Today’s showcase is an article that deconstructs the importance of narrative in games by Ryan J. Hodge. The article can be found here.
Why is this important for students? Well the obvious is that I enjoy a good narrative based game. I am going to be very dependent on the children of this generation being able to create compelling stories to play through in my retirement!
Jokes aside, I see video games in the same way film was probably perceived when Chaplin, Lloyd, and Keaton were getting started in the silent age—as beginning to demonstrate the depth and color that the medium can strive for. This is a still relatively young medium that will only grow in its complexity and richness as the future rolls on by. I truly feel we are on the edge of a brand new form of literacy. Ergo, just as we have film studies as a legitimate professional calling I believe game studies is somewhere in our future. As Hodge points out in the article even the very earliest arcade classics have the ability to get us thinking about the deeper narrative meanings to be found.
Additionally, since many students are already familiar with popular video game franchises they can be an excellent way of making text to self-connections for students. We know that when students find personal meaning or use connections to other knowledge when reading it helps them understand texts better. If as teachers we understand where these connections may lie we can help facilitate them and bring greater understanding to our students.