Narrative Probing: A MMORPG Learning Principle

Chris Blakesley

Wed., June 10, 5:00–7:00, Great Hall (4th floor, Central)

As suggested by James Paul Gee (2003), a repeated practice in videogame play is to probe the world (or systems) of the game. This principle involves learning by doing something, reflecting on action, and proceeding to form, test, and reform hypotheses.

In the context of an MMORPG like World of Warcraft, players probe the game world paralleled with activities like questing. Players accept missions, followed by common cycles of encountering obstacles, gathering resources, engaging in combat, often followed by death and resurrection. When viewed through a narrative theory lens, this probing cycle could also be seen as a progression through mythic and archetypal storytelling — both at a macro and micro level (Campbell, 2008).

This session will suggest narrative probing as a theoretical principle underpinned by James Paul Gee’s learning principles and Joseph Campbell’s monomyth. Game design and learning implications will be discussed.

References

Campbell, J. (2008). The hero with a thousand faces (3rd ed.). Novato, CA: New World Library.

Gee, J. P. (2003). What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.