Digital Library Publication Forum Archives
- Proceedings of DiGRA23
DiGRA Nordic '10: Proceedings of the 2010 International DiGRA Nordic Conference: Experiencing Games: Games, Play, and Players
- 13 articles or papers
Modelling Experimental Game Design
Holopainen Jussi Nummenmaa Timo Kuittinen Jussi
2010 DiGRA Nordic '10: Proceedings of the 2010 International DiGRA Nordic Conference: Experiencing Games: Games, Play, and Players
This paper uses two models of design, Stolterman’s and Löwgren’s three abstraction levels and Lawson’s model of designing, from the general design research to describe the game design process of an experimental pervasive mobile phone game. The game was designed to be deployed at a big science fiction convention for two days and was part of a research through design project where the focus was to understand which core mechanics could work for pervasive mobile phone games. The design process was, as is usual for experimental designs, very iterative. Data were gathered during the design process as entries in a design diary, notes from playtesting and bodystorming sessions, user interface sketches, and a series of software prototypes. The two complementary models of design were used to analyse the design process and the result is that the models give a good overview to an experimental game design process and reveal activities, design situations, and design choices which could have otherwise been lost in the analysis.
Stillborn Gamers? Writing a Birth Certificate for Corporeality and Locomotion in Game Research
Nørgaard Rikke Toft
2010 DiGRA Nordic '10: Proceedings of the 2010 International DiGRA Nordic Conference: Experiencing Games: Games, Play, and Players
The paper presents a theoretical cornerstone in my current, ongoing PhD project which overall aim is to investigate relations between gamers’ corporeal, digital, and communicative practices. The present paper explores, in a beginning way, one of the more overlooked perspectives on the gamer, namely, the gamer as a ‘tool-wielding, moving body.’ It considers the theoretical and analytical questions that might begin to be asked if we understand gamers as moving bodies rather than e.g. visual perceivers or cognitive learners. The outlined framework will constitute the foundation for the project’s future research into gamers’ practices and hopefully open the doors for a more inclusive perspective on the gamer. The paper is organized in two parts: Firstly, a compact ‘reading’ of current game research is presented, secondly, possible theoretical and analytical tools for studying gaming as a corporeal activity is introduced. The aim is to make room for and shed light on corporeality and locomotion as valid, significant, and meaningful dimensions in game research.
Why gamers donʼt learn more: An ecological approach to games as learning environments
Linderoth Jonas
2010 DiGRA Nordic '10: Proceedings of the 2010 International DiGRA Nordic Conference: Experiencing Games: Games, Play, and Players
This paper criticizes the argument that video games by their nature are good learning environments. By applying the ecological approach to perception and learning to examples of game play, the paper shows that games can be designed so that players are able to see and utilize affordances without developing skills. Compared to other practices, gaming demands less learning of the practitioner since progress can be built into the system. Contrary to the arguments put forth by James Paul Gee in his book What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy, this paper comes to the conclusion that good games do not necessarily imply good learning.