Level 4: Gaming Discourse

Before we look further into this topic we might also touch on one more idea: that the traditional casual social spheres are disappearing and being replaced by digitally mediated socialization. Constance Steinkuehler and Dmitri Williams in their article, "Where Everybody Knows Your (Screen) Name: Online Games as 'Third Places,'" describe the social atmosphere of MMOs. They claim that these games are taking the place of traditional third places (social settings outside of home and work) by matching qualities of gameplay to the characteristics described by Ray Oldenburg. So why is this important in a discussion about discourse communities, especially when we are concerned with an academic classroom (which is typically not a third space)? The reason is that this can add further import, and complications, to our explorations here. These are spaces where our students might already be actively participating in discourse. At the same time, student who is not a gamer and who is working within this community for the first time might be rejected as an outsider, or at best, a noob. The challenge then, is to help students discover methods for participating in the community while also developing a projection of reliable ethos.

The idea of communication taking place within discourse communities has been an essential strain of composition theory for some time. Charles Bazerman defines a discourse community as "a grouping of people who share common language norms, characteristics, patterns, or practices as a consequence of their ongoing communications and identification with each other." This is a fairly amorphous term that has come under some criticism for overreaching the homogeneity of certain groups. We might further specify our discussion by turning also to how writing comes to being in these groups. In 1995, David Russell used the concept of activity theory to analyze the place of the composition course in higher education. "Activity Theory analyzes human behavior and consciousness in terms of activity systems: goal-directed, historically-situated, cooperative human interactions" (Russell). Ultimately, he suggests that writing classes need to move towards a focus on writing-across-the-curriculum and towards a realization of communication's function in society. Overall, activity theory and discourse communities as a whole, match well to Gee's principles of system thinking and meaning as action image.

This is what I am talking about with the idea of a gaming discourse: namely that through active use of language within a situated context, students can develop knowledge of communication strategies as well as a meta-awareness of the ways in which that knowledge is structured by context.

It is certainly possible that this goal can be achieved by other terms, but videogames offer two compelling and approachable ways to make this method more visceral:

• • Discourse on Gaming: Entering the community that writes about games.

  • Simulation Games: Using games as a method to explore other communities and adopt their discourse.

Source

Bazerman, Charles. "Issue Brief: Discourse Communities." NCTE. Web. 11/22/09.

Steinkuehler, Constance A., and Dmitri Williams. “Where Everybody Knows Your (Screen) Name: Online Games as ‘Third Places’.” Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 11.4 (2006): 885–909. Web. 17 Nov. 2012.