K.Becker & D.M.Jacobsen A Trivial Talk for Serious People Image credits: www.shared-visions.com/Rocket/EarnestCast.htm www.djdchronology.com/iobe.htm Film photos: 2002, Miramax, Universal Studios K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest 1 Objective: Games Literacy for All K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest Legend of Zelda 2 Why Get to Know Games? Wii Games K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest 3 Why Get to Know Games? You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. Plato 428 – 348 BC Black & White K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest 4 Why Get to Know Games? ... but we enjoyed playing games and were punished for them by men who played games themselves. However, grown-up games are known as 'business' and even though boys' games are much the same, they are punished for them by their elders. No one pities either the boys or the men, though surely we deserve pity, for I cannot believe that a good judge would approve of the beatings I received as a boy on the ground that my games delayed my progress in studying subjects which would enable me to play a less creditable game later in life. Saint Augustine (AD 354 - 430) in his Confessions - Book I:10 K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest 5 It should be noted that children at play are not playing about; their games should be seen as their most serious-minded activity. Michel de Montaigne 1533 1592 Why Get to Know Games? K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest 6 Games lubricate the body & the mind. Ben Franklin 1706 - 1790 Why Get to Know Games? K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest 7 Play is the Beginning of Knowledge George Dorsey, Anthropologist, 1868-1931 Why Get to Know Games? K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest 8 We don't stop playing because we get old... we get old because we stop playing. George Bernard Shaw 1856 - 1950 Why Get to Know Games? K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest Syberia 9 Why Get to Know Games? Harlan Ellison When I reviewed television, people said "If you hate television so much, how come you've got a television set in your house?". Stephen King even said "You know, Harlan's got a big TV.". Yes, that's right. I try to be courant. I try to know what it is I'm talking about. I am not like many people who give you an opinion based on some sort of idiot hearsay or some kind of gut feeling you cannot validate. When I give an opinion, I do my best to make sure it is based on information. http://harlanellison.com/home.htm Myst End of Ages K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest 10 Why Get to Know Games? Anyone who makes a distinction between games and learning doesn't know the first thing about either. Marshall McLuhan 1911 - 1980 Star Wars Galaxies K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest 11 The Hype Gwendolen: “In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity is the vital thing.” Oscar Wilde,1895 The Importance of Being Ernest Act III And the Reality K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest 12 Dawson College, Montreal The Hype Sept 13 2006 Both the BBC & CNN were quick to report that the shooter played violent video games. (He also wore a long black coat.) To their credit, the CBC did not. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2006/09/14/gunman-shooting.html http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americas/09/14/montreal.shooting/index.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/5346110.stm K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest Battle of the Colossus 13 Dawson College, Montreal The Reality Columbine Massacre Game voted one of The 10 Worst Games of All Time (PC World) “Do violent video games inspire horrific, violent acts in the real world? No one really knows for sure. Do horrific, violent acts in the real world inspire violent video games? Absolutely.” “Like the developers of JFK Reloaded, another recreation of a historic murder, the creator of SCMRPG claimed lofty aims. On his Web site… Ledonne says the game “asks more of its audience than rudimentary button-pushing and map navigation; it implores introspection.” ‘…as a game, Super Columbine Massacre RPG is appalling.’ http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,127579-page,1-c,games/article.html K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest 14 The Hype Just After Virginia Tech....Reported Thursday 3rd May 2007: Student expelled for high school Counter-Strike map The “crime”? 17-year old Asian boy teaches himself how to create a game mod, uses a landscape with which he is familiar (his school), and shares it on the web. Ya got trouble, folks, right here in River City With a capital 'T' and that rhymes with ‘G' And that stands for ‘game' Source: http://www.theregister.com/2007/05/03/student_counterstrike_map_texasschool/ K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest 15 The Reality K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest 16 The Hype Gamers are: - mostly under 18 years - primarily men Most popular games are: - violent twitch games http://www.theesa.com/archives/files/Essential%20Facts%202006.pdf 17 K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest The Reality Average age of Gamer: 33 # of US homes that have game consoles: 45 million (~half) Gamers are: 31.0% under 18 years 44.0% 18–49 years 25.0% 50+ years 85% of all games sold in 2005 were rated "E" for Everyone, "T" for Teen, or "E10+" for Everyone 10+. WOMEN age 18 or older represent a significantly greater portion of the game-playing population (30%) than boys age 17 or younger (23%). 