Games Based Learning MOOC

Enough acronyms. Sorry couldn’t pass this one up…Using Alternate Reality Environments to Help Enrich Research Efforts RFP http://www.iarpa.gov/RFI/rfi_uarehere.html How would you answer this?

Wow...there's a lot of verbiage on that page! Here's an excerpt, to give people an idea of what they're looking at:

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This RFI invites interested parties to respond with ideas, approaches, and evidence that can address one, some, or all of the following questions:


1. What, if any, social, behavioral, and/or psychological research has been conducted using AREs (to include ARGs)?

2. Is there evidence that ARE/ARG-based research provides greater external validity than other methods of social, behavioral, and/or psychological research?

3. What are the key elements to incorporate when designing or using AREs/ARGs for research purposes? What may be the biggest challenges for designing or using
AREs/ARGs for research?

4. How might one design an ARE/ARG that combines periods of controlled data collection as well as periods of "free play" and interactions?

5. How might subject recruitment, screening, and informed consent be performed for an ARE/ARG, while limiting priming effects that may occur when explaining the purpose of a research study?

6. What protections can be put in place to maintain the privacy, safety, and anonymity of subjects?
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I found this RFI interesting in a few respects .

First they are asking questions that would require quite a bit of research to answer. They are also pretty much asking someone to design their research project parameters for them . But for me here was the kicker:
"The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this RFI or to otherwise pay for the information solicited, nor is the Government obligated to issue a solicitation based on responses received. Neither proprietary nor classified concepts or information should be included in the submittal. Input on technical aspects of the responses may be solicited by IARPA from non-Government consultants/experts who are bound by appropriate non-disclosure requirements."

Basically they want someone to do all of that work for free!?! And from what I can tell for no recognition either. What would make them think that someone would want to do all that research and design thinking to get nothing out of it but the knowledge that the government would be using it? Does that happen alot? Or are they just thinking that anyone who is researching games/ has the knowledge they need would think that their work was so trivial that they would just give it away?

My first exposure to this link was in the Week 4 summary, where it suggested that government investigation points to a growing acceptance/acknowledgement of the ARG as a powerful form for social/behavioral/psychological motivation--"they are no longer fringe" is the implication.

We speak of using ARGs for educational purposes, but of course there are many potential applications of such transmedia storytelling. The nature of the game, its premise as TINAG ("this is not a game"), means that many will start playing these games without knowing the ultimate purpose of the game (whether its advertising, propaganda, educational reasons, or just entertainment). It seems like there are ethical considerations to be considered here....

#7680314 rsmyth wrote:

We speak of using ARGs for educational purposes, but of course there are many potential applications of such transmedia storytelling. The nature of the game, its premise as TINAG ("this is not a game"), means that many will start playing these games without knowing the ultimate purpose of the game (whether its advertising, propaganda, educational reasons, or just entertainment). It seems like there are ethical considerations to be considered here....

I think that is an important concept to discuss, the ethics of doing something that I know used to be done, like in a Criminal Justice Class, have someone come in and cause a disruption and steal the instructor's purse, wallet, etc, and run. Then you would ask students to write down the description of the suspect, and you would compare and really see how inaccurate first-person descriptions can be. I wouldn't think of doing that now in our current climate of security concerns, but it was very popular in the 1980s. Different times. I guess I would like to be on the side of caution.

There is a Video Game AND a TV series on the SciFi Channel right now call "Defiance." Game Link for Defiance A student told me he was playing the game and didn't find it very interesting or well-constructed but, "I guess I will have to keep watching the series," because of the interaction with the MMORPG and the TV Series. There is even the crossover with merchandising from hats to cards to action figures. These games sold out at $39-00 depending on whether you did Wal-Mart or Steam or the website itself. Don't see how I can work this game into my Cultural Anthropology Class and get it approved by Administration. Ultimate purpose of this game? To sell the game, merchandise and get you to view the series. They are all over the social media, including Facebook where they have 245,437 likes · 35,339 talking about this. Facebook for Defiance, one of several pages Want to see the trailer?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Sg702Sv45Y