Gaming Beyond Gaming September 17, 2009

Today many gamers use video games as a focus for activities that go well beyond playing the game. They mod games, design things for games, write fan fiction, or design new rules of play. This is part of a larger trend in popular culture towards production and participation and not just consumption and spectatorship. In some respects girls and women playing 'The Sims' (a controversial game: the best selling game in history, but looked down upon by many hard core gamers) are leading this trend. This talk will look at what these girls and women who are gaming beyond gaming have to teach us about learning in the 21st century.