International Journal of Games and Social Impact, Vol. 1, Nº. 1 (2023)
URI permanente para esta coleção:
Navegar
Entradas recentes
Item School as playground: discussing a play structure for higher design education(Lusofona University, 2023-01-01) Belo, Marta Guerra; Escola de Comunicação, Arquitetura, Artes e Tecnologias da InformaçãoIn this paper we intend to discuss the main elements of play – rules, order, freedom, pleasure, competition, representation, sep aration and uncertainty – as key elements of a new alternative learning structure in higher design education centered on ludic thinking. From the assumption that play is a free movement within a more rigid structure and that playful thinking is intrinsic to us, we draw on Aldo van Eyck and the City as Playground text by Merijn Oudenampsen (2011) and make an analogy between school and playground to discuss play process as learning process and study alternative pedagogies to traditional teaching which seek to foster self-learning through the work Homo ludens. School is observed as a playground where learning takes place through the transgression that results from the strong engagement with the context, the free exploration of space and matter and the ongoing dialogic interactions of the participants. This work is developed by cross-referencing data from different sociol ogists, educators, designers, and game theorists in connection with the data collected from an open talk with the author and four guests: Luís Alegre da Silva (designer, researcher, and lecturer in the field of communication design), Miguel Vieira Baptista (de signer and lecturer in the field of product design), Filipe Luz (researcher and lecturer in the field of Multimedia and Videogames) and Ana Jotta (Visual artist) – that took place in the 1st Games and Social Impact Media Research Lab Conference (Glow2021) hosted by Lusófona University as a joint initiative between the CICANT and HEI-Lab research centers.Item Playing with fake news : state of fake news video games(Lusofona University, 2023-01-01) DeJong, Scott; Escola de Comunicação, Arquitetura, Artes e Tecnologias da InformaçãoEmployed almost synonymously with disinformation and misinformation, fake news refers to the increasing discourse of mis configured news and information being shared online which has prompted global concern. Calls for digital literacy have come from researchers, governments, and public interest groups who developing an array of resources for the public. Games are one intervention. This article explores what it refers to as ‘fake news games’. Not focusing on a specific game genre, it considers video games that discuss or present fake news as central to their play or design. This paper evaluates how fake news is being presented in games and asks how the concept understood across these games. By analyzing the content, skills, and goals in these games, it situates fake news alongside digital literacy skills to see how the term is being re-framed by the medium of games. Twenty-two games were studied from a larger sample collected in late 2020. Through play analysis of twenty-two fake news video games collected in 2020 this paper provides an overview of game’s that discuss fake news. Games were play-tested and recorded to see the range of content, skills and central themes that were invoked in these games. These led to findings dis cussing the design, core premise, and general discourse around fake news that was promoted through play. The findings in this article offer value for future directions of discussion and game design focused on fake news. By pointing to gaps and differences in games in the field, this article offers potential information for designers while also highlighting how fake news is re-framed by these games. It emphasizes which points of interest around fake news are commonly being brought up, and points to future design and implementation considerations for scholars and designers.Item Mastering modern board game design to build new learning experiences : the MBGTOTEACH framework(Lusofona University, 2023-01-01) Sousa, Micael; Escola de Comunicação, Arquitetura, Artes e Tecnologias da InformaçãoGames have proven to be engaging tools for learning. Digital games dominate, but analog games are not obsolete. Modern board games provide new opportunities for teachers. This paper proposes the MBGTOTEACH framework as an introduction and on going process for teachers to use, adapt, and develop modern board games for learning purposes. This framework aims to help teachers profit from these games to build their game-based approaches. The MBGTOTEACH framework was tested during two sessions with teachers and education researchers. It increased the awareness of the potential of game-based learning and the design characteristics of modern board games. Sessions results show that participants might need a more solid game culture and experiences to recognize how to explore games’ potential. Modifying and developing new learning games based on modern board games is not achieved rapidly, although recognizing the games’ potential in introducing sessions is achievable.Item Moral complexity in videogames : a pragmatist approach(Lusofona University, 2023-01-01) Hanussek, Benjamin; Escola de Comunicação, Arquitetura, Artes e Tecnologias da InformaçãoThe field of videogame ethics has already achieved a differentiated view on many ethical questions in regards to videogames, their players and the industry. However, most of these approaches have neglected the benefits of a less abstract, more pragmatic view on videogame ethics. Thus, in this paper, I will introduce the concept of moral complexity to formulate a device that allows a pragmatic identification, categorisation, discussion, and design of moral content in videogames. Moral complexity is defined as (or by) the degree to which a game offers alternatives and/or commentary to violence and deceit to players and is exclusively referring to how the issue of morality is implemented in past and contemporary game design. It is a reductionist approach, which treats morality as a game design element and shall help to understand the experience of morality in a closed player/game circuit. To introduce and explain the notion of moral complexity, this paper will begin with a brief overview of fundamental developments and perspectives in the field of videogame ethics. Further, moral complexity is introduced based on a rendering of Kantian metaphysics into virtual space. Then, elements of Aristotle’s ethics, Csikszentmihalyi’s concept of flow and Habermas’ principles of communicative action are defined to articulate the phenomenological aspect of experiencing moral complexity in game. Based on these theoretical building blocks, a comprehensive definition of moral complexity is presented. To illustrate this construct, cases of videogames (Grand Theft Auto V, Spec Ops: The Line and Detroit: Become Human) are introduced to exemplify different degrees and manifestations of moral complexity in contemporary game design. Moreover, a discussion on issues shall forward a differentiated picture of the concept. In the end, a conclusion presents prospects and chances for the notion of moral complexity.Item See me play! : self-portraiture in pseudo-museums as immersive playscapes for adults(Edições Universitárias Lusófonas, 2023-01-01) Heljakka, Katriina; Escola de Comunicação, Arquitetura, Artes e Tecnologias da InformaçãoThis article analyzes and deconstructs interactive and immersive ‘pseudo-museum’ environments, which seem to be all about making the self-documenting player the main exhibit, or spectacle. The research material collected through a visual autoethno graphic approach consists of photoplays and videos evidencing the author’s visits and adult play in four museums dedicated to selfies during pre-pandemic times (2019-2020), namely the Museum of Ice Cream in San Francisco and New York, Happy Place and The Selfie Museum in Las Vegas. Findings of the autoethnography demonstrate that the play experience based on selfie-taking is both a solitary and social form of play, and to some degree dictated and directed by the exteriors, interiors, rules of engagement and the hosts assisting. Finally, it is argued that self-portraiture in the ‘pseudo-museum’ context is about the creation of ‘playfies’, and making a toy out of oneself.