tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123004182019-02-18T23:29:31.885-06:00Research QuestEducational applications for video games and gaming strategies. My quest for learning... with a few library stops along the way.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04892755721307156990noreply@blogger.comBlogger446125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12300418.post-68150826354193843722011-03-30T12:27:00.005-05:002011-03-30T12:56:45.774-05:00Choices in Video Games: Selection from Public Services Quarterly Editorial<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Georgia&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:black">The following is a short segment from my 2010 editorial in PSQ which discusses video games as potential models for research behavior and the general research process. This segment is focused on categorizing different types of choices players make. These three categories originate from Charsky's 2010 article "</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:#333333">From edutainment to serious games: A change in the use of game characteristics<b>" </b></span><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Georgia&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:black">in <b>Games and Culture</b>.</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Georgia&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:black"></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:black">Video games are a shared experience that require interaction and engagement from players.Players are actively engaging with the game, making decisions based on the information available to them, and shaping an experience that may be different for each player. While there are interactions in games that the designers force on a player either for the sake of gameplay or narrative, there still remain choices left in the player’s hands.</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Charsky(2010) discussed how games provide players with three types of choices:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;color:black"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Georgia&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; color:black">Expressive<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;color:black"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Georgia&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; color:black">Strategic<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;color:black"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Georgia&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; color:black">Tactical<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:black">Expressive</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:black"> choice allows the player to create a character and personalize that character looks and abilities in order to create a sense of ownership over the character.Gee (2003) talks about this same idea when he discusses how games create a sense of agency for players. This expressive choice helps to create a personal connection with a character that a player may spend 10 – 50 hours with depending on the game.</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:black">Strategic</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:black"> choice discusses the technology and systems within the gameplay mechanics. Strategic choice creates systems for players to approach challenges in various ways and still arrive at successful and satisfactory outcomes. This is often done through branching paths and open ended choices that players must decide upon.Bogost (2007) discusses how games create systems for the player to apply various potential solutions to. This idea of systematic thinking that Bogost discusses creates the framework to allow the player to reach a conclusion with the given information, apply it to the game’s situation, and evaluate how successful the choice was.</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:black">It is these smaller individual choices that Charsky (2010) describes as <b>tactical </b>choices.These tactical choices are where information literacy skills are applied. Evaluating which piece of information or experience is essential to solve a given challenge.</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:black">Succeeding in these challenges requires the information literacy skills of collection, evaluation, organization, and application. Johnson (2005) sites these skills as how video games help players develop organizational and problem solving skills. Gee (2003) looked to these series of decisions and interactions as the ways in which games create good pedagogical models to engage and teach. De Freitas and Oliver (2006) describe the tactical choices in video games and the feedback they provide the player, as a way to create effective learning activities. The unique attributes, interactions, and choices video games create provide justification and interest for libraries to explore ways to integrate video games into learning.</span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:black"></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:black">I will be discussing more about these types of choices and what they can mean for library instruction during Friday's ACRL panel session with Neal Baker from Earlham and Katherine Todd from Manhattenville College.</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: black; ">Bogost, I. (2007). Persuasive games: The expressive power of videogames. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; color: black; "><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: black; ">Charsky, D. (2010). From edutainment to serious games: A change in the use of game characteristics. Games and Culture, 5(2), 177-198. doi: 10.1177/1555412009354727</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; color: black; "><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: black; ">DeFreitas, S. &amp; Oliver, M. (2006). How can exploratory learning with games and simulations within the curriculum be most effectively evaluated? Computers &amp; Education, 46, 249-264. doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2005.11.007</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; color: black; "><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Johnson, S. (2005). Everything bad is good for you: How today’s popular culture is actually making us smarter. New York, NY: Riverhead Books.</span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04892755721307156990noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12300418.post-47875942619420769622010-11-23T16:11:00.003-06:002010-11-23T16:24:01.091-06:00Critical Thinking Mod for Elder Scrolls: Morrowind - mapping it outOver the course of this summer and fall, I have worked with a student researcher to create a video game experience that will help demonstrate information literacy skills. I will go into more detail about the project in the coming posts, but I wanted to start off with this video mapping out our character interactions.<br /><br />After spending a few months this summer looking through online games and not finding anything that provided the depth we wanted within a limited playtime experience, we decided to mod an existing game. After creating the characters and most of the dialogue, we needed to see where our gaps in quest logic and character interactions were. <br /><br /><br /><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/17135059" frameborder="0" height="300" width="400"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/17135059">Student Fellowship: Morrowind Critical Thinking Mod</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2557249">Paul Waelchli</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p><p>Mapping it out allowed us to identify that our critical thinking quest was too straight forward and made creating more characters and dialogue easy to plug in. With the additional characters and dialogue, I think that we've created a quest that will force players to question and evaluate the information that they receive. </p><p><br /></p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04892755721307156990noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12300418.post-81987543715153307352010-11-19T16:35:00.002-06:002010-11-19T16:42:03.680-06:00National Gaming Day @ the Mulva LibraryWe kicked off National Gaming Day a little early last week with a gaming event on Friday night. Since we ran the event past midnight, we were able to help kick off National Gaming Day @ your Library.<br /><br />We had a variety of board games brought in by our local Green Bay games store: <a href="http://www.gnomegames.com/">Gnome Games</a>. Students brought in materials to play Warhammer 40k. And we had various video games going: Goldeneye on the Wii and Halo Reach and L4D2 on the 360 played in each of our classrooms. And students even brought in a PS2 and N64 to hook up in our smaller study rooms. It was a good turnout for our first game night.<br /><br />The students' overwhelming response was: "When can we do this again."<br /><br /><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/17011423" frameborder="0" height="300" width="400"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/17011423">National Gaming Day @ the Mulva Library</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2557249">Paul Waelchli</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04892755721307156990noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12300418.post-67329156504752051632010-04-07T19:31:00.003-05:002010-04-08T09:39:05.892-05:00Don't Mourn - Organize<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oSWAEHEi5vE/S70c2rKw7zI/AAAAAAAABSw/4u_u-FltXL8/s1600/labor.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 195px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oSWAEHEi5vE/S70c2rKw7zI/AAAAAAAABSw/4u_u-FltXL8/s320/labor.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457550049069297458" border="0" /></a>In the process of writing the last post, I was reminded of my political roots. A loss doesn't mean you roll over and except the result. A loss means you pick yourself up and work again for the next fight.<br /><br />I know I share some of the blame for the loss of the "research intensive" designation. I could have lobbied harder and stayed more on top each phase. I assumed too much. <br /><br />As I finished my last post, I started new emails to the committee members and outreach to the incoming Writing Center director. This should start laying the groundwork for the next phases.<br /><br />I'm thankful for my political losses and for those organizers that shaped me. I've even brought the pin I was given after my first loss. Don't mourn - organize. This discussion may not be the focus of Research Quest, but I needed place to voice my thoughts and pick myself back up.<br /><br />Now back to the general focus of Research Quest, even if it's been almost six months...<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><br />image via: <a href="http://www.laborarts.org/"><span style="color:green;">www.laborarts.org</span></a></span>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04892755721307156990noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12300418.post-58459697866840787242010-04-06T21:17:00.002-05:002010-04-08T09:14:55.762-05:00Offered up for the political sacrificeRecently, part of what brought me to my current position was lost. The straight forward path to curriculum integration was offered up as a political sacrifice. My route to formal integration has now become longer and more convoluted. But there is still a path. And since I still have my job, I will continue to work toward the goal of formal curriculum integration of information literacy.<br /><br />For the past few years of the college's general education revisions, information literacy was on par with writing and communication as skills valued across the new curriculum. This focus was written into the working documents and the structure of the new core programs. Courses were to be designated as "writing" "research" or "communication" intensive courses. Each representing valued skills for students across disciplines to learn. This was good structure that insured the emphasis on information literacy. While many would rightly argue (myself included) that many courses currently offered could be considered "research intensive," the benefit of parity was that information literacy was a formal objective that stood on its own in the curriculum.<br /><br />When I started back in the summer of 2008 I met with the chair of the committee who was and I believe remains committed to the ideas of information literacy within the curriculum. I spent the spring of 2009 meeting with the committee and working with the Writing Center Director, who sat on the committee, to draft language for the "writing" and "research" intensive designations. Unfortunately, the WC director left in the summer of 2009. In the fall of `09, I again worked with the committee chair to finalize draft language for the "writing" "research" and "communication" intensive designations. This was the draft language that was moving forward in the committee.<br /><br />During this academic year, the general education changes left the committee and went before the full faculty. As with any general education curriculum changes, everyone has something at stake. What proceeded were faculty meetings spent debating the larger structure of the new curriculum. This debate and suggested changes focused on the organization, naming, and focus of 4 or 5 "pillars." Writing, Research, and Communication were left relative untouched in the formal debates.<br /><br />That is until recently. In between the discussion at division and full faculty meetings, the committee dropped the "research intensive" designation. When the curriculum structure came back up for discussion in the last faculty meeting, only "writing" and "communication" intensive courses were listed. After talking with the chair of the committee, it is clear that there was a need to trim the curriculum structure. And the "research intensive" designation became one of the first trimmed.