Class Project: Osw3go Multiplayer Scenario Analysis

Table of contents

• Instructions, in a nutshell
• Background
• Goals
• Final Report

Instructions, in a nutshell

1. Read the information on this page.
2. Review the prototype from last semester.
3. In class, decide which scenario your group will be supervising as Puppet Masters (more details to be discussed in class).
4. On the launch day, initiate the game.
5. During the assigned dates, participate in the exercise.
6. Attend the Quest panel about this exercise (date and time TBA).
7. Write your final report (check Schedule for due dates).

Background

In the Spring of 2009, I coordinated a project with two of my classes (Social Networks and the Web and Videogame Theory and Analysis) which asked them to design, produce and conduct a Multiplayer Scenario Analysis: a form of interactive narrative that asks participants to simulate a scenario using common Internet tools as the platform. The Multiplayer Scenario Analysis "Save Oswego!" (http://saveoswego.wordpress.com/), which ran from April 7 to April 16 2009, asked participants to 'play' with a reality in which students would not be able to graduate due to cuts to the SUNY budget. The mission statement read as follows:

"Our mission is to conduct an engaging and interactive Alternate Reality Game (Multiplayer Scenario Analysis) to help the SUNY Oswego community address the challenges of possible near-future budget cuts in the context of a state, national and global economic crisis. We seek to involve the community in a constructive dialogue about what we can do, individually and collectively, to prepare our school to meet these challenges. Our focus is on raising awareness, facilitating the generation of solutions, and eliciting action and involvement from members of the college community as well as the city of Oswego and beyond. Additionally, we want to research how new media can be used as a platform for simulation, collective problem solving, and social organizing."

In the two weeks the game was active, the website received more than 3,700 unique visits, with around 2,000 of those during the first two days. The game generated a total of 33 posts (including multimedia interviews with students, faculty, a union representative and an expert on diversity from another campus) and 102 comments, most of them from students in the classes but some from other members of the campus community.

Needless to say, the exercise also generated some negative attention for the college. According to concerns raised by the administration, a few people believed the scenario described in the game was real. Steps were quickly taken to try to correct any misconceptions. The experience was described in an article in the campus newspaper, The Oswegonian (April 17), titled "Just a Game?"

After the game concluded, we organized a panel on April 22 (as part of the Quest Day proceedings) titled "Alternate Reality Games as Forms of Research and Activism." The well-attended panel (standing room only) included students, faculty, as well as Lorrie Clemo (Chief of Staff and Deputy to the President) and Tim Nekritz (Associate Director of Public Affairs). While the students reviewed the successes and failures of the project, Ms. Clemo and Mr. Nekritz spoke of the challenges faced by the administration in responding to the Multiplayer Scenario Analysis. A lively discussion involving various attendees ensued.

On May 22, I also presented a paper on the topic at the 2009 SUNY Conference on Instructional Technologies. The paper was titled "Active Learning, Social Media, and Serious Games: Case Studies."

Goals

Given the success of the project and its perceived potential as a form of Participatory Action Research, we are looking into making the Multiplayer Scenario Analysis an annual campus event used to explore different themes in an interdisciplinary and engaging way. The project is called Osw3go.net. Various people on campus have expressed an interest in making this happen. The goal is to launch the next iteration this semester, with the theme Racism on Campus.

During the Fall 2009 Semester, students in two of my classes (Videogame Theory and Analysis, and Technoculture Studies) as well as Prof. Clark's ENG 537 Ethnicity and Cultural Difference class participated in a prototype for the next iteration of the project.

This semester, we will apply lessons learned from all previous exercises and incorporate new knowledge into our design. Your job is to use your knowledge of social networks to design and execute a viral marketing campaign to promote the project when it launches. Strategies can be discussed in the corresponding forum in this wiki.

During the exercise, you will also participate as a player, and afterwards write a report about this application of social networks as a tool for social activism and community building. The instructions are below.

Final Report

Create a new wiki page (like you do for all your assignments) and write a short report that answers the following questions:

1. How often did you play?
2. Describe which scenarios and characters you played the most, and why.
3. Describe what you did to promote awareness about the exercise and get people to participate.
4. Do you think this is an effective way to raise awareness and create dialogue about issues?

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