Abstract
A Research Game is a new genre of serious game, which allows everyone to do research while playing. It is illustrated here via a case study of sociological research using a Sociological (Re)search Game, conducted in an art museum. As for a summary of the content structure, the chapter includes: firstly, an introduction, that informs about the history of this game main pre-projects and versions, in three interconnected phases; secondly, a section establishes some foundations for development of a Sociological (Re)search Game; and three other sections discuss what regards the decision process when playing the game and, at the same time, researching: ‘what to decide,' including the core contents and its subjacent story within the game; ‘why to decide,' which introduces the player to some basic sociological knowledge, mainly some ideas on art processes within a museum, where the game action occurs; and ‘how to decide,' which guides the player to learn some simple methods, in order to better play, but also to learn how to research within a scientific sociological project.
TopIntroduction
The project presented in this text aims to demonstrate the potential of digital and serious games as a research methodological tool, within a variety of fields including social sciences, where there is currently a lack of literature or game development. Therefore, this chapter seeks to develop a widespread reflection on serious games, within a critical posture (Flanagan, 2000). And to show practical tools for education, training and researching in the fields of social and cultural processes, e.g., via Sociological (Re)search Games. This initiative targets universities, corporations, and cultural institutions, such as museums or galleries, in order to promote and support decision making within knowledge transfer and sharing among cultural staff and its publics.
Figure 1. Research Game’s prototype, alpha version, 2014 Interface with a table of contents in the left (Pedro Andrade games collection)
A Gaming Journey for Researtainment (Research + Entertainment)
The Sociological Research Game is a work in progress, and has three core development phases:
- 1.
The first one was presented in a text already published. This is the history of a project for developing specific genres of serious games. Here, the author introduces the Sociological (Re)search Game’s predecessors, which are: the Sociological Game created in 2004 through the authoring software Flash and programmed via Action Script (Andrade, 2015); the Trichotomies Game, made in 2009-10, where users consulted images of Joana Vasconcelos artworks and articulate three keywords that define and relate them, at museum Coleção Berardo, in a 2010 art exhibition (Andrade, 2011); and the Research Game, constructed in 2014 (Andrade, 2021). Figure 1 depicts the game’s main interface, with some credits and a rolling Table of Contents in the left.
- 2.
The second phase of the project is shown in the actual book chapter, which covers a Sociological (Re)search Game’s prototype, developed since 2014. This is a meta-genre that synthetizes its predecessors: the Sociological Game, the Trichotomies Game and the Research Game. It is still in Alpha Phase, meaning that the game programming is not concluded, and its main purposes can only be achieved and observed in the final development phase. The present text includes a detailed presentation of the game provisory content, core activation phases and interactive elements. This is contextualized by some sociological theory and methodology, but only the basis needed for the player to make decisions, when playing a game that represents a social process.
- 3.
In a third phase, the author is developing a final game within Unity and other softwares. The ultimate aim is to deliver a serious game that may be used as a good practices pillar for social and cultural decision-making capabilities, in several professional and entertainment areas, that will be even more explicit in this third stage.
One of these areas is researtainement, a fusion and hybridization between research and entertainement (Andrade, 2022, p. 133).
A dynamic industry, edutainment, is growing around educational practices, by blending education and leisure/entertainment into a single process. In this perspective, edutainment could be complemented with ‘researtainment’. This concept means the articulation of, on one hand, research and, in the other hand, entertainment. Such recent and raising social-economic and cultural process could improve research literacy (i.e., the writing and reading of research processes and results), within both its experts and non-experts.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Research Game Strategies: Game players may act, reflect and play within the role of a ‘(re)search detective’ , either choosing the Sherlock or the Columbo characters, while using the corresponding strategies of inquiry , which are different but also complementary: that is, the ’deductive Sherlock’ genre of investigation, and/or the ‘inductive Columbo’ styles of research. Both methods are defined through the type of knowledge used and the respective sequence, sharing, interactions, etc.
Research Stages: 1. Define project milestones , e.g., in 3 years: planning, execution, dissemination. 2. Theme : select not just one topic, but at least two related themes, to better prepare the next phases of the research. 3. Problem : formulate the starting question, which relates at least two ideas or concepts. For example: the museum and a strange stealing of art information. 4. Research axes: 4.1. Epistemological axis: reflection on the conditions and effects of scientific work itself, such as the relationship between the research subject (the researcher profession, etc.) and the object of study; or the pertinence of the methodologies to be used. 4.2. Theoretical Axis: Select theories and authors. Define theoretical or main questions and hypotheses. 4.3. Analytical axis: Translate main or theoretical questions and hypotheses into secondary or working questions and hypotheses, using understandable terms of common language. Select the most appropriate methods and techniques for the research. Define the sample of respondents in the questionnaire or interview, or the corpus of sources for document content analysis such as legislation, etc. 4.4. Empirical axis: carry out the field work, in order to verify or reject the work hypotheses previously formulated in the analytical axis of the investigation. 5. Results and end products.
Research Decision Process: In the Sociological Research Game, the research decision process is illustrated and applied when playing the game, in the following stages: what to decide , including the contents and the subjacent storytelling within the game; why to decide , which introduces the player to some basic sociological knowledge, mainly some ideas on art processes within a museum, where the game action occurs; and how to decide , which guides the player to learn some simple methods, in order to better play, but also to learn how to research within a scientific project.
Sociological Research Game: This game genre conceives the whole research in a more playful way, through the integration of its main procedures within a game environment that makes the user become more active and social. In other words, a (re)search game allows to design a research (e.g. a case study) in its various stages, through playable research methods, techniques and actions. For instance, a Sociological Research Game uses Research methods to teach how to do research within Sociology.
Researtainment: A dynamic industry, edutainment, is growing around educational practices, by blending education and leisure/entertainment into a single process. In this perspective, edutainment could be complemented with ‘researtainment’, This concept means the articulation of, on one hand, research and, in the other hand, entertainment. Such recent and emergent social-economic and cultural process could improve research literacy (i.e. the writing and reading of research processes and results), within both its experts and non-experts.
Knowledge Types: In the case of the Research Game, three types of knowledge capital are applied. Firstly, the knowledge capital of the social sciences, which uses several stages of research: theory; questions and hypotheses; methods and sources. Secondly, the museum management knowledge capital, which uses the phases of cultural heritage and information policies; administrative routines and application of regulations; everyday procedures; the museum's archival sources and collections. Thirdly, the knowledge capital of audience wisdom: ratings of audiences, questions and views of visitors; the habitus of audience segments; the daily sources of citizens.
Hybrimedia: Hybrid methods and media which mixture, fusion or hybridize diverse scientific, technological or artistic methods and media, for example those that characterize the following modes of knowledge transfer: Social Sciences (questionnaire, etc.), new technologies (interactive digital devices built in hypermedia) and the arts (object art, procedural art such as installations and performances). These hybrid instrument’s purpose is to interpret, more profoundly, the present hybrid reality, which constitutes a fusion of ‘real’, virtual, augmented and mixed realities.