38% of gamers are women. http://www.theesa.com/archives/files/Essential%20Facts%202006.pdf 18 K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest What Gamers Do…. WHAT ELSE ARE GAMERS DOING? Gamers devote more than triple the amount of time spent playing games each week to exercising or playing sports, volunteering in the community, religious activities, creative endeavors, cultural activities, and reading. In total, gamers spend 23.4 hours per week on these activities, compared to 6.8 hours per week playing games. 79% of game players of all ages report exercising or playing sports an average of 20 hours a month. 93% of game players also report reading books or daily newspapers on a regular basis, while 62% consistently attend cultural events, such as concerts, museums, or the theater. Source: Peter D. Hart Research Associates, 2004 51% of all gamers play games in-person with other players at least one hour a week, and a quarter (25%) of gamers play games with others online for at least an hour per week. http://www.theesa.com/archives/files/Essential%20Facts%202006.pdf K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest Roller Coaster Tycoon 19 "Technology is anything that wasn't around when you were born." Alan Kay What is technology for you? When were you born.... texting, blogging, wiki’s, open source, FaceBook, YouTube, MySpace, RSS, preferences (& customization, see D.Norman), augmented reality games, machinima 20’s-30’s: radio, telephone 40’s-50’s: television 60’s-70’s: computers, cell phones 80’s: games, internet, ipods 90’s: nothing (!!!) K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest 20 Kids should be reading instead of playing video games “We often assume that stories told in one medium are intrinsically inferior to those told in another. Shakespeare and Jane Austin were once considered to be working in less legitimate formats than those used by Aeschylus and Homer. One hundred years after its invention, film art still occupies a marginal place in academic circles. The very activity of watching television is routinely dismissed as inferior to the act of reading, regardless of content.” (Janet Murray, 1998, p.273) K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest 21 Modern Times CNN: Not playing around: Scientists say video games can reshape education POSTED: 0208 GMT (1008 HKT), October 17, 2006 http://edition.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/10/17/video.games.ap/index.html ”The theory is that games teach skills that employers want: analytical thinking, team building, multitasking and problem-solving under duress. “ Report on The Summit on Educational Games. (2006) Washington, DC: Federation of American Scientists. http://fas.org/gamesummit released Oct 17, 2006 K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest 22 Why should we focus on digital games for learning? • Many video games require players to master skills in demand by today’s employers— strategic and analytical thinking, problem solving, planning and execution, decision-making, and adaptation to rapid change. • They can be used to practice practical skills and important skills that are rarely used, to train for high-performance situations in a low-consequence-for-failure environment, and for team building. • Games offer attributes important for learning—clear goals, lessons that can be practiced repeatedly until mastered, monitoring learner progress and adjusting instruction to learner level of mastery, closing the gap between what is learned and its use, motivation that encourages time on task, personalization of learning, and infinite patience. • Today’s students—the so-called digital natives—are poised to take advantage of educational games. Report on The Summit on Educational Games. (2006) Washington, DC: Federation of American Scientists. http://fas.org/gamesummit released Oct 17, 2006 K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest 23 Q: What should the government, industry, and education community do to get educational games to teachers and learners? A: Teachers should be trained to use learning games. Report on The Summit on Educational Games. (2006) Washington, DC: Federation of Scientists. http://fas.org/gamesummit released Oct 17, 2006 K.Becker American D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest 24 But before we can begin to use learning games... Need for Speed K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest 25 Literacy Would you teach using this man’s work without having read his works or knowing anything about him? K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest 26 Literacy Does literacy mean the same thing as it did when you were in school? When your grandparents went to school? K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest 27 The Good Old Days K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest Star Strike 28 Now E3: Electronic Entertainment Expo, 2005 K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest 29 How to start? Barriers to entry are rising. E3: Electronic Entertainment Expo, 2005 K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest 30 A Few Suggestions: Start small. Start simply. Play in pairs. Spend an hour. Ask your students to share their knowledge. Discuss games. Critique games. Try fan fiction. K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest 31 Games to Try: Phoenix Wright Fowl Words Electroplankton Wii Sports Frogger The Sims K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest Carmen Sandiego 32 Games to Try: Dance, Dance Revolution Katamari Damacy Harvest Moon Lego Star Wars K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 Trauma Center The Importance of Being Ernest 33 Questions? Super Mario Galaxy K.Becker D.M.Jacobsen AmTech 2007 The Importance of Being Ernest 34