Task #3: Theorizing Games
As I’ve researched the virtual world “Second Life” in the past and applied theorys of the culture industry and Adorno to virtual worlds when dealing with commodities within a virtual space. I’ve analyzed the notion of a “prosumer” within virtual worlds, as well as psuedo individualization, and identity within virtual worlds. I think it would be really interesting to apply communications theories to virtual worlds and communication within virtual worlds. I would like to apply theories such as the expectancy violations theory (EVT) and uncertainty reduction theory (URT) along with Stuart Halls cultural studies, to communications within virtual worlds and how avatars communicate and deal with unexpected communication, how the people behind the avatar or in the avatar . A research question I would like to ask would ask is how to people in real life act vs. avatars in Second Life when it comes to reducing uncertainty of others and relationships and expectancy violations. (Avatars vs. Ratavas). There would be some difficulty doing this type of research within Second Life and in First Life because to me the best and only way to research this type of data is to perform ethnography research towards avatars and ravatas. Ethical issues always arise when performing any type of human research, especially when the only way you can retrieve the rich and useful data is to unknowingly perform the research. For my research I would attempt to communicate on 3 or 4 different expecancy levels as well as different breadths and depths of conversations, questions and interaction . I predict things such as proxemics will be irrelevant in a virtual world, I would focus on violations valence and verbal and non-verbal communication differences. I would purposely conduct my research within similar environment (ie. RL coffee shop and SL coffee shop) both with the same social standards and expectations in RL. The only limitations would be ethical limitations which comes with the type of ethnography that would be conducted. Different research method would have to be tested to find a suitable method that would retrieve the richest and most relevant data to the research questions. Some limitations and critiques that the theory arises is that in both theories of URT and EVT is that many communcations studies believe that communication goes beyond simple axioms and reducing uncertainty, or is not the driving force of communication. “Motivations for interaction is a desire for a positive relational experience.” (Wikipedia) Some other critques of EVT is that both positive and negative communication and violate a persons expectancy where the theory only discusses negative violations of expectancy. These critiques could be harmful to the purity of my data and research because if I were to completely follow the theories components to exert my research it may be skewed according to these critiques.
In my research paper about serious games, I will discuss how video games effect people and how serious games such as Energyville actually make people aware of the issues of sustainability when refering to energy, environmental factors and security factors. A theory that I might discuss is the magic bullet theory or the hypodermic needle theory, and the opposing uses and gratificaitons theory. I would used these theories to examine both ‘regular’ video games and some serious games within youth of today. Some questions I’d like to ask is, do these games actually raise awareness within its players of these issues. Does the game actually teach players about sustaibibility or the players disengaged from the actual issue and more concerned with playing the game? Would this be useful in the classroom? The message of the game is to raise awareness about environmental, energy and economic sustainability and the difficulties that the governements face when dealing with these issues. The game also educations its players on the different ways in which a city can be powered (ie. Solar/Nuclear), and how each form of energy effects the economic and security situations of today.
