A case study on implementing an undergraduate games research and scholarship initiative, this talk outlines the formation, initiation, challenges, and future of the Games-Engaged Analysis and Research Group (GEAR) at George Mason University. The talk will address: the challenges and opportunities presented in collaboration between faculty from disparate disciplines; transdisciplinary and humanities approaches to games research; practical concerns involving funding and student participation non-credit-bearing activity, and the benefits of incorporating undergraduate researchers in serious games studies.
2. Come for the Games,
Stay for the Games Research:
Undergraduate Games Research
Seth Andrew Hudson
Game Writing
Computer Game Design Program
Douglas Eyman
Writing and Rhetoric
English Department
4. Collaborative Project Scholarship Development Proposal:
Digital Games Research from a Humanities Perspective
• Mason’s Students as Scholars Program
• Collaborative Scholarship Development Grant
Need: No place in the undergraduate curriculum university-wide
• Computer Game Design program heavy on collaborative production
• Writing and Rhetoric program offered only a handful of courses
• Student demand for such work, even if traditional course not available
5. Original Faculty Team
• Seth’s work focused on pedagogy in
games, student development, and
narrative in games. Background in the
humanities.
• Doug’s work examined the practices of
writing within, around, and about games.
• Steve’s work focused on games as
examples of rhetorical practice, with a
strong interest in theory-building.
• Beth’s work focused on games and
performance.
6. Proposal
• Start an extra-curricular research group that would focus on
humanities approaches to game research
• Faculty would facilitate, but would promote student-initiated
research projects
• Initial funding covered some game systems, games, and 2 Oculus Rift
systems.
9. Early Efforts
• Faculty Brainstorming
• Initial Student Involvement
• Advertising/Recruiting
• Creating a Model
• Sustaining Efforts
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10. Early Efforts – Faculty Brainstorming
• Budget
• What do we need?
• What do we spend money on?
• Student Buy-In
• Not for academic credit?
• What is games research?
• Sustainability
• How can we keep students coming back?
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11. Early Efforts – Initial Student Involvement
• Reaching out to our classes
• Emphasizing novelty of approach
• No current model
• Students have freedom in direction
• Allowing ideas to form organically
• Meet once a week
• See what transpires
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12. Early Efforts – Advertising/Recruiting
• Focus on marketing
• Started with acronym
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13. Early Efforts – Developing a Model
Productive Fun
• Allowing students to enjoy play
while embracing research
opportunities
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26. Lessons from early efforts
• ‘Pulling the trigger’
• Reach out to campus community
• Foster student leadership
• ALWAYS PLAY, always.
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GMU has a robust Game Design Program that focuses on game development and production; faculty in the rhetoric and writing program study games as platforms for writing. We found the SaS CFP a catalyst for collaboration.
GMU has a robust Game Design Program that focuses on game development and production; faculty in the rhetoric and writing program study games as platforms for writing. We found the SaS CFP a catalyst for collaboration.
So we knew we wanted to engage in games research with undergraduate students, but there was no real model for our approach.
Open house is outlet for student work
Also promotes efforts and gets more students interested
Gives group a goal to work toward, even if they don’t have a major project