support for Knowledge-Building Communities. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 3 (3). 265--283.
• 33: Scardamalia, M. and Bereiter, C. Knowledge Building. in Encyclopedia of Education, 2nd Edition, Macmillan Reference, New York, 2002.
• 34: Schell, J. and Shochet, J. Designing Interactive Theme Park Rides: Lessons Learned from Creating Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean- Battle for the Buccaneer Gold Game Developers Conference, San Jose, CA, 2001.
• 35: Sfard, A. 1998. On two metaphors for learning and the dangers of choosing just one. Educational Researcher, 27. 4--13.
• 36: Spencer, M. 1986. Emergent Literacies: A site for analysis. Language Arts, 63 (5). 442--453.
• 37: Stang, B., Bjorne, H. C., Østerholt, M. and Hoftun, E. 2006. The Book of Games Volume 1. gameXplore Ottawa ON, Canada.
• 38: Steinkuehler, C. 2006. Massively Multiplayer Online Video Gaming as Participation in a Discourse. Mind, Culture, and Activity, 13 (1). 38--52.
• 39: van Aalst, J. and Chan, C. K. K. 2007. Student-Directed Assessment of Knowledge Building Using Electronic Portfolios. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 16 (2). 175--220.
• 40: Wenger, E. 1998. Communities of Practice. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
• 41: Zagal, J. P. and Bruckman, A. From Gamers to Scholars: Challenges of Teaching Game Studies. in Baba, A. ed. Proceedings of the Digital Games Research Association International Conference (DiGRA) 2007, Tokyo, Japan, 2007, 575--582.
• 42: Zagal, J. P., Mateas, M., Fernandez-Vara, C., Hochhalter, B. and Lichti, N. Towards an Ontological Language for Game Analysis. in de Castell, S. and Jenson, J. eds. Worlds in Play: International Perspectives on Digital Games Research, Peter Lang, New York, 2007, 21--35.
• 43: José P. Zagal , Jochen Rick , Idris Hsi, Collaborative games: lessons learned from board games, Simulation and Gaming, v.37 n.1, p.24-40, March 2006 [doi>10.1177/1046878105282279]

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.3 COMPUTERS AND EDUCATION
      K.3.2 Computer and Information Science Education
          Subjects: Literacy

General Terms:
Human Factors

Keywords:
games education, games literacy, understanding games