Week 13 Educational Gaming

Normally I would try for a topic that was completely different to the previous weeks one, but after playing a newly released game I couldn't help but discuss it.

Rocksmith 2014 is a game released just this week and is essentially Guitar Hero or Rock Band, but you use a real guitar. This goes beyond providing a more authentic experience, you are actually learning how to play guitar. I have been playing guitar on and off for a few years now and this game has increased my skills faster than they ever have since I was learning with a guitar tutor.

The game is more than just about playing some songs, it will actually teach you techniques and chords. It will also help you learn each song by allowing you to slow it down and practice sections that are hard for you to play. This obviously goes way beyond what I talked about with the games listed in last weeks post. Now this style of software could be seen as merely educational software, and Faster Than Light as more of a game and therefore it would be more interesting to discuss the educational merits of something that is purely a game. I think Rocksmith however deserves extra credit beyond educational software for how well it performs its task.

The game uses a system not unlike gamification to keep you interested. As you play you are giving little missions that reward you for doing them. These missions are simple and quick enough that you don't feel overwhelmed at the prospect of doing them. However they lead you into learning essential skills for the guitar and encourage you to try songs that might be a bit out of your comfort zone.

One aspect I particularly enjoyed was the arcade games feature. The developers have created a number of arcade style games that you control using your guitar. Such as a game where you have to shoot bandits in a saloon based on where they are by playing the right string on the guitar. Learning where the strings are through muscle memory and not looking is a vital skill in playing guitar and I found I was getting better at this skill through playing a game. It is done so well that I actually forgot I was playing guitar and just felt like I was playing a game; this something that make even boring subjects seem fun to children.

An example of the arcade games.

Now while it could be argued that the reason I have been so sucked into this is because I already enjoy playing guitar and didn't need much encouragement I do see this as an excellent example that education software developers could follow. I remember playing educational games when I was in primary school and hated them. They were boring, and no matter how pretty they looked a kid knows it is no different to learning their subjects the traditional way. However by introducing this concept of rewards this could be very effective in creating useful educational games.


Image References

Gamespot (2013). String Skip Saloon [Image]. Retrieved from http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/917/9176928/2350841-untitled1.jpg

Week 12

For this weeks post I decided to play a video game and analyse the learning experiences within the game. I was also inspired by Ben Harkins post on the capabilities of modern games.

The game I chose to play was Faster Than Light created by independent developers Subset Games. The reason I chose this was because I already had a lot of experience playing this. The game is essentially about being in charge of a government spaceship that is trying to flee the "evil" rebels.

A screenshot from Faster Than Light

As an aside I think that this is an excellent role reversal from standard sci-fi narrative. It makes you think about the concept of good and evil and how that is in the eye of the beholder; by putting you on the side of the governing body in the universe it makes you think about how you just took for granted that the imperials in Star Wars for example are evil and the rebels were good.

The game culminates in you facing off against the rebel's most powerful spaceship. To get to this point is very tough however and requires management and decision making skills. The most interesting aspect though is that while the game incorporates a save feature if your ships is destroyed the game is over and your save is deleted. This eliminates the ability to continuously reload a save until you get past a certain point. The layout of the game is randomised every time as well; which forces you to practice your overall skills at managing combat and the running of the spaceship rather than focusing on a specific event that can just be done over and over again until you get it right.

This clearly means the game is much more difficult than a conventional game, persistence provides much greater satisfaction when you do succeed. I think it also fosters an attitude that is more conducive to a real life workplace. When doing your job, in particular a management job, you always have to make decisions on very different situations. Life does not allow you a second go if you mess up.

It is for this reason I feel that this sort of game would be perfect for creating a useful attitude in a child, preparing them for later in life. Faster Than Light is not an overly violent game so would also be suitable for younger kids, and there are many other games that incorporate this style of gameplay such as Rogue Legacy, Dungeons of Dredmor, and Don't Starve. However I found Faster Than Light to be the most enjoyable, and the management aspect of it made it that much more useful outside of it being merely a game.

Image References

Steam. (2013). Faster Than Light. Retrieved November 1, 2013, from http://cdn2.steampowered.com/v/gfx/apps/212680/ss_b085bdaebad7d39dc87c97a5d788fad2a3d29076.1920x1080.jpg?t=1371145773

Week 11 - Pinterest

Here is my pinterest board for this week:

http://www.pinterest.com/nathanm88/cln647/


I decided to incorporate as much regarding youth popular culture as I could. This included music as well as popular culture that would appeal to slightly older audiences.

