Have you noticed there is a surprising overlap between early epic (quest-based) video games and Victorian Gothic novels?

If you’re unfamiliar with the Gothic genre, think Dracula or Frankenstein. They usually involve some dark -- often supernatural -- force that lurks below the surface. They’re the stories that make you feel a little uneasy; they’re the stories where the world is just a little bit dark.

No, epic video games are not all about vampires or zombies (although they might be!). It’s not in the content that epic video games overlap with Gothic novels, it’s in their shared nostalgia for an idealized past.



You may not normally associate epic video games with nostalgia, but think about the opening sequences of popular games you’ve played -- particularly those from the 90’s or early 2000’s: the world is harmonious and verdant, and then a sinister darkness descends. Perhaps someone is kidnapped, or perhaps there is an impending cataclysmic disaster, but something occurs which throws this idyllic world off-kilter.

As John C. Beck and Mitchell Wade (authors of The Kids are Alright: How the Gamer Generation is Changing the Workplace) put it:

“The world portrayed to you in those moments of lush full-frame video needs to be saved.”

And in these early games, unlike in Gothic novels, you had the power to save it: you had the power to return the world to its pre-darkness state! 

So for a time a balance was struck: game designers could respond to the human tendency to long for an idyllic state, and players could satisfy their desire to restore balance to an unbalanced world.

Then along came the dark forces of multiplayer and online games and the world was thrown off-kilter...

How do you win World of Warcraft? What is the final goal of Farmville? How does Second Life end?

OK, multiplayer and online games are not actually “dark forces” (they are in fact incredibly innovative and exciting forces). But they have irrevocably changed gaming, and, consequently, they have changed the way we think about the world.

The growing number of these types of unending games indicates that we are increasingly shedding our need to return to an imagined past, that we’re shrugging off our desire for stability.

Our gaming habits reflect our growing comfort with change, unpredictability, fluctuating goals, and states of unknowing.

We now feel comfortable shaping games to meet our own changing needs: do you play World of Warcraft to accumulate points, explore the terrain, or meet new characters? Do you like Second Life because you get to re-imagine yourself, because you enjoy the games, or because you get to chat with different people?

It doesn’t matter how you answer. Any answer is “right”.

In other words, we’ve moved past Gothic novels into Choose Your Own Adventure.

Which is better?

Neither the Gothic novel nor the Choose Your Own Adventure approach to gaming is inherently better. Both bring their own unique challenges and strengths.

The point is not to advocate for one type to the exclusion of the other, but to be aware of the social and ideological implications behind each approach.
 
We need to be aware not only of the game’s content and objectives, but also the implications in the game’s structure – especially when it comes to game-based learning and using games in the classroom.

As with most things in life, balance is needed. Living in a state of constant flux with no vision of the future is as detrimental as being fixated on a need for stability and consistency.

So is Path of the Elders a Gothic novel or a Choose Your Own Adventure?

Both. Neither.

Yes, On the Path of the Elders has an end-goal.

Yes, it deals with a disruption to an established society (the encroachment of the settlers and developers on Mushkegowuk and Anishinaabe land).

No, “winning” does not equate with a return to a past state.

In my previous posts on winning in game-based learning and the issues surrounding online history games, I discussed some of the dilemmas we faced while deciding on the ending of On the Path of the Elders.

While we wanted the players to work towards an end-goal, we did not want to group Mushkegowuk and Anishinaabe culture with the non-existent, idyllic, past worlds of so many other games. Aboriginal culture continues to grow and thrive today; while colonization and European expansion has dramatically affected Aboriginal groups across the country, Aboriginal peoples continue to adapt and make their voices heard.

Any ending to On the Path of the Elders had to reflect this state of potential.

On the Path of the Elders ends with the renegotiation of Treaty No. 9. We want players to understand that the Elders negotiated the best agreement possible given the historical circumstances surrounding the treaty negotiations, but at the same time, we want players to think about what a more equitable treaty might look like, and what changes they might make to the treaty given the opportunity.

The goal of On the Path of the Elders is not to return to the past, but to envision the future.

How will it all End?

Of course, On the Path of the Elders is not the only game that bridges this gap between the Gothic and Choose Your Own Adventure, and there are many other non-epic games that defy both categories. 

However, as we plunge forward in our quest to either explore new and diverse forms of game-based learning, or else to return education to some imaginary pre-gaming state, it is worth considering what values are being communicated through the game’s format.

So which quest are you on?

This is the revolutionary but easily overlooked statement Jane McGonigal makes during her Ted talk on how gaming can make a better world.

“We have to start making the real world more like a game”

Notice that she doesn’t say, “We have to start using gamers’ skills in the real world,” or “we need to figure out how gaming relates to real world activities”.

No. She says we need to start adapting our society to compliment the values and beliefs of gamers.

It’s not about bringing gamers into the real world; it’s about bringing the real world in line with gaming. 


This is the same message found in John C. Beck and Mitchell Wade’s The Kids are Alright: How the Gamer Generation is Changing the Workplace.

