Papers, Chapters, & Proceedings
Digital devices and media are deeply integrated into how individuals connect with others in both ... more Digital devices and media are deeply integrated into how individuals connect with others in both work and play. As use of social media, video games, mobile devices, and wearable technologies become increasingly ubiquitous, people with the skills to program and design for digital tools and interactions will remain in high demand (Grover & Pea, 2013; U.S. Department of Labor, 2013). An upcoming challenge for both institutions of higher education and technology-based industries is meeting that demand with a workforce of designers and digital problem solvers that are as varied and diverse as the populations using them. This chapter contributes to these contemporary conversations on increasing diversity and inclusivity in technology fields by reporting on research that examines the experiences of women who work in video games, an industry that has been known for being unsupportive of—and even hostile to—women. The goal of the chapter is to point to ways that educators, researchers, and industry leaders may be able to engage and support women in game development and design.
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Proceedings of the Computer Supported Collaborative Learning Conference, 2013
As digital devices become integrated into more and more facets of our lives, it is imperative tha... more As digital devices become integrated into more and more facets of our lives, it is imperative that people become literate with digital technologies. This requires more than knowing how to use any particular application or operating system, or even how to program. Instead it requires knowing how to abstract from situations and think computationally (Wing, 2006).
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Information literacy is the practices involved in finding information to fulfill an information n... more Information literacy is the practices involved in finding information to fulfill an information need. Online reading comprehension outlines what the skills are involved in reading online, especially those that differ from reading in print. This paper outlines the interconnectedness of information literacy and online reading comprehension both showing the overlap of the concepts and the need for information literacy in order to reach online reading comprehension.
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Diversifying Barbie & Mortal Kombat: Intersectional Perspectives and Inclusive Designs in Gaming
Consisting of several high profile cases of harassment and threats against female game developers... more Consisting of several high profile cases of harassment and threats against female game developers, the ongoing Gamergate controversy has resulted in widespread popular media discussions around the roles and representations of women in the game industry. Industry leaders, scholars, and educators have become increasingly more invested in discovering how we can support women and other underrepresented populations in succeeding in the game industry. While there is extensive research exploring the gender divide in technology fields broadly (Barker & Aspray, 2008; Cohoon & Aspray, 2008), there is surprisingly little research on women in the game industry specifically. Most of that research takes as its focus issues that women struggle with, such as the detrimental effects of crunch time practices (Consalvo, 2008). This chapter explores a Twitter conversation from late 2012 in which female game developers sought to describe their reasons and motivations for persisting in the digital game industry. Joining under the hashtag #1ReasonToBe, the conversation reveals many reasons why women choose to stay in games, including a passion for the medium, inspiration from the support of colleagues and players, and a desire to contribute to making game industry culture more inclusive and welcoming for the next generation of game designers.
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Girls have long been dismissed and trivialized by the game industry. The Girls’ Game Movement of ... more Girls have long been dismissed and trivialized by the game industry. The Girls’ Game Movement of the 1990s aimed to create games specifically for girls, but ultimately struggled to reach consensus on whether to make games catering to the feminine content that girls expressed interest in, or whether to challenge gender stereotypes and guide the ways that girls engage with games. Other research-based programs and interventions to engage girls in game design have faced similar difficulties, attempting to find balance between respecting girls’ values and empowering them as designers. This paper offers a review of these programs, highlighting similarities in findings about what girls value in games and design, and synthesizing shared challenges and struggles. Analyzing past programs can be invaluable to contemporary educators, scholars, and designers looking to engage girls with game design and technology.
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The underrepresentation of women working as programmers and computer scientists in the technology... more The underrepresentation of women working as programmers and computer scientists in the technology industry is an issue of great concern for stakeholders in both industry and education. Recent computer science enrollment statistics suggest that the gender gap is actually increasing (Goode, 2008). In 2012 Game Developer Magazine reported that just four percent of programmers in the games industry are women (Miller, 2013) and in 2013, there were three US states in which not one single female student took the AP Computer Science exam, though many of those states had very few students of either gender take the course (Ericson, 2013). Research on this topic reveals myriad reasons for these disparities—from technology placement and habits of use in homes to differences in how boys and girls tend to play and tinker with technologies to the ways in which parents and teachers talk
with children and teens about technology and media (Margolis & Fisher, 2002; Goode, 2008). Even when women do “make it” and obtain computer science related jobs in technology fields, surveys and research suggest that many women find these jobs conflicting their values and family lives, leading many women to seek other career directions (International Game Developers Association, 2004; Consalvo, 2008). This trend suggests a need for additional empirical research on the experiences and trajectories of women at varying stages of their careers in technology and computer science.
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Over the past several years, the Pullias Center for Higher Education at the University of Souther... more Over the past several years, the Pullias Center for Higher Education at the University of Southern California (USC) has committed to developing programs and conducting research aimed at understanding how games can be used to cultivate college knowledge and elevate college-going outcomes for low-income and underserved youth. While much of our work is in schools with teachers and counselors, we believe that as brokers of information for young people, librarians can play a powerful role helping low-income youth learn about opportunities for college and financial aid. The following sections outline two games—Application Crunch and Mission: Admission—as well as an online digital platform that librarians and other information brokers may find useful in their efforts to engage and empower students with information to aid them in navigating the college application process.
