Quote:
“At the most basic level, video game play itself is a form of digital literacy practice. If we define digital literacy as it is framed by O'Brien and Scharber (2008), then game play might readily be considered one particularly good case in point. Gaming is the production of meaning within the semiotic resources of the game (Gee, 2007). Gaming is a narrative, hewn out of the "verbs" made available within a game design. Unlike television, books, or any other media that came before them, video games are about a back and forth between reading the game's meanings and writing back into them. In effect, games are narrative spaces that the player inscribes with his or her own intent. From a more contemporary vantage point on literacy, then, games are digital literacy practice through and through (Steinkuehler, 2006, 2008).”
I never realized how games could be considered as digital literacy. This paragraph definitely surprised me. I thought that maybe this article was going to discuss how video games could be used for literacy, instead of video games being a form of literacy. It’s a different take that I had not considered. Video games are a way for players to write meaning within the game by the actions and decisions they make. I’m still unsure of how video games could improve literacy, besides the reading they would have to do within the game.
On a side note, I’m tired of the tiny print or half-cut-off words that video games and shows are now displaying in order to accommodate the few viewers that have large flat screen TVs that are at least 40” in size.
Steinkuehler, C. (2010, September). Video games and
digital literacies 54.1. Journal Adolescent & Adult Literacy, p.
61.
The following article, Literacy throughGaming: The Influence of Videogames on the Writings of High School FreshmenMales, discusses the parallels of classic literature and video games’ stories. This research took nine high school males and asked them to write a narrative based on the plot of a known video game.
Harushimana, I. (2008, August). Literacy Through
Gaming: The Influence of Videogaming on the Writings of High School Freshmen
Males. Journal of Literacy and Technology, pp. 35-56.
Interesting article. I liked the term "pre-digital educators"...nice way to say "old folks". I, too, am reevaluating my definition of digital literacy. As a person with a Business Ed degree, I like to think that I'm all about digital literacies; however, I don't know that I ever considered video games.
ReplyDeleteGreat article. I was struck by a thought I had while reading this quote: "The girls’ writings showed a common tendency to write about their personal experiences, while the boys’ stories showed very little connection to their daily encounters." It made me think about teaching for the GED essay test, and how hard it is to get some people (mostly boys) to come up with an idea to write about... I wonder if it is because the directions to the essay portion are worded in a such a way that encourages test takers to write about personal experiences that relate to the topic. I have told students to "make it up" before because the reader isn't really going to know if it happened to them or not (and really that's not what they are being tested on anyhow), but this gives me ideas about how I could approach this better ...such as asking: "how would such-and-such character answer this question?" I'm going to try it out and see if it works :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for this article Sarah! I'm in the process of writing how use of social networks sites in schools can promote digital literacies. I think I'm going to submit it to this journal!
ReplyDeleteVanessa, Great application of concept learned in this course to your work with adult learners! Would make a great Action Research project!