<br /><br />As the debate and concern over the expansion of the curriculum grew, it appears that information literacy was the easiest piece to remove. Without a department to speak up or faculty to vote, the library holds little political influence. With only the library director holding faculty status, we became a convenient sacrificial offering.<br /><br />It is still my intention to continue advocating for the inclusion of information literacy into the writing and communication intensive courses. Now the lobbying effort and demonstrating the value has become a larger focus.<br /><br />Below is part of the draft language on how information literacy was planned to be integrated into the curriculum. There was/is more to the document, but this provides a quick outline of what was planned. There were certainly concerns and areas that needed work in the text, but since this text is no under consideration, I would like to share it with others. Or at least preserve it in memoriam:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Research</span><br /><br />All students at St. Norbert College must complete a minimum of four research-intensive (designated RI) courses according to these parameters:<br /><br /> * One of these RI courses must be outside of the student’s major;<br /> * One of these RI courses must be in the student’s major and in the upper biennium;<br /> * Students with double majors must complete an upper-biennium RI course in each major.<br /> * Students may transfer one RI course in the lower biennium, but not both.<br /> * Students may transfer one RI course in the upper biennium, but the second RI course must be in the student’s major so that transfer students must complete at least one RI course at SNC within the discipline.<br /><br />In every Core Program, research-intensive, major, and minor course, students should devote energy to targeted stages of the research process—planning, searching, evaluating, revising, organizing, and documenting. The research products, in various forms, are the natural reflection of the research process.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">LOWER COURSES</span><br /><br />All RI Core Program courses will have a dimension, which includes research exercises, application of resources outside of course material, and a formal out-of-class research assignment. These research requirements must be described in the course syllabus.<br /><br />Students at the lower core will be able to:<br /><br />· Communicate a basic understanding of what information is needed<br />· Apply a variety of types and formats of sources to locate the information<br />· Identify gaps in the information and revise the search<br />· Describe and apply criteria for evaluating the information<br />· Combines new information with existing knowledge to construct individual analysis<br />· Communicate findings and conclusions to others through various methods<br />· Follow institutional policies to acknowledge where the information originated from<br /><br />Students can meet these skills by:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Research Exercises</span><br /><br />Courses should promote the concept of research and focus on the research process as a means to understanding course content. A traditional research based term paper is one of the exercises that meet the RI designation. Other possible research focused exercises include:<br /><br />· annotated bibliography<br />· research journal/log<br />· research paper outline<br />· literature review<br />· author tracking review<br />· identifying major journals<br />· comparison of internet/database searches<br />· poster presentation<br />· oral presentation<br />· journal/book/article review<br />· research trend analysis<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Application of Resources Outside Course Material</span><br /><br />Exams should include at least one essay question that requires students to write a paragraph or more to demonstrate information literacy and critical thinking skills (e.g., incorporating external sources, evaluating ideas, explaining concepts, synthesizing material, arguing a thesis, etc.) Though instructors are urged to incorporate an essay component on every exam, they may modify this component to meet particular exam needs.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04892755721307156990noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12300418.post-50772087955836512712009-10-15T21:41:00.004-05:002009-10-16T14:27:24.161-05:00Just Keep Climbing & Jumping: Tomb Raider's Pacing & Exploration as a Research JourneyThe idea of pacing within a game is not new and certainly not unique to one genre or another. Action, adventure, role-playing, and even puzzle games all require a consideration of pacing. How the player progresses, how the action moves, and how layers of challenge are added are all pacing concepts within game design. The idea of pacing in lesson planning and classroom instruction is not new either, pacing set by teachers, students, or combinations of both are all applied. Education literature has witnessed pendulum swings back and forth between rapid teacher-directed classroom pacing and student-directed variable pacing. Two separate math classrooms found different results in pacing. Sangster (2007) found a quicker paced classroom was beneficial. Vaughan (2005) found that students were more successful when they were able to set their own pacing of a unit before beginning.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oSWAEHEi5vE/StjBjlgVxsI/AAAAAAAABSI/0GG_RfGXwxc/s1600-h/coliseum8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oSWAEHEi5vE/StjBjlgVxsI/AAAAAAAABSI/0GG_RfGXwxc/s320/coliseum8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393273370883507906" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Tomb Raider: Anniversary’s challenge in pacing stems its’ heritage and its’ isolated atmosphere. The game throws a large and seemingly open area to explore. The player can explore every gap, cave, and reachable outcropping trying to find artifacts, ammo, and other hidden items. Or the player can seek out the most direct and efficient route out of the room puzzle, progressing forward to the larger goal. This initially creates the feeling of a large area to explore, but quickly the player learns there is typically one, and only one, way to get past the puzzles. There are frequent dead ends for players exploring the area seeking out additional health, ammo, or “lost artifacts.”<br /><br />The level design does give the player the ability to set their own pace, exploring the open areas for every item or seeking out the solution to the next area. Unfortunately, the level design often creates conflicting pacing. Those looking for the direct route end up exploring because the solution is not immediately clear. And those seeking out each item may stumble upon the exit only to have to return for missed exploration. Over the course of the first half of the game, I’ve experienced both situations.<br /><br />I believe the game is designed with a slower, methodical pace. A pace that encourages exploration. A pace that reminds the player of how isolated the explorer/robber Lara is. And a pace that was born during an area of game design when there were not clear (or even often stated) objectives, tutorials were not common place, and the rise of game walkthroughs (and sites like gamefaqs.com) were only beginning.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oSWAEHEi5vE/StjBjHUE-fI/AAAAAAAABSA/cmMLCWxqxus/s1600-h/coliseum5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oSWAEHEi5vE/StjBjHUE-fI/AAAAAAAABSA/cmMLCWxqxus/s320/coliseum5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393273362779011570" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The result of this perceived exploratory freedom is my frequent frustration about where to go and frequent restarts due to missed jumps. The ideas here of pacing tie directly into the directions (and lack of) given to the player. The game asks the player to explore the surroundings and enjoy the journey. While I enjoyed the journey in the first area, by the second area I was focused on the outcome rather than the journey's exploration. I was just trying to get to the next area and goal.<br /><br />The recent <a href="http://www.destructoid.com/rev-rant-exploration-151941.phtml">Destrutoid rant on exploration</a> and my classes this week shifted my experience and expectations with Tomb Raider's pacing. The Destrutoid rant talked about exploration in games as a means to either power up and add abilities or as simply as a means to explore and discover. The contrast of exploring to discover and exploring to achieve a goal are at odds with their pacing. When a player's goal is finishing the level or gaining the new ability a tighter, faster pacing keeps the game moving forward and the player engaged in progressing. When the goal is exploration the pacing can be more open and set by the player. These two paces echo Sangster (2007) and Vaughan (2005) from above. The challenge for Tomb Raider: Anniversary is meeting the players' expectation of pacing. When my goal shifted from enjoying the journey to reaching the next area and objective, I was at odds with the game.<br /><br />Being at odds with the game's exploration pacing, paralleled one instruction experience this week. An undergraduate art history course was looking specifically for articles and resources on their paints and were struggling to find more than a few exact matches. Their goal was to get the required sources and move on to the next assignment and area of their work. The project required them to find tangential sources exploring themes and imagery. The students expectations of classroom pacing were not to search and expand their knowledge and understanding, they were searching to complete the assignment. This difference in research goals effected their expectations on exploration of resources.<br /><br />In tightly focused research session, the student is able to quickly and efficiently find resources needed. Unfortunately, this can often be interpreted by students as doing a search and finding the closest articles within the first page or two of results. This is not a new concern or expectation by students. Librarians often struggle to help students dig deeper than the top results or to refine a search beyond the "good enough" articles. But when the exploration goal is a quickly paced task to the next assignment, their expectations are at odds with the frequent messy reality of a research journey.<br /><br />We must also realize that our expectations can be at odds with the students as well. Just as I was frustrated with Tomb Raider slow exploratory pacing, our students get frustrated with libraries with vast resource options to explore. They just want clear directions through the assignment to reach their goal. Not every class can enjoy the journey as much as a Master's of Education class I worked with this week. After three hours of research exploration, and two reams of paper later, they were still enjoying the exploration of every resource and treasure hunt for each new piece of research.<br /><br />That is the pacing and joy of exploration Tomb Raider: Anniversary expects of its' players. But I was the undergraduate student who just wanted to find my way out of this research cave and out into the daylight of the next assignment. This is a lesson in pacing and exploration that I can take with me into each classroom setting. While I can attempt to inspire the joys of exploration in students, I can also help them understand which path out of their research is the most effective. Just as Tomb Raider's series of jumps, climbs, and ledges may not always feel like the fastest way out of an area, it is often the most effective. In research, sometimes the required information is direct and accessing it is quickly paced. But there are other times when we can help students through the most effective path, which often includes jumps from one database and source to another.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oSWAEHEi5vE/StjGOiioYcI/AAAAAAAABSg/EFv_kakPw-Y/s1600-h/opening.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oSWAEHEi5vE/StjGOiioYcI/AAAAAAAABSg/EFv_kakPw-Y/s320/opening.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393278506868695490" border="0" /></a><br />But unlike Tomb Raider's isolated environment, we can help our students understand why this winding research path is important to achieving their desired goal. Unlike Tomb Raider, where the Sherpa died in the opening scene, the individual student is not alone on this exploration. Librarians are there to help pace the exploration, providing both a growing understanding of the journey as a process and effective routes through the deep caverns of research projects.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Cited:<br />Sangster, Margaret. 2007. "REFLECTING ON PACE." MT: Mathematics Teaching no. 204: 34-36.<br /><br />Vaughan, Angela L. 2005. "The Self-Paced Student." Educational Leadership 62, no. 7: 69-73.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">images from <a href="http://tombraiders.net/stella/walks/TRAwalk/06coliseum.html">TombRaiders.net</a></span><br /></span>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04892755721307156990noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12300418.post-10155294468692803522009-10-14T12:43:00.013-05:002009-10-15T10:30:32.903-05:00Not Hot for Teacher: Lara Croft & Tomb Raider as Educator<div><br /></div><div>Much is written about Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider series. As a game it set new standards for 3D exploration in a "realistic" setting. As a feminist image, the character is still discussed over a dozen years later:<br /><blockquote>Jansz, Jeroen, and Raynel G. Martis. 2007. "The Lara Phenomenon: Powerful Female Characters in Video Games." <i>Sex Roles</i> 56, no. 3/4: 141-148.