Evans 1 Sarah Evans CCR: 732 Patrick Berry 4 April 2013 Trans-literacies and Gamers (Working Title) The

idea that video games support learning and literacy is not new. The collective research identifies a number of literacy outcomes ranging from communication skills to enhancing collaborative writing skills. However, the research neglects to show specifically who, or what type of player, will garner particular literacy skills. Scholars consider which types of games foster what type of learning (Hsu and Wang, Gee) but largely gloss over the different types of players. And while nothing guarantees that every gamer plays video games in such a way that fosters any of the critical learning competencies that many games offer (Gee 46), the fact is games will teach different things to the wide array of players based on a variety of factors. The level of passion and dedication to their play is one significant element that I plan to hone in on to describe the varying types of literacies that might be afforded to some gamers but not others. Constance Steinkuehler proffers that knowledge learned through video games fit both new and old definitions of literacy (187). The traditional conception of literacy entails the abilities to read, write, comprehend, and communicate using various language skills (Hsu and Wang 401) but a broader, more contemporary definition of literacy serves 21st century learners best. James Paul Gee argues that: In the modern world print literacy is not enough. People need to be literate in a great amount of semiotic domains (Gee 19). This is not a particularly contentious matter but the idea that video games afford the ability to learn from multiple

Evans 2 semiotic domains seemingly at once is relevant. People who play games practice and gain skill in reading complex texts with many layers of meaning (Sanford and Madill 434). So not only do video games teach complex literacy skills, they teach a variety of types of skills. There are many ways that literacies gleaned from video games can be understood. In What Video Games Have to Teach Us about Learning and Literacy, Gee suggests thirty six learning principles (49) that exemplary video games make available to players that encourage practices like probing and reflecting (209), considering situated meaning (209), and comprehending multi-modal design (210). Gee notes that such competencies, once learned can be directly applied to life beyond video games. Jonathan Alexander outlines literacy reflectivity, trans-literacies, collaborative writing, multicultural literacies, and critical literacies as skills that video games offer (45). In some iteration or other these are the overarching themes of literacy activities that most research ascribes to video game playing. The skills and knowledge gained from playing games and the associated activities reach far beyond just learning traditional literacies such as reading or writing (Beavis and OMara 66). I find Alexanders concept of trans-literacies particularly useful. He defines the term as portable literacies or life skills (45) that transfer outside of the game space and can be used in the real world. Leadership, problem solving, effective communication, and collaboration skills are all cited by Alexander as trans-literacies obtainable through playing online games (45). Though this list is not exhaustive, it is representative of skills that many people involved in multiplayer online games specifically can learn. Further, Mark Chen underscores the importance of learning personally useful knowledge and skills: When one thinks about learning, it cannot be disassociated from specific contexts, and in fact, learning in only meaningful if it helps people participate in the activities of their choice (33). So, different types of gamers will be more or

Evans 3 less primed to develop and improve the various literacies potential to games and gameplay, depending on their individual desires or needs. With the recent proliferation of gaming culture into mass culture, gaming has become a mainstream activity (Wysocki 1), thus broadening the scope of who plays video games and what kind of gameplay is becoming widely available and popular. A large portion of the current scholarship tends to focus on people who are extremely dedicated to playing games, people I would refer to as hardcore gamers. People who do not invest large amounts of time into games and play more casually, casual gamers, will often garner some of the same skills that the hardcore gamers do, but miss out on others. By often lumping all types of gamers and gameplay together, the nuances of literate activity are overlooked. Just as not all gameplay is equal, not all gamers are equal. I plan to bring attention to the specificity of gaming literate practices through a dialogue between myself, a self-proclaimed gamer whose gaming tendencies would place me on the casual side of the gaming dedication scale and my significant other, Jezreel Clausell, whose gaming practices place him on the hardcore end of the spectrum. By comparing and contrasting our experiences and the desires we bring to our gameplay practices, I propose a spectrum of literacies that help to delineate between literacy skills that hardcore gamers cultivate versus skills that are more universal, or even potentially more poised to be taken in by casual gamers.

Evans 4 Works Cited Beavis, Catherine, and Joanne OMara. Computer Games - Pushing at the Boundaries of Literacy. Australian Journal of Language & Literacy 33.1 (2010): 6576. Online. Chen, Mark. Leet noobs: the life and death of an expert player group in World of Warcraft. New York: Peter Lang, 2012. Print. Gee, James Paul. What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. Print. Hsu, Hui-Yin, and Shiang-Kwei Wang. Using Gaming Literacies to Cultivate New Literacies. Simulation & Gaming 41.3 (2010): 400417. sag.sagepub.com. Web. 22 Mar. 2013. Sanford, Kathy, and Leanna Madill. Understanding the Power of New Literacies Through Video Game Play and Design. Canadian Journal of Education 30.2 (2007): 432455. Print. Steinkuehler, Constance. Massively multiplayer online gaming as a constellation of literacy practices. B.E. Shelton & D. Wiley (Eds.). The Design and Use of Simulation Computer Games in Education, Rotterdam: Sense Publishers, (2007): 187-212. Online. Wysocki, Matthew. Ctrl-alt-play: essays on control in video gaming. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2013. Print.

Evans 5 Bono, Jamie, and Ben McCorkle. Ludic Literacies: Mapping the Links Between the Literacies at Play in the DALN. Stories That Speak to Us: Exhibits from the Digital Archive of Literacy Narratives. Ed. H. Lewis Ulman, Scott Lloyd DeWitt, & Cynthia L. Selfe. Logan, UT: Computers and Composition Digital Press, 2013. Web.