R U Game - Online gaming in Public Libraries
R U Game - games & public libraries SeminarState Library NSW 23rd June 2010
Hello there people in blog land! I recently attended the R U game : games and public libraries seminar at the State Library and would like to share my notes with you.
Part 1
At the Seminar, there were six groups of presenters presenting topics from "serious games" to "how a couple of public libraries use console games" to enhance their service.
The first presenter, Gary Hayes, who is the Coordinator & Lecturer - Multi-platform Content, at the Australian Film TV and Radio, talked about "serious games".
So, what are "serious games"? A few definitions include: games that are not entertainment; games that are simulations; games that offer infotainment, edutainment and games that can be used in education. Gary also defines "serious games” as being activities which involve goal oriented "play" intended to improve the players knowledge, awareness or skills.
Often the intention of serious games is to: raise awareness of issues, develop social skills, train motor functions, train for a crisis response, impart knowledge, develop business prowess and improve the mind and body. Some examples of serious games include: role playing scenarios (acted or written), board games (monopoly?), some entertainment software titles (the Sims is a good example), and educational CD-ROMs.
Gary then had a look at some of the specific games that are used in different situations.
When the aim of the game is to raise awareness of issues, here are some examples that fulfill this requirement.
1. Mcvideogame.com. In this game players can learn what it is like to manage a complex organization and what it means to be a fast food producer in the world.
2. Jetset is a game that involves mangaging an airport and it looks at issues such as airport security.
3. Stop Malaria for ipone/ipad which raises awarness of Malaria.
4.Darfur is dying deals with what it is like to live in a third world border town. Players face choices such as should they walk a long way to get water or should they kill the last remaining cow in the village.
5. A terrorist game where lives rest on every decision that you make.
6. There are games that deal with environmental issues where you get points for recycling.
Here are some examples of games that deal with developing social skills.
1. reachout.com.au. The game on this website talks about suicide.
2. The Sims 1/2/3. The sims is a people simulator where you control one or more people guide them through their social interactions.
Games that deal with developing crisis response skills:-
1. www.trusim.com. This game makes you prioritise when it comes to helping victims of a crisis.
2. www.msafire.com/game_home.html. This game is for firefighters.
Games that train motor functions:-
1. www.sydac.com.au. A train driving simulator.
2. www.x-plane.com. A flight simulator.
Games that impart knowledge:-
1. Immune attack. Set in a hospital.
2. www.wildearthgame.com. The player learns about african animals.
Games that improve mind & body:-
1. Nintendo "brain training" games. www.nintendo.com/ds
2.Wii fit. A game that helps you get fit on the Nintendo Wii.
There are many more examples of "Serious games". For a full listing of the games that Gary talked about, go to http://www.slideshare.net/hayessg31 and you can go through all of the slides that Gary created for his talk.
The second presentation of the day was done by Sam Doust, who works at the ABC. He spent half an hour talking about "Bluebird AR" (AR stands for "Augmented Reality") which was a drama-cum-alternate reality game-cum interactive experience. The project was based around the themes of climate change and geo-engineering and blurred fictional scenarios with real world events. It was created by a team of about 4 to 8 people.
• Sam though that "Alternate Reality" is a natural genre for the internet
• There was about 150,000 to 200,000 registered players of the game, of which a large majority are students.
• The game used an interactive narrative that played out online. The proposition for the game was complex, sophisticated and rewarding therefore the options for playing the game needed to mirror this.
• The story revolved around a central conflict around a controversial and untested practice called geoengineering. Bluebird is the name of a fictional company that wants to use geoengineering to save the planet. Some of the video on the website showed the Bluebird CEO talking to an American Billionaire and trying to secure his funding for the project.
• The game played out in real time through a record of events. The player participates in bringing the story forward and bringing it to its varied conclusions.
• The main game website used a wiki template. A central area was used to collate and network the collective experience. Advantages of this included collective intelligence, knowledge sharing and management whilst preserving the individual threads of study in a creative approach.
• It was noted that this was a hard game to play, however the game makers tried to keep the clue trail logical all the time.
• People were awarded points for doing various tasks.
• If people got stuck, the forum moderators would give hints.
• Participants learnt about the real world by studying it through a fictional but feasable scenario.
So ends part one! In part two, I'll look at online relationships in World of Warcraft, how public libraries use console games & an authentic WWI submarine simulation that is being created at Edith Cowan University.
Michael
Miranda Library
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2 comments :
That sounds really interesting. I remember when I was a kid we had a whole lot of 'Serious games' and I learnt heaps from them. The CD Rom 'Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?' really springs to mind - it taught me a lot about geography and led to my interest in travel.
Thanks Michael for an interesting report for someone who is a little out of touch with gaming. Dianne
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