</blockquote>But as an educational tool and analogy, well, teaching is not often the focus of discussion. Last spring Nicholas over at information.games wrote about his recent <a href="http://www.informationgames.info/blog/?p=140">Tomb Raider experiences</a>. I respect Nicholas Schiller's approach to gaming as educational pedagogy and his discussion of the game made me wonder about potential educational parallels. So recently Chad from Library Voice and I started playing through <span style="font-style: italic;">Tomb Raider: Anniversary</span>, a remake/re-imaging of the original Tomb Raider for the Playstation.<br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">Over the last two weeks I’ve been inching my way forward in Anniversary, one puzzle room at a time.<span style=""> </span>And now, at about the half-way mark, there are some instructional parallels that are worth spending a little time on:</p><ul><li>User interface settings</li><li>Individualized pacing</li><li>Clear directions</li><li>Staging assignments</li></ul><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Each of these gameplay experiences has a direct connection to what we teach and how patrons use our services.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>User Interface:</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Early in the first few stages of TR:Anniversary the player is introduced to the concept of “Advance Toggle” for attacking enemies.<span style=""> </span>The default controls allow the player to auto-lock and draw their weapons automatically.<span style=""> </span>“Advance Toggle” manually draws the weapon.<span style=""> </span>When the control option is introduced it in via a quick pop-up window suggesting the control scheme if you are having trouble.<span style=""> </span>The reality was, I was not having trouble defeating the few wild animals around the levels.<span style=""> </span>Since attacking was not an issue, I dismissed the suggestion and continued through the game.<span style=""></span></p><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oSWAEHEi5vE/StYreq6IojI/AAAAAAAABRw/y0v4Nx9kR9A/s320/lostvalley29.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392545409736942130" border="0" /> <p class="MsoNormal">Unfortunately, not using this option made the first boss battle overly difficult.<span style=""> </span>The first real test of gameplay skill comes in the form of a T-Rex.<span style=""> </span>Using the default interface, which was able to get me through the first three levels only resulted in frustration, lots of frustration and dozens of attempts.<span style=""> </span>When I switched to the “advance” interface I was able to defeat the dino in two attempts.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>There is a discussion to have about the practice vs. performance aspect of this boss, going from a suggestion to a requirement of a skill needed to progress does not allow the player much room to develop the ability.<span style=""> </span>Part of the problem with the lack of practice is the ease of the default interface.<span style=""> </span>It is easy enough to run around letting the game AI auto target, but it suddenly becomes much more efficient when using the “advanced” controls.</o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>This is the same situation that librarians have discussed with students for years.<span style=""> </span>In most cases, the advanced search boxes in EBSCO, Proquest, FirstSearch, Jstor, and others all result in more effective and efficient searches than the basic search. Last year when EBSCO switched their interface to the Googlized one line, students were please with the ease of use and access to results. Unfortunately, when students begin with more detailed and specific searches they often came up with the red line reading: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Note: Your initial search query did not yield any results. </span>But because EBSCO is so nice, the students still have 100,000s of hits based on some of their search terms. EBSCO often allows students to go through their search finding "close enough" articles. Or the research equivalent of running around and shooting until the player hits something. </o:p></p><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oSWAEHEi5vE/StYkRdXB94I/AAAAAAAABRo/IQQsCGHP4ZM/s400/ebsco.JPG" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 246px;" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392537486180349826" border="0" /><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">This fall in my instruction sessions, I've made an effort to have students search both under the default interface and under the "advanced." Even the students that found results under the default interface's single search line, had more effective searches (relevance &amp; retrieval) using the advance method. By helping the students see the difference and understand how to use the advanced search, they continued to use the advanced interface throughout the session and in future sessions as well. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Just like TR:Anniversary, EBSCO allows the user to get by with the default interface. But to really be effective in both the game and in research users need to dig deeper into the interfaces and find the advanced feature that will improve their quest for information and artifacts.</p></div><div>Next up: Pacing</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:78%;">Tomb Raider Anniversary image via </span><span style="font-size:78%;"><a href="http://tombraiders.net/stella/walks/TRAwalk/details/lostvalley6.html"><span class="Apple-style-span">TombRaiders.net</span></a></span></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04892755721307156990noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12300418.post-40382162878341078552009-10-13T17:12:00.004-05:002009-10-14T15:47:37.110-05:00Fall Research: Games as Analogy for Information Literacy<div>During the first month of the fall semester I've spent my research time split between integrating information literacy into the curriculum and games the teach information literacy. This past spring, I was submitted a proposal (a section of which is shown below) and was awarded a two-year research fellowship student. The student will be assisting in the research, development, application, and assessment of using games to help exemplify and teach information literacy skills.</div><div><br /></div><div><blockquote><b>Description of Projects Involved</b>: The Research Fellow, in collaboration with the project leader, will research and create tutorials that will be used by students to help teach information evaluation skills. These tutorials will include three distinct mediums for student interaction; powerpoint, web-based games, and commercial video games. In order to accomplish this, the Fellow will be responsible for researching critical thinking, information literacy, and game based learning. The Fellow will review gaming projects from other libraries and experiment with online Flash and commercial video games. The project will include four distinct phases: research, creation, application, and evaluation. The first year of the project will focus on research, creation, and piloting of the three tutorials. The second year will include applying these tutorials in workshop or classroom settings and evaluating the results.</blockquote></div><div>We have spent the first month of the fellowship compiling a bibliography and helping the student work her way through the literature. As we work through the literature, I will be posting summaries and discussion of some of the articles. And as the fellowship project progresses, there will continue to be updates and discussion and hopefully examples of games.</div><div><br /></div><div>While there is much discussion on creating games with the to attempt to teach information literacy skills. One of the goals of this project is to find existing web-based games that can engage players in information literacy skills and help create a discussion of how those skills can be used in their own research. The project will also compare student evaluations to multiple types of games as instructional technologies. The games themselves will not be intentionally library focused. They will ideally use a variety of settings to provide practical examples of information literacy skills and serve as an analogy for academic based research.</div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04892755721307156990noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12300418.post-54036666369836306602009-09-13T14:11:00.000-05:002009-09-15T14:20:52.799-05:00It's Football Season: Fantasy Sports & Information LiteracyWith today's opening weekend kickoff to the new NFL season, it's worthwhile to review some of the information literacy skills millions of fantasy football players will be engaged in over the next few months. This past summer I was one of the many guest videos (guest speakers) in <a href="http://www.gamesinlibraries.org/course/">Scott Nicholson's Gaming in Libraries online course</a>. The brief video walks through much of what I've written and spoken about in regards to information literacy and fantasy football. <br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hY9W91UQvCs&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hY9W91UQvCs&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04892755721307156990noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12300418.post-48060476225143170102009-09-11T22:07:00.009-05:002009-09-15T14:10:18.527-05:00For Whom the Bell Tolls... I'm Not Dead Yet<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oSWAEHEi5vE/Sq_fuwQyByI/AAAAAAAABRA/MBfEsC6HRxI/s1600-h/brian+not+dead.preview.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 178px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oSWAEHEi5vE/Sq_fuwQyByI/AAAAAAAABRA/MBfEsC6HRxI/s320/brian+not+dead.preview.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381766074053297954" border="0" /></a><br />After 6 months of no activity on this blog, the growing assumption is a slow quiet internet death.<br /><br />But I'm hear to say that it is not the case. I'm not dead, yet. There are still people finding the site and emailing about posts, articles, and classroom ideas. In the words of my colleague, I was on a <a href="http://www.whitis.us/blog/2009/07/06/my-year-long-blogcation/">blogcation</a>. There are plenty of others who took planned and unplanned leaves from their writing. And we all have reasons.<br /><br />Mine... the sudden death of my father. He died a few days after my last post. I am thankful to have had an open relationship with my father and we never hesitated to say "I love you." That being said, rarely a day goes by that I do not think of him in some fashion or another. In addition to this emotional tramua, as the Spring Semester wore on, the entire library began the preparation for a moving our existing collection and staff to a new library building. All in all, I was not in a mental or physical mindset to write.<br /><br />I did continue to research and present. And I am back to needing a place organize, share, and shape my thoughts and ideas. Thus, I am back writing again. Over the next few posts, I will catch things up and talk more about my renewed energy and focus for video games and information literacy.<br /><br />Starting up with where I stopped 6 months ago is a good jumping off point. My post on the state of <a href="http://researchquest.blogspot.com/2009/03/state-of-academic-library-gaming.html">video games, learning, and academic libraries</a> was responded to by <a href="http://bibliogaming.blogspot.com/2009/04/state-of-academic-library-gaming.html">Christy Sich over at Bibliographic Games</a>. Christy had one of the earlier articles about video games and information literacy and her experience and insight are appreicated. She ended her post with:<br /><blockquote>It's important to imbed information literacy into the curriculum - so a game-based information literacy approach should also be embedded. </blockquote>Our campus is in the process of revising it's general education requirements and information literacy is currently included at the same level with writing and speaking/communication across the curriculum. Working on a draft of information literacy objectives, outcomes, course requirements has taken time away from video game research, but it has also allowed me to begin looking for games that fit these outcomes. Over the course of this academic year, I will write more about how I'm incorporating games and gaming strategies into the structure information literacy objectives and hopefully curriculum. <br /><br />But for now, I'll catch myself and anyone else up on the last few months. There are also some new projects that I will be writing about, researching, and reflecting on. <br /><br />Hello again to anyone who hasn't updated their RSS feeds in a while. And hello to anyone new out there reading.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">image from <a href="http://pythonline.com/node/9008251">Pythonline</a></span>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04892755721307156990noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12300418.post-84494754966775569222009-03-11T15:35:00.003-05:002009-03-11T16:20:50.073-05:00State of Academic Library Gaming & LearningThe following is an email I sent out to various academic librarians working on gaming and learning in libraries, with a focus on information literacy. I hope that by posting it here and as others post their responses on their own sites this discussion will grow. Please join in this conversation. Nicholas Schiller has already added <a href="http://www.informationgames.info/blog/?p=120">his thoughts to the dialog</a>. <br /><div></div><blockquote><div>I hope this email finds each of your semesters going well. I want to ask each of you to consider taking part in a dialog about the current position of games for learning within higher education libraries. Recently, I was asked what the most innovative application of gaming in academic libraries was in 2008 year. While I turned to the work of many of you, I was struck by how fewer projects there were compared to 2006 and 2007. This perception played out through many of conferences during 2008 and was something that struck me during GLLS in November. </div> <div><br /></div><div>While more and more libraries are getting involved with gaming through events and even collections, are we seeing the same growth and adoption with gaming and instruction? Has gaming and learning hit a wall within higher education? If so why? If not, where is it evolving?