Guest lecture on Jim Gee's "Cultural Models" and an intro to games studies from an STS perspective, for an undergrad class

1. Cultural Models video games as mirrors and shapers John Carter McKnight ASB 344: Technology and Society Guest Lecture Arizona State University October 2010

2. that quote on the syllabus “Technology is not positive or negative. Nor is it neutral.”

3. what does that meeeeannn? One answer comes from “cultural models:” That’s where we find meaning for technological systems (and other stuff)

4. the Long Island overpasses you interpreted them through your own cultural models

5. cultural models not true or false meant to capture only a partial view of reality not conscious – kind of a subroutine become conscious when threatened or in conflict

6. cultural models and gaming what’s a “gamer”? who are they? who are they not? how do they talk? what do they eat? wear?

8. what do gamers play?

9. you probably didn’t mention

10. FarmVille: 81 million players Tetris for GameBoy: 35 million sold WiiFit: 22 million sold The Sims 2: 16 million sold

11. games & gamers:a socio-technical system a game isn’t just what comes in the box – it’s hardware & the electronics industry PAX, E3, etc. cheat guides & walkthroughs magazines blogs walkthrough videos your friends

12. shaping all of those parts shape the game they also shape the gamer

13. cultural models and design designers have cultural models of their customers the reflexive user the projective user the actual user the invisible user

14. we’ve seen this before, right?

15. cultural models and technology the stove is a piece of technology (neither positive nor negative nor neutral) our cultural models gender it

16. “Bow, Nigger” what cultural model was in play in Jedi Knights II? “the game allows ‘bad behaviour,” this is a good thing. It means by avoiding ‘bad’ behaviour, you can demonstrate how ‘good’ you are.”

17. cultural models: how do gamers talk? is there a connection with the “prospective user”? what about the invisible actual users? the people who won’t become users?

20. Under Ash if you play as Ahmed, do you share his values in the game? if you play as Ahmed, do you share his values in real life?

21. what about this game?

22. cops & robbers is it immoral to play the robber? is it a game if nobody does?

27. The Hurt Locker was the actor who played the suicide bomber making an immoral choice?

28. why are games different? is playing the Taliban in Medal of Honor different from acting in a movie? From playing a robber? From playing Shadow, the dark Sonic?

29. if games enable us to experiencedifferent cultural models… … well, then what?

30. want more at ASU? PSY: Johnson-Glenberg, Psychology of Games & E-Learning ENG: Daer, Gee, Hayes – mostly graduate level LAW: McKnight, Governance of Virtual Worlds (open to Honors College students)

31. contact me! John Carter McKnight, MIA, JD john.mcknight@asu.edu johncartermcknight.com Blog, CV, presentations + Twitter, Facebook, last.fm LinkedIn, Goodreads, etc.