The majority of the pins however belong to The Hunger Games as I feel that the books and movies in this franchise is something that appeals to a larger age range. I tried to incorporate material from many age brackets, such as The Big Bang Theory for older viewers and Hannah Montana for younger viewers. However it was easier to focus on something with a wider appeal such as the Hunger Games.

Music was quite hard for me to choose despite being a big fan of music myself. When I started it I had the mindset that it would be easy to find music that is popular with younger audiences but struggled very early on. In the end I fell back on cliches like One Direction and Justin Bieber. I was tempted to incorporate less mainstream musicians as well, due to the response I got from my questions in the interview from last weeks blog post. However all those artists would have an appeal to adults as well so I decided not to include them as it would not accurately reflect music that is inherently popular with a younger audience.

Week 10 Blog

Before I discuss the topic this week I will post the questions and answers from the under 20 year old I interviewed.

What are your favourite movies and why?

I enjoy arthouse movies, I like the visual and musical stimuli present in these. 

Due to my interest in music I think arthouse movies is a perfect compliment to both genres sometimes basically like watching a really cool music video.

Do you like to read? If so what do you like to read?

I like reading most genres, crime, thriller, and classical sci fi. Though the Game of Thrones series is a genre that is far above my normal readings, but due to the characters, and intricate writing I found myself drawn to it.

Do you play video games/what games do you like to play?

I am into a range of video game, from RPG to first person shooters. Games like Skyrim, Call of duty, Grand Theft Auto, Star Craft 2.

How do you think books/movies/games influence your life?

Not so much

Do you think music is just as important to you as books/movies/games?

Definitely no debating the effect of music. Music has a sense of reminding me of places and times in my life. Not all good and not all bad, but still a time period in my life. Whether that was in a particular place, or emotional state.

I think without music the world would be a very different place. movies, and games for the most part feature music, so it is equally as important in those areas of art.

What music do you like?

New bands in the 60's - 70's style e.g. the dandy warhols, the brian jonestown massacre, 

Early punk e.g. the ramones, the clash, joy division.

classics - the rolling stones, cream, jimi hendrix, the beatles 

I think the most interesting thing to take out of these answers is that none of the more popular texts or bands are mentioned. I think it is very easy to dismiss that not all young people will enjoy the same thing that everyone else enjoys. It is almost a given when discussing what adults like as it is understood people have varying tastes.

It is easy to discuss what younger people are engaging with in terms of Twilight and the Hunger Games because they genuinely are the most popular texts at the moment. There will always be exceptions to this however. I know that when I was in high school it was very hard to find friends who liked the same music as me; and even though I had friends who shared the same tastes in movies and TV, we were in the minority. 

I think therefore that when analysing how younger people engage with texts it is worth understanding that not all of them engage with the same things. This could help enormously in understanding youth culture as the reasons that the minority engages with the alternate texts could be different to the reasons they engage with the more popular ones. 

One thing I did find particularly interesting was that the interviewee did not think of any of the texts as influencing his life at all. It is taken for granted that popular texts shape youth popular culture but it is obvious that not all youths see it that way. 

Week 9 Blog

When I was a kid my favourite cartoon was Batman: The Animated Series

http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/200/8/5/batman___the_animated_series_by_stormy94-d57w6a1.jpg

The reason I enjoyed this show so much was because of the stories and the detective feeling to the plot. While like any young boy I enjoyed a bit of cartoon violence, each episode drew me in because there always something for Batman to solve. I think this says a lot about what makes children interested in a piece of pop culture.

While it seems obvious; there always has to be something to draw the child in. Another show I was very much involved with as a child was Pokemon, the catch for this was all the extra information surrounding the show. You could not only learn about the different Pokemon creatures but collect the cards as well. It became a social thing where you could talk to friends about it and trade cards with them. While Batman did not have that same social aspect, as I would usually watch it with my brother and had no other friends who had a strong interest in it, it shows that for something to be memorable a kid needs some kind of hook. Arguably Pokemon did not have the same high level of plot development as Batman: The Animated Series it did have something else to keep the children entertained. As everyone knows it was extremely popular.

This could be a very good concept to keep in mind when it comes to educating children as well. By incorporating some sort of hook children will more likely to be engaged in the topic. Personally I think the type of engagement that the Pokemon phenomenon had would be ideal. While it would be almost impossible to generate that kind of hype the same way again, it would be interesting to see what could be done with a trading card system that educated school kids.