</div> <div><br /></div><div>Each of you has had some part over the last few years researching, producing, and presenting instructional games and applying gaming strategies in academic libraries. Creating gaming nights is a straightforward process. Creating learning games and lessons with gaming strategies on the other hand, is an involved (and sometimes time consuming and/or expensive) creative process. But many of you are doing it on a variety of levels. My question is if our work is spreading or are we just talking to ourselves?<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Now is the time to ask questions, discuss, and look to the future. Nick and Mary both have gaming presentations/posters at ACRL at the end of the month. But these are the only two gaming sessions in Seattle. According to the early program for this year's LOEX conference, there are no sessions on gaming and instruction. There are a number of gaming sessions at ALA Annual, but most are focused on public libraries. Where do we fit? </div><br /><div>Discussion Questions:</div><div>1) What is the current state of games and learning in academic libraries?</div><div>2) What are some of the factors to that current state?</div><div>3) Based on your experience and research, what are the next steps?</div> <div>4) What are the factors supporting or preventing those "next steps?"</div><div>5) What do the finical and economic situations at many institutions mean for instructional gaming in libraries?</div><div>6) What other issues/questions should we be considering?</div> <div><br /></div><div>Thank you all for taking the time to consider taking part in this discussion. I know that there is much work to still be done in our field, but I am hopeful that through collaborations like these we can continue to move forward. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Thank you,</div><div>Paul Waelchli<br /><br /></div></blockquote><div></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04892755721307156990noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12300418.post-58108376362288025252009-01-07T12:11:00.003-06:002009-01-13T12:42:55.557-06:00Goodbye EGM<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">I spent the night glued to twitter feeds and message boards last night reading about the <a href="http://www.kotaku.com.au/games/2009/01/1up_sold_to_hearst_corporation_egm_to_close.html">UGO buy out of 1up and the cancelation of EGM </a>(Electronic Gaming Monthly).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>The writers there consistently spoke with a unique voice in video game journalism and I’m sorry to see many of them go.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Their writings, shows, and podcasts were a part of my routine.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Three of their podcasts filled my MP3 player every week for the last two years.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Over that time, people came and went.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Relationships were cultivated.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Trust was built.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>I’ve told many people that I spend more time writing and reading about video games than I do playing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>The 1up.com staff was a large part of my gaming experience.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>They will be missed.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">EGM was a video game institution.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>It was about to enter it’s 20<sup>th</sup> year with <a href="http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?publicUserId=4549175&amp;bId=8977836">its final issue</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>I remember seeing the very first issue of EGM on newsstands as a kid, but it wasn’t until issue number 4 that I became a regular reader.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Even as a middle school kid, I was reading about games from numerous magazines (Nintendo Power, GamePro, EGM,<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Computer and Video Games, Computer Gaming World).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>One perspective was not good enough even back then… it’s no wonder I’m teaching information literacy.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>But EGM stood out above the rest.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Nintendo Power was for the fan in me, Gamepro had a fun kid friendly style with reviews, but EGM felt honest, harsh even at times.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Video games got poor ratings.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>And who didn’t wonder who <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sushi-X">Sushi-X</a> and Quatermann were?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">EGM is a part of my gaming history as it is for many video game players.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>While the death of EGM and print video game magazines was written on the wall for a while now… the loss is not softened.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">Thank you to all the EGM writers and editors over the years.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Your work has helped video game players question sources, look for additional perspectives, and see their hobby and passion as something more than the electronic “toy” it was back at the start of your run in 1989.<o:p></o:p></span></p><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oSWAEHEi5vE/SWzfUBmw7FI/AAAAAAAABN0/ouvPVltzBsU/s400/2767663311_2a19ca46eb_b.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 270px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290849197374893138" />Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04892755721307156990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12300418.post-49239888683495365232009-01-06T20:53:00.002-06:002009-01-13T12:11:20.316-06:00“Multiple Literacies in 2008 Holiday Games”<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">The January epsoide of <a href="http://http//www.gamesinlibraries.org/?p=50">Games in Libraries podcast</a> was released today.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>The podcast itself is filled with a number of good interviews including one with the <a href="http://www.videogamelibrarian.com/">Video Game Librarian</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>The final segment of the podcast includes a discussion about the multiple literacies being put into practice by some of the bigger games of the holiday 2008 season.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>I talk about the traditional, media, visual, and information literacies at work within the following games:<o:p></o:p></span></p><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Times;"><a href="http://www.crispygamer.com/gamepages/littlebigplanet-ps3.aspx">Little Big Planet</a></span><br /></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Times;"><a href="http://www.crispygamer.com/gamepages/banjokazooie-nuts-and-bolts-xbox-360.aspx">Banjo-Kazooie</a></span><br /></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Times;"><a href="http://www.crispygamer.com/gamepages/prince-of-persia-xbox-360.aspx">Prince of Persia</a></span><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oSWAEHEi5vE/SWzZMAvP9RI/AAAAAAAABNk/9aSM54_gIIw/s200/crispy.JPG" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 72px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290842462633325842" /></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Times;"><a href="http://www.crispygamer.com/gamepages/mirrors-edge-xbox-360.aspx">Mirror’s Edge</a></span><br /></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Times;"><a href="http://www.crispygamer.com/gamepages/left-4-dead-pc.aspx">Left 4 Dead</a></span><br /></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Times;"><a href="http://www.crispygamer.com/gamereviews/2008-11-25/call-of-duty-world-at-war-wii.aspx">Call of Duty: World at War</a></span><br /></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Times;"><a href="http://http//www.crispygamer.com/gamepages/animal-crossing-city-folk-wii.aspx">Animal Crossing: City Folk</a></span><br /></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;"><a href="http://www.crispygamer.com/gamepages/fallout-3-ps3.aspx">Fallout 3</a></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;"><a href="http://www.crispygamer.com/gamepages/fable-ii-xbox-360.aspx">Fable II</a></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Times;"><a href="http://www.crispygamer.com/columns/2008-12-29/games-for-lunch-world-of-goo.aspx">The World of Goo</a></span><br /></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Times;"><a href="http://www.crispygamer.com/gamepages/braid-xbox-360.aspx">Braid</a></span><br /></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><a href="http://www.crispygamer.com/gamepages/valkyria-chronicle-ps3.aspx">Valkyria Chronicles</a></span></span><br /></li></ul><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;">(info links provided by <a href="http://www.crispygamer.com/">CrispyGamer</a>, if you haven't read some of their freelance content now is the chance</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;"><o:p> I had initially hoped to get something posted here discussing of number of these games during the holiday season, but time got away from me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>My segment on the podcast is a condensed version of the possible discussion about the literacies at work within these games.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>And that’s a discussion I’d like to come back to during this month.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">But until then… enjoy the podcast and please give me any thoughts or feedback on the connection between the video games discussed and literacy.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>I’d love to hear your thoughts.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04892755721307156990noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12300418.post-15414572822254493982009-01-05T23:48:00.002-06:002009-01-13T11:53:40.612-06:00“Welcome Back… Your Dreams are Your Ticket Out”<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">Over a month and a half since my last post.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>I’d like to have some wonderful story to go along with my absence, but the end of a semester at a new institution brought a number of unexpected surprises.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>But the end my first semester came with a number of good results too.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">A 100% increase in the number of instruction sessions taught from Fall 07 to Fall 08.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Granted we started with a tiny number compared to what I was doing at the University of Dubuque.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>UD’s 450 plus sessions for a student body of 1200 is an amazing number.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>But still I managed some good growth and have hopefully laid down a foundation for future semesters<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">An initial campus assessment of some information literacy skills was conducted during the semester.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>888 students from across all four grade levels (an easy 222 class average) answered a series of questions dealing with evaluating sources, identifying keywords, and plagiarism.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>The results we mixed, good in some areas and identifying areas of need in others.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>This initial round of data gives me numbers to work into conversations with faculty about their students and the benefits of information literacy.<o:p></o:p></span></p><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oSWAEHEi5vE/SWzVAKAy6LI/AAAAAAAABNc/AVx93qpqYsg/s200/2008+Finals+break_01.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290837860917897394" /> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">I organized and ran a student study break on the Sunday before finals week.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>There were snacks and sodas for the students along with board games and Mario Kart Wii.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>We had a very successful night<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>and ran out of soda within the first 20 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>I hoped for about 100 students and ended up with 192.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Hopeful the good buzz generated by this event will lead to good things this coming semester.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">My one disappointment with this semester was the lack of involvement with the general education committee.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>They are changing the curriculum and the chair was vocal with me and the library about supporting information literacy.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>While I may be disappointed in the progress, it is a committee working toward change – change moves slowly. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">My goal and dream for this semester is not only to continue to build on the success of the fall and to push myself and the library with the changes in the general education.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Therein lies my dream.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>My ticket out of hit or miss one shot instruction.