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Proceedings of the Games+Learning+Society Conference: Vol. 4, 2014
This paper examines the programming and game design practices of middle school students who atten... more This paper examines the programming and game design practices of middle school students who attend an informal after-school group called the Cyberlearning Club. Using tools like Scratch and Kodu the students use programming to design digital games individually and collaboratively. Several of the students have begun to express interest in more advanced programming languages and are utilizing online tools and books to expand their programming abilities. This paper reports on the results of semi-structured qualitative interviews meant to capture students’ conceptual understandings and trajectories relating to programming and game design. The questions aim at understanding where each student is at in terms of opinions on their programming ability, their experiences of different tools and resources, and what their learning goals and future aspirations are. We profile students who reported distinct learning goals and programming trajectories, focusing on how to support their future design and programming endeavors.
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Proceedings of the Clash of Realities 4th International Computer Game Conference, 2013
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A great many adolescents and young adults participate heavily in online affinity spaces around vi... more A great many adolescents and young adults participate heavily in online affinity spaces around videogames. Committed contributors spend upwards of 20 hours each week researching, writing, and editing to contribute to wikis, fan fiction stories, and other literacy-rich online spaces. Many of these individuals hope to leverage their work toward careers as professionals in the gaming and publishing industries (Ochsner & Martin, 2013). Through ongoing case study interviews, this study explores the goals and trajectories that these writers form, using Miller and Slater’s (2000) expansive potential and expansive realization as lenses for analysis. As a part of a broader trajectory, the goal of this research is to reveal how educators and industry professionals can support young affinity group leaders as they work to establish and build careers as professionals.
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Ctrl-Alt-Play: Essays on control in video gaming, 2013
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Virtual literacies: Interactive spaces for children and young people, 2012
The growth of interest in virtual worlds and other online spaces for children and young people ra... more The growth of interest in virtual worlds and other online spaces for children and young people raises important issues for literacy educators and researchers. This book is a timely and much-needed collection of current research in the area. It provides a synthesis of knowledge and understanding and will be a key resource for scholars, students and teachers, particularly those interested in digital literacies. The work presents a coherent vision of current knowledge, and some of the most engaging, empirical research being undertaken on virtual worlds and online spaces in and beyond educational institutions. It contains international studies from the UK, North America and Australasia.
This is an important time for those researching virtual worlds, videogaming and Web 2.0 technologies, since there is growing professional interest in their significance in the education and development of children and young people. Whether these technologies are solely associated with informal learning or whether they should be incorporated into classroom contexts is hotly debated. This book provides a principled evaluation and appreciation of the learning, teaching and instruction that can occur in digital environments, showing children, young people and those who work with them as active agents with possibilities to navigate new paths.
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Proceedings of the Games+Learning+Society (GLS) Conference, Vol. 2, 2012
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Proceedings of the Games+Learning+Society (GLS) Conference, Vol. 2, 2012
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Proceedings of the Games+Learning+Society (GLS) Conference, Vol. 2., 2012
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Proceedings of the 7th Annual Games+Learning+Society (GLS) Conference, 2011
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Proceedings of the 7th Annual Games+Learning+Society (GLS) Conference: Vol 1, 2011
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with children and teens about technology and media (Margolis & Fisher, 2002; Goode, 2008). Even when women do “make it” and obtain computer science related jobs in technology fields, surveys and research suggest that many women find these jobs conflicting their values and family lives, leading many women to seek other career directions (International Game Developers Association, 2004; Consalvo, 2008). This trend suggests a need for additional empirical research on the experiences and trajectories of women at varying stages of their careers in technology and computer science.
This is an important time for those researching virtual worlds, videogaming and Web 2.0 technologies, since there is growing professional interest in their significance in the education and development of children and young people. Whether these technologies are solely associated with informal learning or whether they should be incorporated into classroom contexts is hotly debated. This book provides a principled evaluation and appreciation of the learning, teaching and instruction that can occur in digital environments, showing children, young people and those who work with them as active agents with possibilities to navigate new paths.
with children and teens about technology and media (Margolis & Fisher, 2002; Goode, 2008). Even when women do “make it” and obtain computer science related jobs in technology fields, surveys and research suggest that many women find these jobs conflicting their values and family lives, leading many women to seek other career directions (International Game Developers Association, 2004; Consalvo, 2008). This trend suggests a need for additional empirical research on the experiences and trajectories of women at varying stages of their careers in technology and computer science.
This is an important time for those researching virtual worlds, videogaming and Web 2.0 technologies, since there is growing professional interest in their significance in the education and development of children and young people. Whether these technologies are solely associated with informal learning or whether they should be incorporated into classroom contexts is hotly debated. This book provides a principled evaluation and appreciation of the learning, teaching and instruction that can occur in digital environments, showing children, young people and those who work with them as active agents with possibilities to navigate new paths.