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Gaming the system: culture, process, and perspectives supporting a game and app design curriculum
Author(s) -
Herro Danielle
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the curriculum journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.843
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1469-3704
pISSN - 0958-5176
DOI - 10.1080/09585176.2015.1056819
Subject(s) - participatory culture , citizen journalism , curriculum , game design , process (computing) , sociology , participatory design , public relations , psychology , computer science , pedagogy , multimedia , political science , media studies , engineering , world wide web , operating system , mechanical engineering , parallels
Games and digital media experiences permeate the lives of youth. Researchers have argued the participatory attributes and cognitive benefits of gaming and media production for more than a decade, relying on socio‐cultural theory to bolster their claims. Only recently have large‐scale efforts ensued towards moving game play and design into formal schooling. Educators are beginning to recognize the instructional potential of games but are seeking ways to understand and effectively support them in learning environments. This paper offers a working example detailing the process of creating a high school curriculum focused on game and app design. Through the example, the author addresses the ‘why’ and ‘how’ to move forward with games in schools and argue the necessity of cultivating a participatory culture. The example concludes with assumptions from this experience and an invitation for scholars to critique and discuss the instance.