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>A curriculum where information literacy is tied into it. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">We’ll see.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>But until then… welcome back, welcome back, welcome back.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04892755721307156990noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12300418.post-70873658976906097262008-11-20T10:44:00.006-06:002008-11-20T12:51:05.358-06:00Vs. Mode: Level Grinding in SRPGs as a Research ProcessLibrary Voice's Chad added <a href="http://libraryvoice.com/archives/2008/11/20/is-grinding-painful-or-therapuetic/">his thoughts about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">SRPGs</span> and grinding.</a> He's having a good and long experience (50 hours) with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Disgaea</span>, but his narrative progress has recently come to a halt. This has changed the game for him, but also opened up new <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">gameplay</span> elements for him, including the following:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oSWAEHEi5vE/SSWeba1hxYI/AAAAAAAABNM/oC2Yf8alRpc/s1600-h/ss-005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oSWAEHEi5vE/SSWeba1hxYI/AAAAAAAABNM/oC2Yf8alRpc/s320/ss-005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270793132804523394" border="0" /></a><blockquote>However, once I got to Episode 11, I found that my Brawlers, Warriors, and Scouts (all traditional weapon wielders with swords, guns, and axes) would not cut it. As result, I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ve</span> spent the last 5 hours in the game leveling up my new <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Mages</span> and Clerics. <p>Now going back to the drawing board here might really frustrate some gamers, particularly after the amount of time invested in the game. Going back to a beginning level may seem pointlessly redundant, and I could easily become frustrated that I did not create the right characters in the first place. Some may find that leveling up can be a ridiculously boring process, since you simply play previous levels in order to strengthen the weaker characters. I initially thought I would feel the same, but I’m actually enjoying the process of level grinding. And believe me, it is a process...</p><p>...As such, I’m seeing and learning things about the game, and about myself as a player, a bit differently. In other words, I had gotten quite comfortable with how I was playing the game. The game shocked me out of my comfort zone at Episode 11, which caused me to stop, re-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">evlaulate</span>, and play the game in a different way. </p></blockquote>Chad's gaming experience translates well to a variety of learning situations, including research. His experience parallels that of an upper-division student I worked with earlier this week. She was very comfortable with the ins and out of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">EBSCO</span> based databases, but moving her into more subject specialized databases opened up a new realm to explore and search skills to built. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Obviously</span>, some of the same skills and strategies still applied but new combinations of subject terms and other search strategies created a new and different experience for her.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oSWAEHEi5vE/SSWebY29aaI/AAAAAAAABNU/ar-YDBr45ss/s1600-h/ss-003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oSWAEHEi5vE/SSWebY29aaI/AAAAAAAABNU/ar-YDBr45ss/s320/ss-003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270793132273658274" border="0" /></a><br /><span dir="ltr" id=":r0">In both cases, players and students relying on the familiar and understood skill set created a situation where they needed to expand their <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">existing</span> skills and knowledge base in order to progress. They were able to do a lot with a common set of tools (character classes &amp; databases), but for true mastery and quality of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">gameplay</span> they needed to add to that skills set- learn new techniques, practice them in a safer area to build them, and eventually apply them to the overall project.</span><br /><br />Research can be a grind. But just as Chad has found <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">satisfaction</span> in the act of grinding and slowly advancing his characters, our students can derive the same sense of satisfaction. Granted, not all students are interested in a slow progression and quick results are sometimes needed. But framing a research project in the minds of gamers as a way of leveling up their work is a mindset worth discussing. Grinding research can be a rewarding experience, and one that doesn't need to take the 50+ hours players invest in video games.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;">Versions of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Disgaea</span> are available on the PS2, PS3 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">PSP</span>, &amp; <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">DS</span>.<br />Screenshots of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">DS</span> version are via <a href="http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/disgaea-ds/index.html"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">RPG</span> Fan</a></span>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04892755721307156990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12300418.post-32545268577129603512008-11-19T06:52:00.005-06:002008-11-19T10:20:14.919-06:00Story vs. Strategy: Grinding Your Way to Emotional Investment<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Times;">Last week I wrote about the <a href="http://researchquest.blogspot.com/2008/11/searching-for-story-getting-more-out-of.html">embedded narrative in Syphon Filter</a> for the PSP.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Chad over at <a href="http://libraryvoice.com/">Library Voice</a> followed up my post with an excellent one of his own.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>He talked about the game and related some of the games’ experiences to library services.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>The <a href="http://libraryvoice.com/archives/2008/11/13/games-research-and-hidden-evidence/">four points he made are not isolated to the Syphon Filter series but can be applied as general lessons that games provide for library services</a>.</span><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;"><o:p>Chad and I are both currently playing strategy role playing games (SRPG).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Here’s a quick link to define what <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tactical_role-playing_game">SRPGs</a> are.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>But for me, SRPGs have always felt like a complicated version of chess</o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;"><o:p>.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>The player moves each character around a map (traditionally a grid) with a set movement distance and attempts to clear (or take) the opponent’s characters.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>I’ve played and thoroughly enjoyed a number of games in this genre including Final Fantasy Tactics (PS1, PSP) and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (GBA).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Last fall I wrote about how the Final Fantasy Tactics series offers players a number of ways to practice their information literacy skills.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>A large part of my enjoyment of the series is the numerous layers of depth and skills applied during the preparation and execution of each battle.</o:p></span></p><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oSWAEHEi5vE/SSQ3va0BG4I/AAAAAAAABM8/qyTlTspFdbg/s200/arc.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 114px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270398751721200514" /> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">In addition to the Final Fantasy Tactics series, the publisher Atlus and developer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nippon_Ichi">Nippon Ichi</a>  have also pushed the genre forward with games like Disgaea, Phantom Brave, and La Pucelle: Tactics.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Chad is currently playing Disgaea on the PSP currently.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>I’m playing another SRPG, <a href="http://www.us.playstation.com/jeannedarc/">Jeanne D’arc</a>, published by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Level_5">Level 5</a>, that was released for PSP last year.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">Based on my post last week about the embedded narrative, I wanted to look at the narrative of SRPGs, but realized that I couldn’t without talking about the gameplay as well.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Often in SRPGs, as in traditional RPGs, there is a degree of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grind_(gaming)">grinding</a> and character building involved.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Leveling up your character is important to being statistically strong enough to defeat the opponents’ characters.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Yes, with good tactics it is very possible to defeat an opponent at a level or two higher, but often grinding is a potential solution to a challenging battle.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>The difficultly with grinding is it tends to delay the narrative of the game.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">When a player needs to spend time leveling up, the central story arc takes a backset.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>The political fighting of Final Fantasy Tactics or the magical interpretation of the Joan of Arc story slow to a crawl as a player spends time leveling their characters.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>This past weekend, I was trying to push ahead with the central story only to continually get defeated in a specific battle.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>The solution was clear – grind, level up, and try again.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Doing so I made the intentional choice pull myself out of the narrative and dive into the chess-like strategy of individual battles.<o:p></o:p></span></p><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oSWAEHEi5vE/SSQ3vne91mI/AAAAAAAABNE/v2HJpqspiho/s200/jdarc.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 114px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270398755122566754" /> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">Upon doing so, I instantly recalled where my emotional investment came from in previous  SRPGs.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>It is not the game’s narrative that held me in the game’s world, it was my emotional connection with the individual characters.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Like many role-playing experiences, the enjoyment is derived from the expanded story and characterization created by the player.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Grinding has built up a camaraderie between the game characters and myself.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>While the game’s attempt at developing relationships has slowed as I’ve continued to grind, my emotional investment with the characters has continued to grow.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">As I develop a personal investment in the characters, my commitment to the game and the success of each character grows.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>This isn’t a unique experience for video games.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>And the debate over which is more engaging: an open ended user created narrative vs. a tightly channeled game narrative is one that fills message boards on a regular basis.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>There is clearly a place for both.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>And some games find a balance between the two (the 12 <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>million playing WOW’s new Lich King expansion are an example).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">Is one narrative experience more valuable than other?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">Or is it a matter of taste?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">I’m curious what Chad and others have to say.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Tomorrow I’ll come back to SRPGs and focus more on the tactics and strategies and how that can relate to our students’ searching experiences.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-style: italic;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">images via Gamespot</span></p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04892755721307156990noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12300418.post-70898972823861421422008-11-18T23:37:00.002-06:002008-11-20T14:30:29.661-06:00On a night just like tonight... Happy Birthday Wii & PS3<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/hello/187/5551/640/DSCF0021.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/hello/187/5551/640/DSCF0021.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> Cold. A brisk winter wind. A night filled with anticipation. Excitement both for the new gaming experiences and potential profit. Two years ago this week, the Sony PS3 and Nintendo Wii were released within days of each other.  <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153); font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153); font-weight: bold; ">Happy birthday!