Games and Culture current issue

Introduction to the Games Learning & Society (GLS) Conference Special Issue

Steinkuehler, C. — 2008-06-19

Video Games and Embodiment

Gee, J. P. — 2008-06-19

In this article, the author discusses one way in which modern video games can illuminate the nature of human thinking and problem solving as situated and embodied. The author first discusses why, over the last several years, many people have become interested in video games as a site to study human thinking, problem solving, and learning. The author then discusses what he call the "projective stance," a type of embodied thinking characteristic of many (but not all) video games, as well as a form of thinking that is also, but more subtly, pervasive in everyday life and social interaction as well.

The Meaning of Race and Violence in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

DeVane, B., Squire, K. D. — 2008-06-19

This research study investigates how youths actually play Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and what meanings they make from it. This study finds that players use their own experiences and knowledge to interpret the game—they do not passively receive the games' images and content. The meanings they produce about controversial subjects are situated in players' local practices, identities, and discourse models as they interact with the game's semiotic domain. The results suggest that scholars need to study players in naturalistic settings if they want to see what "effects" games are having on players.

Fantasy Baseball: The Case for Competitive Fandom

Halverson, E. R., Halverson, R. — 2008-06-19

The authors propose the concept of competitive fandom to describe the learning, play, and engagement of fantasy sports. Competitive fandom draws together contemporary research on fan cultures and game design and game communities to describe the interaction present in fantasy sports. Fantasy sports games require a combination of fan culture practices and gamers' skills and habits of mind. Fandom becomes competitive when the knowledge acquired in the fan domain is transformed into strategic information to guide play in a new kind of game. This combination of frames helps describe the kinds of knowledge and motivation required to play fantasy sports and how such participation sparks further learning. Through analysis of individual game play within the context of the league community in which fantasy team owners play, the authors aim to understand what and how people learn from playing in competitive fandom settings and the implications of these findings for the design of learning environments.

Making Computer Games and Design Thinking: A Review of Current Software and Strategies

Hayes, E. R., Games, I. A. — 2008-06-19

This article provides an overview of computer software and instructional strategies intended to engage young people in making computer games, to achieve a variety of educational goals. It briefly describes the most popular of such programs and compares their key features, including the kinds of games that can be created with the software, the types of communities and resources that are associated with each program, claims made for learning outcomes resulting from use of the software, and the results of empirical research (if any) on the application and outcomes of the software in formal or informal educational settings. A key finding is that existing software and educational applications stress the goal of teaching users about computer programming and place little or no emphasis on teaching concepts related to game design. It concludes by discussing the potential value of explicit attention to "design thinking" as goal of game making in education.

Critical Ethical Reasoning and Role-Play

Simkins, D. W., Steinkuehler, C. — 2008-06-19

Role-playing games provide a particularly fruitful environment for the development of critical, ethical reasoning skills, a core component in developing a citizenry capable of fully participating in a cosmopolitan, democratic society. In this study, ethnographic interview participants recount particularly engaging ethical situations in their own game play. Through their responses, thematic trends develop that help us identify key elements in games that provide opportunities for the development of these crucial skills.

Well Played: Interpreting Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Davidson, D. — 2008-06-19

This article engages in an in-depth close reading of the game Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time to parse out various meanings to be found in the experience of playing the game. The experience is approached from the perspective of its narrative development and its game design. This enables an analysis of the relationship between the game's story and its game play. Sequences in the game are analyzed in detail to illustrate and interpret how these various components of a game can come together to create a fulfilling playing experience unique to this medium.