Beck and Wade argue that gamers approach their work -- and their life -- from an entirely different perspective than non-gamers. Just as the values and beliefs of the baby-boomer generation irrevocably altered the way we think about the world, so too are gamers slowly changing our social landscape. 

And given the ever-increasing number of gamers, this change is inevitable and immanent. If we attempt to continue to adhere to pre-gaming ideals, then we are setting ourselves up for a great deal of frustration.

So what does a gaming world look like?

Citing extensive research, Beck and Wade present a number of characteristics that are common in gamers in the workforce.  Amongst other traits, gamers

• “ believe that winning matters” (81)
• “care more about the organizations they work for than other groups do – not less” (82)
• “expect high rewards for the value they create” (92)
• “believe in themselves and in their own ability to create exceptional value” (94)

In other words, if companies want to capitalize on their employees’ skills, they need to create environments where employees feel empowered to make meaningful change; that provide clear rewards based on merit; and that encourage a greater focus on peer-driven learning and improvement rather than top-down management.

If these conclusions sound familiar, it is probably because companies are increasingly conforming to these structures as gamers continue to make up a bigger percentage of the workforce.

But what does this mean for education?

Beck and Wade’s results clearly show that gamers want to be passionately involved in their companies and their work: gamers believe they can make a difference.

We need to think about how to model our schools to tap into this drive and passion.

Wade and Beck provide several specific suggestions about how to adapt the workforce to the gamer generation that could be applied to an educational setting, but more important is first embracing the notion that gamers have a fundamentally different worldview than previous non-gamer generations. This new worldview is neither better nor worse than the one it’s replacing, but it does require a shift in our approach to educational strategies and objectives.

This does not mean simply adding technology into the classroom, even in its most creative and innovative forms.

This means trying to understand how gaming continues to influence the worldview of upcoming generations, and reshaping our educational system to accommodate, not stifle, these new value-systems.

On the Path of the Elders
 
Making the real world more like a game does not mean turning our backs on everything that is important to us.

On the Path of the Elders, an online educational resource exploring Mushkegowuk and Anishinaabe culture and history, is one example of how we can integrate a gamer worldview with traditional teachings. 

At the launch event for PathoftheElders.com, Dr. John Medicine Horse Kelley Cle-alls spoke of the need to maintain Aboriginal culture and traditions while adapting to new developments; he spoke of adaptation itself as an Aboriginal tradition.

As resources such as PathoftheElders.com demonstrate, there are ways to strike a productive balance between maintaining important beliefs and adapting ourselves to gamers’ values; however, this balance can only occur when we stop trying to simply force gamers into pre-existing structures.

References
Beck. John C. and Mitchell Wade. The Kids are Alright: How the Gamer Generation is Changing the Workplace. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2006.

This is the question Jane McGonigal asks in her inspired Ted Talk, “Gaming Can Make a Better World”:



After launching On the Path of the Elders last week, it was rewarding to listen to McGonigal’s compelling talk. Not only does she reconfirm the value of gaming, but -- more importantly -- her argument speaks to many of the ideals at the heart of PathoftheElders.com.

McGonigal argues that gaming develops skills and beliefs vital for solving some of the world’s biggest challenges. In particular, she claims that gaming produces individuals with a strong conviction that they are capable of changing the world. Too often, however, these individuals limit their influence to a virtual landscape.

As game designers, educators, and role-models it is up to us to convince these gamers that their skills have real value: the same optimism, team-work, resourcefulness, and determination that makes gamers successful in online worlds can and must be brought to real world problems. 

But how much difference can gamers make?
McGonigal brings some hard-hitting statistics to the table:

• Today, the average youth in a country that has a large gaming culture will have spent 10 000 hours playing online games by the age of 21 (to put that number in perspective, they will have spent 10 080 hours in school between grades 5 and 12).

• Globally, we spend 3 billion hours a week playing online games.

• There are currently 500 million virtuoso gamers (defined as people who have spent at least 10 000 hours gaming).

• As gaming companies continue to expand globally, there will be a billion more virtuoso gamers in the next decade

In other words, the number of highly skilled gamers is increasing exponentially. If we don’t start figuring out how to use gamers’ abilities to solve real world problems, we’re wasting a huge resource. 

Our Vision

From the beginning, using gaming to solve real world problems has been one of the aims of On the Path of the Elders. It is our hope that PathoftheElders.com will serve to:

1. reconnect Aboriginal youths with their culture and history
2. decrease Aboriginal youth suicide rates
3. create a bridge between Non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal cultures

By promoting leadership, negotiation, and decision-making skills, PathOfTheElders.com will demonstrate to players that they have the ability to become advocates for change. We want youths to recognize their connection to a rich and vibrant culture, and realize that the skills they use in the role-playing games are the same skills needed to be leaders in their communities.

Building PathoftheElders.com has been an intense, challenging, and thought-provoking journey. Speakers like Jane McGonigal remind us why we have invested so much of ourselves in this project and what might be its rewards for future generations.