Come for the Games; Stay for the Games Research: Undergraduate Games Research

1. Come for the Games… Stay for the Games Research

2. Come for the Come for the Games, Stay for the Games Research: Stay for the Games Research: Undergraduate Games Research Undergraduate Games Research Games, Seth Andrew Hudson Game Writing Computer Game Design Program Douglas Eyman Writing and Rhetoric English Department

3. ORIGIN STORY

4. Collaborative Project Scholarship Development Proposal: Digital Games Research from a Humanities Perspective • Mason’s Students as Scholars Program • Collaborative Scholarship Development Grant Need: No place in the undergraduate curriculum university-wide • Computer Game Design program heavy on collaborative production • Writing and Rhetoric program offered only a handful of courses • Student demand for such work, even if traditional course not available

5. Original Faculty Team • Seth’s work focused on pedagogy in games, student development, and narrative in games. Background in the humanities. • Doug’s work examined the practices of writing within, around, and about games. • Steve’s work focused on games as examples of rhetorical practice, with a strong interest in theory-building. • Beth’s work focused on games and performance.

6. Proposal • Start an extra-curricular research group that would focus on humanities approaches to game research • Faculty would facilitate, but would promote student-initiated research projects • Initial funding covered some game systems, games, and 2 Oculus Rift systems.

7. Multidisciplinary Rhetoric Economics Communications Games Research Professional Writing Anthropology Sociology History

8. EARLY EFFORTS

9. Early Efforts • Faculty Brainstorming • Initial Student Involvement • Advertising/Recruiting • Creating a Model • Sustaining Efforts 8/29/2017 3:18:31 AM

10. Early Efforts – Faculty Brainstorming • Budget • What do we need? • What do we spend money on? • Student Buy-In • Not for academic credit? • What is games research? • Sustainability • How can we keep students coming back? 8/29/2017 3:18:31 AM

11. Early Efforts – Initial Student Involvement • Reaching out to our classes • Emphasizing novelty of approach • No current model • Students have freedom in direction • Allowing ideas to form organically • Meet once a week • See what transpires 8/29/2017 3:18:31 AM

12. Early Efforts – Advertising/Recruiting • Focus on marketing • Started with acronym 8/29/2017 3:18:31 AM

13. Early Efforts – Developing a Model Productive Fun • Allowing students to enjoy play while embracing research opportunities 8/29/2017 3:18:31 AM

14. Early Efforts • Students participating in faculty scholarship Collaborated with: Presented at:

16. • Scholarship + Data Collection + Play

17. Early Efforts: Games + Pizza + Scholarship • Expose students to games research and scholarship 8/29/2017 3:18:31 AM

18. EVOLUTION

19. Welcome faculty/coursework from classes 8/29/2017 3:18:31 AM

20. Academic Resources

21. Incorporate rigor in research Following protocol AND having fun; Buy-in from new participants 8/29/2017 3:18:31 AM

22. Students Take Ownership GEAR becomes a Registered Student Organization (RSO) 8/29/2017 3:18:31 AM

25. LESSONS

26. Lessons from early efforts • ‘Pulling the trigger’ • Reach out to campus community • Foster student leadership • ALWAYS PLAY, always. 8/29/2017 3:18:31 AM

27. THE FUTURE

28. The Future • Keep the drawing board up • Let students pursue interest • Encourage publication • ALWAYS PLAY, always. 8/29/2017 3:18:31 AM

29. Q & A

30. Contact Information Seth Andrew Hudson shudson3@gmu.edu game.gmu.edu Douglas Eyman deyman@gmu.edu Writingandrhetoric.gmu.edu 8/29/2017 3:18:31 AM