</span><br /></div><br />On the most recent <a href="http://www.gamesinlibraries.org/?p=36">Gaming in Libraries podcast</a>, I mentioned how I thought believe the Wii has expanded the acceptance of gaming in libraries. Clearly the Wii has expanded the gaming audience. The PS3, <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=21107">while it may struggle in sales</a>, it is still an amazing piece of technology and will continue to help gaming grow and expand. The <a href="http://folding.stanford.edu/English/FAQ-PS3">PS3's folding @home project</a> may have faded from the spotlight, but it still is an important step in broadening commercial video game use.<div><br /></div><div>I was out at both launch nights interviewing those waiting in line.<br /><br /><a href="http://researchquest.blogspot.com/2006/11/ps3-launch-night-interviews.html">PS3 launch night discussions</a><br /><br /><a href="http://researchquest.blogspot.com/2006/11/song-remains-same.html">Wii launch night discussion</a><br /><br />Both posts are filled with comments from gamers about what they do when they are stuck. The interesting piece is that this same mentality can be seen at the reference desk. Students and gamers see asking for help as a potential weakness. With the Pew Internet study showing that 98% of teens play games, this mentality may not be going away.<br /><br />So how we change that?<br /><br />Can librarians can be the "in-game" tutorial during the opening level, more than the "cheat" when frustration sets in? Should we?<br /><br /></div></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04892755721307156990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12300418.post-50384162495532600712008-11-17T23:50:00.006-06:002008-11-20T12:35:19.589-06:00Confronting the Challenge: Gaming as Instructional Technology in School Libraries<p class="MsoNormal">Over the weekend, I had a challenging conversation with a elementary school librarian. He's plays video games with his children at home and likes the idea of gaming in libraries, but is struggle to see how it fits in at the elementary level. We talked about the challenges he sees with bringing gaming into their curriculum.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Our conversation was cut short, as our kids debated who was controlling who was controlling who in Mario Party 8. But I was able to bring up the excellent work that librarians are doing bringing in a variety of game experiences into their libraries. The work done by <a href="http://sls.gvboces.org/gaming/standards/">Chris Harris and Brian Mayer mapping board games</a> to <a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslproftools/learningstandards/standards.cfm">AASL Standards</a>. The work of others holding Alternative Reality Games (ARGs) focused around classroom content. Made for good talking points. <br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I did give him the link to a good K-12 online presentation on educational gaming that could help support his points when talking with his teachers:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://k12onlineconference.org/?p=332">Games in Education: Myths, Realities, and Promise by Sylvia Martinez</a></p><p class="MsoNormal">While much of it is review for those engaged in the dialogue of games and education, it provides a good entry point for those in K-12 education. She brought up many good points including how traditional edutainment games fail:<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote>“These games fail as authentic learning experiences and do nothing to change the way students learn.”</blockquote><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Martinez also spent time talking about how games in education cannot be isolated just to the game, but need to flow over into peer and classroom discussion:</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal">“As you can see, the role of the teacher is extremely important in balancing gameplay with reflection on the experience.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“As with many games, the playing is not the power, the learning happens as you analyze mistakes either alone or with friends.”</p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> Martinez treats video games in education like any other instructional technology. Application and reflection are equally important parts of the learning experience. But she points out the same challenges that arose in my conversation with the school librarian:<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote>“The question is: Are games useful in learning or are games useful in school? Right now, unfortunately, these are not the same thing.”<br /></blockquote><p></p>Finding ways to fit games with content and experiences with the existing curriculum as Harris, Mayer, and others are doing is the first step in a long process.<br /><br />I'm thankful for the challenging conversation about gaming in school libraries. After spending most of my time talking about the educational benefits of gaming, being confronted with the challenging realities of school district pressures, curriculum conflicts, and tight budgets is good. I'm looking forward to continuing our conversation, bringing in other area school librarians, and hopefully (eventually) making some applications for gaming in their libraries.<p class="MsoNormal">Martinez's closing thoughts provide words of encouragement for my continued conversation with my discouraged school librarian friend:<br /></p><blockquote style="font-weight: bold;">“Games are a way to bring joy and excitement into learning, but they need adequate time, matching assessment strategies, and reflective extension activities to make them really worth it.”</blockquote>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04892755721307156990noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12300418.post-67220211437844898352008-11-12T23:46:00.003-06:002008-11-13T09:00:56.759-06:00Searching for the Story: Getting more out of video game narrative<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Verdana;font-size:13px;"><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">Over the last week or so, Chad Boeninger, from <a href="http://www.libraryvoice.com/">Library Voice</a>, and I discussed the game Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow for the Sony PSP.  Both Chad and I finished the game this week and spent some time<img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oSWAEHEi5vE/SRw_CmM8iNI/AAAAAAAABM0/ZdVnunpxI0E/s200/Picture1.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 114px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268154977963772114" /> talking about the narrative of this game and other games in the Syphon Filter series.<br /></span><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">Without giving anything away (even if the game is over a year old), we both wanted more out of the narrative.  The game's story was written by novel and comic author <a href="http://www.gregrucka.com/index.html">Greg Rucka</a> .  The game is full of plot twists, terrorists, and covert government agencies which feels right at home for the universe of special ops agent Gabe Logan.  These political / military thrillers are also right at home in the novels of <a href="http://www.gregrucka.com/books.html">Rucka</a><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana;">.  </span>This combination made me excited about the potential of the game's story.  And this anticipation also effected my initial impressions on the story.</span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">The outline of the story itself is really solid and the narrative arc flows well for the game.  My disappointment was in the lack of details and depth portrayed through the cut scenes.  Big events and twists would happen that felt out of the blue.  Alliances shifted and evidence was presented that moved the plot forward but lacked a clear explanation and rationale.  I wanted more from the story because I was so invested in the outcome.</span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">After talking with Chad about the narrative and running theories and story gaps past one another, I realized what I missed.  The key to fully understanding the twists of the story came from the evidence I mentioned above.  Throughout the game you, as Logan, can find hidden evidence files in each level.  Sometimes these are appropriately placed in file cabinets or on computer desks.  Other times they are very "gamey" and hidden on high ledges or out of the way locations.  Regardless of where these files are hidden they hold the key to fully grasping the story.  The player has the option of reading through the files found in each level from the menu screen.  And it wasn't until tonight, when I went back to read through some of the files I found, that the holes in the cut scenes started to fill in.  Unfortunately, I hadn't found all the hidden evidence in each level to get all the details... but it is a game after all and it's encouraging me to come back and replay levels for more detail.</span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">I've always enjoyed the Syphon Filter ever since its start on the PS1 in 1999.  While it never was as revolutionary as Metal Gear Solid, it had a narrative that continued to make sense across six different games.  The intrigue, twists, and action make it a natural fit for anyone who's enjoyed spy novels like Clancy and others.  My initial lack of satisfaction with the narrative was a result of being too caught up in the action and flow of the game.  I wanted to keep moving, take out that sniper, and rescue my partner.  I didn't have time to stop to read a file.  But that is where the narrative gets fleshed out.  And this is where games present a different way to experience a narrative.  A player does not get the full experience simply watching the cut scenes like a movie.  The player needs to be actively looking for, interacting with, and reading the extended narrative to gain the full story experience.  Henry Jenkins talks about embedded narrative where players flesh out the story by interacting with the game world.  Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow is a great example of this.</span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">What's interesting though, is that <a href="http://researchquest.blogspot.com/2008/05/vs-mode-mastery-in-video-games-mastery.html">I knew the Syphon Filter series on the PSP was a good example of it</a>.  I've used it in multiple presentations talking about how video games are changing the way people interact with stories.  The truth is, I just got too wrapped up in the tension of the narrative that I wanted to keep pushing it forward.  But now I can go back, read through the evidence I found, search for more, and continue to enjoy the depth of the narrative even after my initial playthrough.  </span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">I can no longer say I expected more out of the narrative of the game.  The story Rucka created and the way the game told it expected more out of me.</span></div></span>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04892755721307156990noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12300418.post-58999136044572651532008-11-11T13:15:00.005-06:002008-11-12T16:04:32.853-06:00Taking the library out of information literacy games<div><a href="https://cs.ala.org/acrl/ILpeers/details.cfm?ID=63"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lisa Hinchliffe </span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">recently started </span><a href="http://inspiringinnovation.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Inspiring Innovation</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">.  I've had the opportunity to work with Lisa as a member of ALA's Gaming and Literacy Expert Panel and I've admired her work in information literacy and library innovation for a while.  Lisa's post from her time at GLLS 2008 rasises a really interesting question</span>:<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px; "></span></div><blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px; ">I wonder if there is a way for students to play a game on a different topic that would enable information literacy skill development and in which success is dependent on high levels of information literacy abilities?</span></div><div></div></blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 20px; font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">This is an important question that librarians looking a games for learning should be asking.  While libraries are the major advocates of information literacy on our campuses, we do not assume that info lit skills are only being practiced in libraries.  In fact we don't want to be the only ones owning info lit.  Libraries struggle with getting information literacy intergrated into the curriculum and forming partners with subject specific faculty.  Any review of the literature shows numerous articles on these topics.  Lisa question brings information literacy within games to that same level.    I replied with the following:</span></span><br /></div><div></div><blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The next step to gaming within the higher education curriculum is to create games, as you said, "on a different topic that would enable information literacy skill development."  If we think of gaming and information literacy, than just like info lit, the more it is tied to meaningful content the more successful it can be.  </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">While I've been fortunate to help highlight the work of libraries creating info lit games, we are missing a larger potential.  We can remove the game out of a library context and still teach info lit skills.  And by removing the library context it is possible to remove some of the reluctance that Jenna describe.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">There's a lot of work to do on that end, but it's work worth doing.