Going back to the idea of the detective style plots in Batman: The Animated Series, I think educational videos could learn a lot from this. Care must be taken though that everything will appeal to a child, as I personally remember many videos shown in class as a kid that were just so awful it was hard to take seriously. While the idea of a hook may be at the core of a way to engage children, no other aspect of quality should be neglected. 

Overall I think it is important that when teaching kids, the focus should be on getting them engaged.

Week 8 Blog: Recommended text.

For my resource I found an excellent book on popular culture in general called Re-reading popular culture, written by Joke Hermes. However I want to focus specifically on Chapter 6: Children and the media. This chapter focuses on how popular culture affects children and their interactions with society. It also dispels a lot of myths regarding children's popular culture, including one that is of particular interest to me; the influence of TV and video games on young children with a particular focus on violence in media.

In terms of relevance to CLN647, I particular found it interesting how Hermes discussed how children learn and interact with media, particularly educational media. After interviewing a number of children regarding how they viewed the third world based on the information they received from television, he found that children thought of it as a place that's constantly miserable and full of hardship. While the standard of living in third world countries is obviously poorer than in the first world, this extreme form of "black and white" reasoning is telling of how children absorb information.

This chapter touches on gender issues as well, particularly within video games. It came as a suprise to the author of the book that many of the games are gender "neutral". While a lot of the more violent games are seen by younger people to be "boys games" there is very little difference in how children of either gender interact with games. It was also interesting to see that most younger boys did not mind having central female characters in games. Which in my personal experience is not always true of older gamers, which has caused some controversy recently.

I also think one of the most important aspects to consider when analysing children's consumption of popular culture is that they don't only watch movies or play games that are aimed at them. It is limiting to only focus on "children's" texts. In the book Joke Hermes says it a lot better than I can:

 "We are used to defining children by age, and in opposition to being an adult.9 In terms of media usership, this is hardly adequate. Children see much more than just children’s programming on television; the game player community extends far into adulthood. By linking age to emotional and cognitive development, media scholarship excludes children from debate about what they like." (2005)

This has actually lead to a number of much talked about issues such as children being exposed to violent media.

Violence in popular culture, particularly video games is another issue that comes up regularly. Every one of those links has come to the conclusion that violent video games do not cause violence in children. While this is a sign of bias on my part as I think the concept is ridiculous; all of the sources, aside from the reddit discussion, are reliable sources of information. It is almost impossible to find reliable information stating otherwise. This also concurs with the literature that Hermes consulted for the book. It is telling of children's ability to distinguish reality from fiction, something that is often woefully underestimated in my personal experience.

Overall I think this chapter brings up a lot of issues worthy of discussion and all the information is well referenced with reliable information. It has given me a lot to think about and also broadened my understanding of youth and popular culture.


References 
Hermes, J. (2005). Re-reading popular culture. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub.

Week 7 Reflection

I particularly enjoyed the social reading article from this learning packs readings. While I have not engaged in social services such as goodreads before, I have messed around with sharing quotes through the kobo app on my smartphone. While most of my e-book reading is on a kindle e-reader rather than my phone, I did find this a very interesting use of social media technology. Beyond the sharing of quotes that you like, I found that people can comment on pages or sections of the book and people can start a conversation around that. I expect this level of communication around books to increase in popularity; I know from experience how great it is to find someone who likes the same books as you. You are able to talk to them about the things you love. This kind of technology makes it much easier to reach out to these kinds of people. Modern technology is able to used for much more than just social reasons however.

The article also brought up how Amazon want to track people's reading habits so that authors can write to cater to such statistics. I understand the business reasoning behind such technology but I think it cheapens any artistic quality to the book. While there are many authors that write books to cater to a mass audience there are many that are far more focused on the art of writing; it will be interesting to see how this technology impacts on them. It is quite alarming just how easy it is becoming to implement such technology. Despite how complex it really is, modern technology is becoming easier for the average person to use.

I think Bruce Derby's article talking about technology in schools sums this up quite well. Previously using technology in a classroom could have been a risky prospect due to the time spent learning how to use the technology in the first place; now this is no longer so much of an issue. In fact I think it is becoming increasingly important to engage young children with such technology early on so that they are better equipped to use it in their later adult lives. It is becoming increasingly obvious that tablets and smart devices are being used for more than just the social uses discussed above. This means that allowing a child to get familiar with the technology now could help them immensely in their future personal and professional lives.