In addition to teaching writing mechanics, analytical writing, and argumentative writing, English GTAs and faculty are tasked with instructing students at LSU basic skills for effective research. Our students, especially freshmen 1001 students, often find research intimidating, as they are tasked with evaluating resources on their own for the first time. Some students do not see value in investigating sources beyond their database abstracts, and/or view their inclusion in the LSU library database as self-evident proof of source relevance.
In her presentation, Leah discussed some valuable methods of incorporating DH tools into our undergraduate classrooms; along similar lines, I am proposing the development of an Alternative Reality Game (ARG) to aid first year composition students at LSU with developing the skills required for effective library research in a fun (and productive) avenue.
An ARG is a video game, often mobile platform based, which intertwines the real world and game space to create a networked narrative gameplay. Most ARGs use either posted QR codes and/or GPS coordinates to stimulate events within the game space, often leading players to their next area of discovery or investigation. ARGs have often been likened to digital scavenger hunts, but unlike typical scavenger hunts, the transmedia nature of ARGs allow for real-time manipulation of the game by either the creator(s) or, in some cases, the player.
ARGs offer several educational advantages related to both tech literacy and critical investigative skills; most importantly for library research, ARGs encourage a strong skepticism of digital information based on their gameplay mechanics and reliance on detail interpretation. Most importantly, ARGs encourage the same set of DH principals discussed by Lisa Spiro in “This is Why We Fight”: openness, collaboration, collegiality, diversity, and experimentation. Thus, the creation and implementation of my proposed ARG into lower level English courses may serve the dual purpose of engaging students in library research while also exposing them to core DH values.
I understand that this is a very basic definition of ARGs; however, I plan on expanding my explanation of ARGs and their potential use for humanities educators during my in-class presentation on April 14th.
For the final project, I will use ARIS, an open-source ARG creation tool, which you can learn more about (and play around with) here: http://arisgames.org/
This is so exciting! I feel the grind of teaching 101 research methodologies. I often teach logical fallacies alongside analyzing collected research and / or during the writing process, so your point about how ARGs might inherently foster skepticism about information made me think about how the logic-based moves to advance gameplay might coincide with lessons on logical fallacies in general and how arguments are constructed. Can’t wait to learn more about this!
I am interested in how literally your ARG will be based around research. Will the game’s plot be directly linked to the research process in its sequence, or will it be less overtly related to a student’s notion of “the library”? If it’s to be rooted directly in critical thought about resources, you could implement some crossover into the real world (like the Dark Knight ARG’s participating bakeries) that, for example, leads students to a puzzle located physically in Middleton. Or maybe a hidden code in their syllabus or something. I think this idea is really fascinating and your possibilities are endless!
Very, very intriguing. I’ve had friends and colleagues who have purported very fruitful experiences with ARGs in the past which leads to my question: do you think that ARGs could be educational or pedagogical in a way that isn’t tied to the classroom. Put another way, is this a tool just for student or could non-students be engaged by this methodology as well?
They sure can! ARGs have been used outside of the classroom for years now.
Probably the most well-known example is the Smithsonian’s Ghost of a Chance ARG from 2010. http://ghostsofachance.com/
Outside of multiple museums and public libraries experimenting with ARGs, various institutions have created education based ARGs.
Here are some of my favorites:
In 2007 ITVS launched World Without Oil, an ARG which asked players to imagine a world in the midst of a drastic oil shortage (just imagine!) and to collaborate with other players on ways we could adapt practical solutions for this crisis in a way that organizes those proposed solutions for future educators, policymakers, and engineers. Somewhat creepy/ironic: the tagline for the game was “Play it–before you live it.”
http://writerguy.com/wwo/metaabout.htm
The World Bank Institute created an ARG called EVOKE: A Crash Course in Changing the World to “empower people all over the world to come up with creative solutions to our most urgent social problems”. Top scoring players were rewarded with seed funding, travel scholarships, and mentorships with social innovators and business leaders. Check out their website here: http://www.urgentevoke.com/
Finally, my absolute favorite example: in 2014 the U.S. Navy launched an ARG called Project Architeuthis to both recruit skilled cryptologists and to raise public awareness about the kind of work done by their cryptology department. I know it sounds like something straight out of an action-thriller, but it’s true! http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=80742
Sounds fun! This makes me think of a few things. Related to your reply to Leah’s comment, I can see how the skills are very much transferable between the game and research. It might be helpful, though, to include in your final project some guidance for instructors about how they can help students make the transfer. Is their a line of questioning, visual graphic, follow up or tandem activity that can help make the transferability more explicit to students. What’s the connecting mechanism that helps scaffold their move from the game to the actual research?
I also think there’s something productive about the sequential nature of the ARG, “Most ARGs use either posted QR codes and/or GPS coordinates to stimulate events within the game space, often leading players to their next area of discovery or investigation. ARGs have often been likened to digital scavenger hunts, but unlike typical scavenger hunts, the transmedia nature of ARGs allow for real-time manipulation of the game by either the creator(s) or, in some cases, the player.” Could this not just relate to skepticism about texts (all texts, not just digital), but also help students think about synthesis and logical progression? Like, “based on this information, I can draw x conclusions that lead my research in y direction?” I don’t know because I’ve never used ARG.
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Great suggestion, Sarah! I agree that including a proposed lesson plan and instructions to go along with the use of the ARG. There are two ways I can think of doing this: one would be to include the lesson plan along with the instructions of use on the ARGs website (which I plan to also create), and the other would be to include these connections and their explanations within the ARG itself. The former might be more useful for instructors as far as organization goes, but the latter might make these lessons/connections more memorable for students. Any suggestions for the best route to take are welcome! (Of course, I could also include both methods!)
Also, you are absolutely correct: ARGs have the ability to include lessons about the general skepticism of materials, as well as ideas of logical progression and synthesis. I will most likely include these ideas, and possible ways for 1001 teachers to introduce these concepts (and other valuable 1001 concepts) via the ARG in the lesson plan section I’ve mentioned above. Thank you for pointing this out! 🙂
You’ll probably go over this in your presentation, but how do ARGs encourage skepticism of digital information? I find this idea intriguing, but I’m not sure how it would play out. Do ARGs also have the possibility of encouraging scholarly appreciation of research materials?
Because the game mechanics of ARGs are based on puzzles which are solved by the close examination of planted documents or in-game texts, players are forced to search for clues and hidden meanings within these texts in order to advance gameplay. I would argue that the skepticism invited by the game mechanics (“is this document true?” “is this part of the game?” “where is the clue?”) can and does easily transfer over into skepticism of digital information in general. (This is especially true of a popular subgenre of ARGs known as TINOGs, or “This is Not a Game”. Anytime a medium blatantly lies to the audience, the audience is less likely to blindly trust that medium in the future.) I’d also like to clarify that I don’t mean skepticism which leads players to disregard digital information; rather, through engaging with dubious materials with hidden agendas, players are forced to reconsider what potential biases or motive information carries outside of the game space.
I believe they easily promote an appreciation of research materials through a reevaluation of both the task of source material authorship and of research material collection. In ARGs, players engage in both of these modes first-hand, since the successful completion (when possible) of an ARG relies on investigation, uncovering materials, collection, and critical evaluation of items.