Scholarly Critique #1: "Savannah: mobile gaming and learning"
As an educator, finding diverse ways to teach is something I am also on the lookout for. As a leader of a elementary-aged STEM Club, (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) it is also my goal to use technology in such a way that it connects with other subjects and contributes to my students’ learning. In the article titled Savannah: mobile gaming and learning the article’s main point was to determine if the mobile game Savannah (which exists on a mobile platform) was conducive to student learning, and makes the argument that existing in a physical space (and moving around that space) is more conducive than PC (stationary platform) gaming. I find this topic particularly interesting because the number of young students with cell phones and mobile gaming capability is becoming vastly more prevalent. The article acknowledges that schools recognize the prevalence of gaming at home, and so “should at least begin to engage with these tools.”
The study used two groups of students aged 11-12, one group of five boys and one group of five girls. Each student was given a handheld GPS with visual, auditory and interactive capabilities. The Game, as outlined by the support members, was for each student to act as a lion, living in a pride of other lions. The students used an open, grassy field which had been mapped previously on the GPSs. Gaming mechanics included alerting the player to changes in their surrounding (for example, walking from a shaded area to no shade), interactions with other animals (by showing pictures on the screen) and alerting the player to changes in their own health, via health bars and auditory narration, such as “you are too hot.” If a player went without water, got too hot, attacked an animal that was too large, or neglected to fill their energy bar by killing adequate prey, they were alerted that they were “dead” via auditory narration. An additional element of the game was having the players return to their “Den”, where an interactive whiteboard showed each student where they had traveled, what they had encountered during their trek, and any “marks” that the player indicated they wanted to remember later. This piece was presided over by a teacher, who had been instructed to walk them through their interactions and experiences on the Savannah.
The results of the study were interesting in terms of how the student perceived the game, and conceptualized learning. Upon monitoring the students’ behavior, the researchers learned that the students often “personified” their role as a lion, for example, when running away from a threat. When attacked by a local tribe of human characters, (indicated by auditory cues of singing) the students reacted with fear, and though it was unnecessary, bolted away. The act of immersion was so strong that when the researchers played these auditory clues again, in the safety of the “Den”, the students also reacted nervously. In terms of social dimensions, the students (as lions) quickly learned that success taking down larger prey (such as a water buffalo) was dependent on working as a group and attacking at the same time. This contributed to both individual and collective learning, as students learned the necessity of staying in a group and weighing the potential of success with that of failure (as real lions do.) The authors also interviewed the students afterwards to see what they outlined as evidence for their own learning. The students learned the gameplay through existing in the space without confines (in day one, in classic sandbox fashion, the students could not kill or be killed) and students learned about lions through supplementing their knowledge with in-class discussion.
Some limits of this study were mentioned as well. This study was published in 2004, and so technical issues that the researchers had then are probably less prevalent now. However, the researchers mentioned that they had “underestimated” their players, because the students mentioned wanting more substantial gameplay. More so, the game was limited by the field the children played in, and no physical obstacles blocked their path (though lions in the wild would have physical obstacles to surmount.) In PC gaming, this would have been more easily remedied. Furthermore, when returning to the "Den" and discussing their experiences with their teacher, the students regained a passive role in their discussion, which paled in comparison to their dynamic interactions with each other in the field. This limited their learning, and the disconnect is something that would have to be discussed and worked through.
Having learned about this study, I am very interested in learning more about mobile gaming, especially in that it is more accessible to my students. Because this study is older, I hope I can find additional work on the connection between physical space and mobile game learning. This article mentions the following study by Vanessa Colella as the first study about mobile games and learning. If you are interested in this subject, as I am, this would be a worth skimming. I also found this video that speaks a bit more about social connections in mobile gaming. In terms of potential for club or school learning, I wonder if this method is becoming more popular, and why it is preferred.