</span></div></blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">If we agree that games can help teach and provide practice of information literacy skills, then we should be looking at connecting information literacy to other games (both serious and COTS) that are being developed and used within education.  Librarians work to connect the value of information literacy to classroom content.  Taking a look at how games used in education are applying information literacy skills can help provide additional support for gaming, add value to an already rich experience, and gain some partners for future applications.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Thank you for raising the question Lisa.  I hope that others will join the conversation and continue to find ways to tied information literacy to video games.</span></div><div><blockquote></blockquote></div><div><br /></div><div></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04892755721307156990noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12300418.post-56011814385112575412008-11-10T22:57:00.004-06:002008-11-12T15:28:27.385-06:00The Adventures of Links: First week of NovemberAfter spending the last week wrapped up in GLLS 2008 and the election's joyous results, my RSS reading has taken a hit.  Below are some of the stories I missed from last week... maybe you missed them too.<img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oSWAEHEi5vE/SRoFXqAvZqI/AAAAAAAABMs/vusbTwXV1t8/s320/linkcover.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 223px; height: 308px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267528618135742114" /><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://henryjenkins.org/2008/11/an_interview_with_david_edery.html">An Interview on Games and Business</a></div><div>Henry Jenkins has a detailed interview with the authors of the new book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Changing-Game-Transforming-Future-Business/dp/013235781X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1223200033&amp;sr=8-1">Changing the Game: How Video Games are Transforming the Future of Business</a>.  I haven't read the book yet, but it was mentioned by some of the speakers at GLLS 2008.  As always, the thought provoking analysis on Jenkins blog is time well spent.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.seriousgamessource.com/item.php?story=20965">Microsoft's Games for Learning Initiative</a></div><div>Back at the beginning of October, <a href="http://elianealhadeff.blogspot.com/2008/10/g4li-research-alliance-to-evaluate.html">Microsoft announced their funding and support of a new initiative</a>.  The news was covered on a variety of sites including <a href="http://www.seriousgamessource.com/item.php?story=20553">Serious Game Source</a> and <a href="http://grandtextauto.org/2008/10/07/tiltfactor-part-of-microsoft-games-and-learning-initiative/">Grand Text Auto</a>.  But now there are more details coming forth.   The post is a summary of a speech given by Katie Salen at Toronto's "Future Play" conference.  I'm interested to see how these projects develop and how the take advantage of gaming educational properties.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/expedition-week?source=redir_sub_expedition">National Geographic's Expedition Game</a></div><div>Ian Bogost over at <a href="http://www.watercoolergames.org/archives/000996.shtml">Watercooler games had a post about the online game</a> that National Geographic is running this week.  The game itself is based along the lines of traditional point and click adventure.  While it may not be the most advanced gameplay, it is a great attempted to add value to the expedition shows each night.  The shows provide additional clues that open up information in the game.  But the games themselves are decent discussion starters.  I've been reading <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/magictreehouse/">The Magic Tree House series</a> with my five year old son and all the locations covered in the game are ones that the book characters have visited.  I am going to use the game as a way to add content to his interest sparked by the books.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.hiddenpeanuts.com/archives/2008/10/30/alternate-reality-games-and-information-literacy/">Alternate Reality Games (ARG) and Info Lit</a></div><div>There is some good activity over at <a href="http://learnit.unc.edu/games4learning/index.php">UNC's Games4Learning</a>.  Chad Haefele over at <a href="http://www.hiddenpeanuts.com/">Hidden Peanuts</a> recently spoke about ARGs.  His post makes some important connections between potential ARG experiences and information literacy skills.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="http://kairosnews.org/cfp-edited-collection-on-educational-gam"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">For a future bookshelf</span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">There is a call out for chapters for a book collecting educational games.  </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Design and Implementation of Educational Games: Theoretical and Practical Perspectives </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">looks to be published sometime late in 2009, but the call is open until December 15th.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">image from </span><a href="http://www.vc-reviews.com/games/nes/zelda_ii_the_adventure_of_link"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">VC Reviews</span></a></span></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04892755721307156990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12300418.post-34733630128720434052008-11-09T20:57:00.002-06:002008-11-11T15:21:58.785-06:00Continued Advocacy: Personal Reflections on GLLS 2008<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">It’s been a week since I was standing in front of the GLLS 2008 attendees talking about videogames and learning.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>While it was only about 15 minutes, it was a conversation that I built over the last two years.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>In fact, most of my experience at GLLS 2008 was the summation of the last two years.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>That culminating event really changed the tone of GLLS for me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>I mentioned during the <a href="http://www.gamesinlibraries.org/?p=36">“Gaming in Libraries” podcast</a> from GLLS that the tone was different from the year before.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>This year libraries are finding their stride.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Gaming in libraries is becoming part of library’s plate of services.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">During GLLS 2007, everything felt fresh and exciting.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  I felt that</span> libraries and games were just peaking over the horizon and trying to stake a claim.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>All the work that Jenny Levine did to put gaming and libraries out there, set the tone.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Henry Jenkins and James Paul Gee laid the groundwork for why gaming was culturally and academically valuable.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>I know that I was naïve and wide-eyed in 2007, but in my conversations with people at last summer symposium there were many others just starting to seriously look at gaming.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>I’m thankful for the many people in academic, school, and public libraries that were pushing gaming forward at that time.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>And I’m thankful for everyone who’s joined in that effort over the last year and a half.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">I had a chance at GLLS 2008 to talk about most of my projects:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"></p><ul><li><span style="font-family:&quot;Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">-<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">          </span></span></span><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">Mapping videogames to information literacy standards</span><br /></li><li><span style="font-family:&quot;Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">-<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">          </span></span></span><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">Fantasy Football as information literacy practice</span><br /></li><li><span style="font-family:&quot;Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">-<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">          </span></span></span><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">Applying gaming strategies into classroom instruction</span><br /></li></ul><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">I also had the opportunity to help highlight the work that other librarians are doing in creating games for teaching information literacy.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">I am very thankful for the conversations I had with a number of attendees around these ideas and I hope that the ideas helped spark interest or applications.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There is a lot of work to do with gaming in libraries, but based on the work that the attendees are actively planning and already doing there is a lot of good to come out of the work we are already doing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">My mission and direction out of GLLS 2008 is much different than GLLS 2007.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>In 2007, I left feeling charged and justified in the work I was doing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>People were interested and there was excitement around it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>That excitement paid off during last week’s symposium and I’m grateful for the opportunities I had.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Now coming out of 2008, I am again recharged but for a different mission.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">Applying gaming strategies into education is useful as a teaching strategy and I will continue to talk about ways to apply gaming strategies to teaching.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Mapping information literacy skills to commercial off–the-shelf (COTS) games is important to communicating the value of videogames in libraries and information literacy.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>I will continue this effort, expand it to include additional games, and work to formalize it in order to create a guide for others.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">The work that Chris Harris and Brian Mayer are doing <a href="http://librarygamer.wordpress.com/">mapping board games </a></span><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;"><a href="http://librarygamer.wordpress.com/">to AASL Standards and NY State Standard</a>s is the model for the next step for my work mapping videogames.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Making the argument that COTS games teach and apply information literacy in the blogsphere was the only place I could start.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>But I am hopeful that through a variety of partnerships those arguments can be carried out and applied elsewhere.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">It’s taken me a couple of days to sift through all the emotions created at GLLS 2008, but I am eager to pick my gaming advocacy flag back up and help move it into the next battlefield.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>While that analogy may be more militaristic than it needs to be, it fits.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>This conversation over the curriculum applications of video games is already well underway in higher education and education in general.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Other libraries are already engaged in the conversation too.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>I am hopeful that collectively we can integrate gaming in the curriculum.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;font-family:&quot;;">I perceived a tone shift from the excitement and justification during GLLS 2007 to service and sustainability during GLLS 2008.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>While this shift has challenged me personally, the shift is good for the long term.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This shift in tone can lead to a shift in application and ultimately integration.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>Games are already being argued for and applied within education.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>The more libraries join and support that conversation, the more exiting GLLS 2009 will be.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04892755721307156990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12300418.post-36323004223040291852008-11-08T21:57:00.004-06:002008-11-11T15:10:50.456-06:00Relax, Play, & Learn: GLLS 2008 Speaker ReflectionsAfter spending the second half of last week taking in all the election coverage, I've finally worked my way through the rest of my GLLS 2008 notes.  While I initially started posting the sessions during each speaker/session, I quickly got wrapped up in getting ready for my different presentations and decided I could come back to the posts afterward.  Regardless, you can catch all my session and speaker write-ups under the <a href="http://researchquest.blogspot.com/search/label/glls2008">glls2008 tab</a>.  In addition to the individual write up, I wanted to take time to reflect back on the keynote speakers and the symposium as a whole.  <img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oSWAEHEi5vE/SRn0fkLCYrI/AAAAAAAABMk/TsAXUCPOWXc/s200/keynotes.