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3rd postgraduate research student conference
- 1. 3rd Postgraduate Research Student Conference 13th July 2015 Staffordshire University
- 2. Introduction Nia Wearn BSc (Hons), MA Staffordshire University Senior Lecturer in Computer Games Design Award Leader for BSc Hons / BEng Hons Computer Gameplay Design & Production n.h.wearn@staffs.ac.uk @wormella Currently working part time on a Phd currently entitled "Identifying commonalities in the working practices of students during a Global Games Jam event in line with their education at Staffordshire University. I’m passionate about encouraging play, creativity and fun in education, especially where games are concerned. Ludoliteracy defined • Having the ability to play games. • Having the ability to understand meanings with respect to games. • Having the ability to make games. • (Zagal, 2010, p. 23)
- 3. Games Courses @ Staffs in 2016 Computer Games Design Computer Games Design (Extended) Creating Assets Games Concept Design Game Art Computer Game Animation Scripting & Coding Games Design & Programming Computer Games Programming Core Design & Indie Gameplay Design & Production Indie Games Development Understanding Games Games Studies Games Journalism & PR Our General Flagship Award Niche Awards for Specific Interests
- 4. The areas we teach in Making Games Art Code & Script Design Publishing Research
- 5. What we do in Games • We’ve been doing this since 2006 • We’ve had a lot of alumni go through our programmes – Which in that time have evolved with the needs of the industry – We have bed rock ideas that form key things we believe in Core to this is We Make Games
- 6. Question 1 What are the skills that we teach that our students use to make games?
- 7. How to find this out What we said we’d teach • Document analysis • Module Descriptors, Validations, Reviews of the Games Area What we think we teach • Interviews with teaching Staff What we actually taught • Interviews with Alumni This kind of reflective practice should give me an over view of the skills associated with teaching people to make games.
- 8. Question 2 How do we know that our students use these skills to make games?
- 9. Enter The Global Games Jam • 48 Game Jam – Friday to Sunday • 300+ students take part – Current staffs games students – Alumni Students – Staffs students that aren’t games students – Other Students from colleges / unis / waifs & strays
- 10. What Do I want to find out? Do the skills that we teach on our courses get used by students when they make a game in 48hrs? If so – which ones and why?
- 11. 2015 Pilot that wasn’t a pilot • Initially I had an idea of doing a pilot study in 2015 – Some things got in the way -> – Trying to balance organising with anything else was problematic – Each Jam Site organiser is also involved in the social media • E.g tweeting, videos, reddit etc
- 12. Observing a Global Games Jam • Easier said then done – Students have only a limited time to make the game – They are either focussed or asleep – They have a goal to have a finished game
- 13. Things to consider • Without getting in the way? • Without making them angry? • Could I train research ’minions’ to help? How do I observe a GGJ team? • I need to make sure there’s a mix • How do I control teams without making them angry? Which teams do I observe • Post event interview? • Autoethnographic write up? • Large Scale Questionnaire? If Observation doesn’t work what then?
- 14. Issues the research faces 2016 is my only shot • In summer 2016 we move up to the Stoke Campus • Jan 2016 will be the last Global Games Jam on the Stafford Campus • We’ll host them on the Stoke Campus, but we don’t know what that will do to the attendees Previous attempts at research • Previous attempts to questionnaire students post jam have been disappointing * • Similarly gathering some students for a post jam discussion from a different event came to nothing Time Balance • Full time teaching and Part Time PHDing is tricky to balance at the best of times • January is a really busy time of year • The GGJ falls after the CFP for the 2 main Games Studies conference *This is discussed a little in Wearn. N, Fletcher. B, Vigurs. K (2014) Contextualising nonattendance of eligible students to Global Game Jam locations. In: Foundation of Digital Games 2014 , 3-7 April 2014, Ft. Lauderdale, FL .
- 15. Things in place to help in 2016 • Staffs Staff GGJ organisation Team – No longer a 2 person operation – More tutors willing to stay overnight means I can concrete on my research • Pilot that wasn’t a pilot meant I had chance to think about the best way to gather data without comprising the participants experience
- 16. Why do this at all? Question 3 Could we use a Games Jam type thing to assess on our Games Courses?
- 17. Please come and talk to me I’m ludicrously open to suggestions on how I could do some of these things – This is a small field with big implications! Nia Wearn n.h.wearn@staffs.ac.uk @wormella Thank you for listening – any questions?