C’est à partir du constat que les jeux vidéo sont devenus un média important dans nos sociétés qu’est venue une réflexion sur ce qu’ils peuvent nous apprendre de nos représentations. Au travers des city builders, ces jeux de simulation où... more
C’est à partir du constat que les jeux vidéo sont devenus un média important dans nos sociétés qu’est venue une réflexion sur ce qu’ils peuvent nous apprendre de nos représentations. Au travers des city builders, ces jeux de simulation où le joueur est amené à construire et gérer sa ville, ce sont notre perception du monde, notre esprit de conquête et de domination, notre regard sur le paysage urbain qui sont mis en avant, utilisés voire transformés. Il faut donc étudier ce média pour lui-même, comprendre comment il fonctionne et expliquer les images et représentations qu’il véhicule et qui nous influencent. Ce travail a pour but d’introduire, de déconstruire et de comprendre les city builders dans le cadre d’une réflexion sur l’urbanisme et sur la ville.
This article has three objectives. It first examines whether the latest version of SimCity can achieve learning objectives related to systems thinking, problem solving, creativity, and regional understanding in the classroom. Second, it... more
This article has three objectives. It first examines whether the latest version of SimCity can achieve learning objectives related to systems thinking, problem solving, creativity, and regional understanding in the classroom. Second, it examines whether the game influences student interest in planning. Third, it considers whether the game impacts students’ perception of the discipline. Using instructor observation, students’ game creations, and surveys, we find that the game can achieve the aforementioned learning objectives, increase student interest, and increase the perception of planning as being creative and fun. The results have implications for instruction, student recruitment, and perceptions of the field.
In this article, Pieter Smal analyses five tracks in pursuit of compositional balance: the usage of breaks and figurative silence in active ambient tracks.
In this paper we argue that the intermediaries supporting individual and community social empowerment (families, schools, youth and health services, both public and private, cultural and social entrepreneurs) could use video games so as... more
In this paper we argue that the intermediaries supporting individual and community social empowerment (families, schools, youth and health services, both public and private, cultural and social entrepreneurs) could use video games so as improve the effectiveness of their interventions. We report the initial findings of an ongoing action-research project which aims at experimenting the educational use of a simulation video game (SimCity) in a youth club (Centro Tau) located in a highly disadvantaged and mafia-bound area of Palermo (Italy). From these findings, it appears that, by SIMaging their ideal CITY, the Centro Tau youth have started to think about “civic” issues on a very concrete and practical level. Despite the strong affective ties they show towards their daily living context, they have lucidly identified its negative aspects and confronted themselves on the choices and solutions necessary for reinventing it as a better urban setting inspired by a vision for sustainable development. It also appears that gaming may represent for them an important and powerful opportunity, in a way a kind of “training ground”, for experiencing collective action, peer-based learning and self-esteem.
The purpose of this study was to determine the potential power of teaching using urban simulation software such as the SimCity computer game (SC4), for educating master's students at Iranian Universities. This quasi-experimental study was... more
The purpose of this study was to determine the potential power of teaching using urban simulation software such as the SimCity computer game (SC4), for educating master's students at Iranian Universities. This quasi-experimental study was conducted considering two groups: one control group and one experimental group, including a pre-test and a post-test design. The sample of the study consisted of 60 students of three public universities of Art (Tehran, Isfahan, and Yazd) in 2017-2018. Thirty master's students in urban planning and urban design were selected from the population using a random sampling method, and were randomly divided into two groups: one experimental group and one control group (30 participants in each). The pre-test and the post-test included the Torrance test in creativity with Abedi's questionnaire and the open-ended and close-ended "workshop course learning skills" questionnaires were distributed in both groups. The experimental group was trained by the SimCity computer game, while the control group received normal classroom training. The pre-test and post-test results were analyzed using the IBM SPSS, and the inferential statistics in the form of the Pearson correlation, the Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), and independent samples t-test were investigated. Findings showed that the SimCity positively improved the participants' skills of learning workshop courses in the aforesaid fields, and increased their overall scores. Regarding the components of the learning skills in this course, it improved problem-solving and the planning skills of the students. However, the status of these components did not considerably improve the creativity and systems thinking of postgraduate students.
What differentiates video games from other audiovisual media for popularising science lies in their capacity to transmit knowledge of complex systems through experimentation and experience. Moreover, as a form of popular culture, video... more
What differentiates video games from other audiovisual media for popularising science lies in their capacity to transmit knowledge of complex systems through experimentation and experience. Moreover, as a form of popular culture, video games constitute a particularly interesting vehicle to popularise science. The aim of this article is to analyse the potential and limitations of video games in terms of popularising science. To do so, the rules of play are analysed, as well as the player’s interactive experience (gameplay) in four commercial video games related to an area of science. The sample selected includes: Crayon Physics, a laboratory of classic mechanics; Trauma Center, where the player adopts the role of surgeon; SimCity 4, on town planning, and Civilization IV, a journey through universal history.