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267510062309597874" /><div><br /><div>It is useful to discuss the speakers as a whole because there were many themes that overlapped and while initially some of their content felt redundant, upon reflection it feels like multiple perspectives in the same debate.  Ultimately the keynote speakers combine to make the point that:</div><div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Games create learning opportunities.  Teens are already playing and not being psychologically harmed.  Libraries are supporting gaming and thus supporting these learning opportunities.  So play, have fun, and the learning will come through play.</span></blockquote></div><div>There were about 10 minutes from Marc Prensky's opening keynote that really summed up his writing and thoughts on how "complex" games teach players a host of skills.  This series of skills was part of the impetus for my own thinking and writing about video games and libraries.   He talked about how complex games can help players learn:</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; font-family:'Trebuchet MS';font-size:13px;"><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(23, 54, 93); font-family: georgia; font-size: 16px;">Collaboration</span></li><li><span style="color: rgb(23, 54, 93); "><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Effective decision making<br /></span></span></span></strong></span></li><li><span style="color: rgb(23, 54, 93); "><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Prudent risks<br /></span></span></span></strong></span></li><li><span style="color: rgb(23, 54, 93); "><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Ethical decisions<br /></span></span></span></strong></span></li><li><span style="color: rgb(23, 54, 93); "><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Scientific deduction<br /></span></span></span></strong></span></li><li><span style="color: rgb(23, 54, 93); "><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Think laterally<br /></span></span></span></strong></span></li><li><span style="color: rgb(23, 54, 93); "><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">System thinking</span></span></span></strong></span></li></ul></span><div>While those skills still hold as much meaning today as they did back in 2005 and 2006, it was disappointing to see that his discussion of them had not evolved since then.  Those in the audience that had not read Prensky before, hopeful walked out with these key points.  Unfortunately, it appeared that the distractions he created about "renaming the library" or trying to redefine librarians or even the suggestions of things to do (all of which libraries are already doing) were what many librarians took away from his keynote.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Prensky's keynote was followed by <a href="http://researchquest.blogspot.com/2008/11/teens-games-and-civics.html">Amanda Lenhart from Pew Internet &amp; American Life</a>.  While I had read through the report and the questionnaire before, it was a wonderful piece to the larger message the keynote speakers created.  The Pew Study showed upwords of 95% of teens play games regularly (99% of boys).  If they are learning the skills that Prensky (and similarly Gee and others) have stated, then the current and coming generation is well prepared to think critically and apply a variety of literacies.  Hopefully, Chris Harris, Brain Mayer, and myself helped support this perspective by discussing how games (board and video games) can be directly connected to established learning standards.  Tying games directly to standards should help make advocacy for gaming in libraries easier.</div><div><br /></div><div>Scott Nicholson's update on how libraries of all types are using gaming showed continued support for gaming not just as a one shot program, but as an ongoing service in libraries.  This growth and sustainability in libraries creates continued opportunities for the type of learning discussed and the type of civic community that the Pew Study found.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://researchquest.blogspot.com/2008/11/grand-theft-childhood.html">Dr. Kutner's</a> keynote highlighted that the reported negatives of playing violent games are overshadowed by the positive experiences discussed by the other keynotes.  His research found little real evidence of increasing in violence based on violent video games.  Kutner stated players play violent games not because they are violent but because the experience is often engaging and motivating.  It is these violent and "complex" games that also lead to the learning discussed in the opening day.  Andrew Bub's GamerDad supported Kutner's data and findings, not through additional data but through antidotes and personal experience.  Bub and Kutner provided librarians with two angles in the common thesis of the impact and advocacy of video games.  Bub summed up concerns over video game addiction nicely, calling it "a page turner" and comparing engaging gameplay to a book "you can't put down."  When the medium is not vilified, then fears of prolonged engagement become something to celebrate and admire rather than fear and condemn.  </div><div><br /></div><div>And finally, <a href="http://researchquest.blogspot.com/2008/11/power-of-play-today.html">Jon-Paul Dyson</a> was a wonderful summation to the symposium.  His point that games are play - play supports learning - learning is good - games are good.  The logic in his speech capped the arguments made by the other keynotes perfectly.  </div><div><br /></div><div>The keynote speakers at GLLS 2008 can be summed up in the following statements: </div><div><br /></div><div>Games create learning opportunities.  Teens are already playing the games and not being overly psychologically harmed.  Libraries are supporting gaming and thus supporting these learning opportunities.  So play, have fun, and the learning will come through play.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">image via </span><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/silversprite/3000406792/in/photostream/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Silversprite's Flickr photostream</span></a></div><div><br /></div></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04892755721307156990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12300418.post-57646268767741975972008-11-07T23:17:00.000-06:002008-11-10T13:18:51.829-06:00What Every Librarian Needs to About Videogames and the Law<span xmlns=""><p><span style="font-family:Times;">Mark Methenitis, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/law-of-the-game/">Joystiq</a> / <a href="http://lawofthegame.blogspot.com/">Law of the Game</a> blog<br /></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; ">He started with a quick overview of copyright and fair use.</span></p><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oSWAEHEi5vE/SRiJBtmJgDI/AAAAAAAABMc/qqVQ4xfzYkM/s320/joystiq.JPG" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 303px; height: 98px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267110426722271282" /><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; "> Mark stated that in law school they stated that the key copyright is that it is a "bundle" of rights that exists. In addition to copyright, games not only content with copyright but also with EULAs (End User License Agreement)</span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:Times;">Methenitis stated that fair use does not apply universally. There are two potential sources of restriction to gaming events copyright and the EULA. Both can be overcome, but at what cost or restriction. The "right of performance" is restrictive. None of the traditional exemptions to not apply to gaming and libraries. Which means libraries should be asking for permission. Permission in writing, physical or email. In a safe legal environment, libraries should be asking.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times;">Do libraries need to ask every time or can they get a broader blanket?<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times;">Beth Galloway mentioned that Nintendo and Red Octane, producers of the "Guitar Hero" series, have both provided permission for use and were good to work with.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times;">Scott Nicholson asked if working through the ALA to get a blanket performance rights by company. Mark stated that working through the ALA could be a successful strategy compared to hundreds of requests. He stated that it would still be on a case by case example.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times;">****<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times;">I wonder how "fair use" plays into gaming at libraries?<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times;">I wonder how this discussion will evolve as the profile of gaming in libraries continues to rise. Gaming events in libraries may be considered public performances of the games, but most gaming events encourage players to play more of the game. Library gaming tournaments also require players to practice to be competitive. Again meaning patrons are buying more of the games. One of the reasons publishers may not be too aggressive on pursuing libraries is because there is a positive net result in their gaming profits.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times;">Mark also has a <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/03/lgj-user-content-creation-crisis/">really interesting post on intellectual property and Little Big Planet</a>. As games formalize user created content, the debate over ownership and rights will continue to evolve.<br /></span></p></span>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04892755721307156990noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12300418.post-58910060549571139792008-11-07T22:50:00.000-06:002008-11-10T13:50:49.077-06:00The Power of Play Today<span xmlns=""><p><span style="font-family:Times;">Below are my notes from the closing keynote speech at GLLS 2008:<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times;">Jon-Paul Dyson; <a href="http://www.strongmuseum.org/">Strong National Museum of Play</a>; Editor <a href="http://www.americanjournalofplay.org/"><em>American Journal of Play</em></a><br /> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times;">Play involves passion. Because of this passion play is what we spend our time doing, or at least our free time.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times;">The Strong Museum is working on a big exhibit coming next year on electronic games. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times;">There are elements where games, play, and reading all come together. Jon-Paul used a Venn diagram to show the junction and also where they exist on their own. Used the quote "work is not the opposite of play, depression is the opposite<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times;">He posed the question of "what is play?" <br /></span></p><ul><li><span style="font-family:Times;">Fun<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family:Times;">Voluntary<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family:Times;">Play is its own reward<br /></span></li><li><div><span style="font-family:Times;">Exists in a "Magic Circle"<br /></span></div><ul><li><span style="font-family:Times;">Rule set<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family:Times;">Emersion/absorption<br /></span></li></ul></li></ul><p><span style="font-family:Times;">6 elements of play:<br /></span></p><ul><li><span style="font-family:Times;">Anticipation<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family:Times;">Surprise<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family:Times;">Pleasure<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family:Times;">Understanding<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family:Times;">Strength<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family:Times;">Poise<br /></span></li></ul><p><span style="font-family:Times;">The Benefits of Play:<br /></span></p><ul><li><span style="font-family:Times;">Refreshes us, breaks from life, work, learning<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family:Times;">Increases our flexibility<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family:Times;">Learning<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family:Times;">Makes us happier<br /></span></li></ul><p><span style="font-family:Times;">Jon-Paul talked about how our play today is not new play. It is the same play just in a new medium. "A new way."<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times;">He gave libraries some questions to try to answer:<br /></span></p><ul><li><span style="font-family:Times;">What is the role of the library?<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family:Times;">Are libraries about books, about information, about play?<br /></span></li><li><div><span style="font-family:Times;">How do libraries engage these new forms of play?<br /></span></div><ul><li><span style="font-family:Times;">How do libraries fall into the Venn diagram of games, play, reading<br /></span></li></ul></li></ul><p><span style="font-family:Times;">Do libraries provide play? Or do we promote the best play?<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times;">How can we do each?<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times;">****<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times;">Jon Paul's remarks provided a great conclusion to the symposium. Games of all kinds are enjoyable because we play them. Through play we can learn a variety of skills and concepts through the act of play. Playing builds community for both those playing and those watching. Play is worthwhile for the health of an individual and an institution. Gaming in libraries, in all its forms at GLLS, is a great way to reach out to various communities of all generations, provide services that build relationships and stimulate growth, and to come together in shared experiences of play.</span></p></span>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04892755721307156990noreply@blogger.com0
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