Knowledge-Making in Minecraft Video-Recording
In this article, the authors attempt to determine if data-collection tool FRAPS is an accurate and useful tool in data collection. The participants were young Swede students who were collectively playing Minecraft. The authors also attempted to determine if kids using the capturing technology make better meaning of their knowledge-making and knowledge-sharing activities. I found this article particularly interesting as my affinity space project focused on the Minecraft EDU community, and I was curious if any scholarship existed on the topic. In this article, it became clear that such scholarship exists, but there is some difficulty with it.
In this article, the researchers watched young Swede students play collectively, and share knowledge amongst themselves. Knowing that video games are often a solo engagement, they were interested to see if their capturing of their own playing led to more engaged play. The researchers were pointed by the kids towards YouTube, where Minecraft play-through and commentary has become a booming business. This sharing then almost mimics what the kids are already seeing online, and so it seems to be a little bit of art imitating life, imitating art. The researchers determined that the kids shared their video-captured knowledge first to help others improve their craft, and secondly, gain fame in their communities.
The researchers found that the kids did knowledge-build with others, and this was shown by them asking leading questions to one another. I was particualry interested in the language learning, as the Swedes spoke primarily in their native Swedish, but would lapse into English concepts when need. This knowledge and language translation is what the researchers identified as “other-regulation”, as opposed to the more recognizable “self-regulation.” This language sharing and video-sharing resulted in arguments and cooperation alike, as the children were often directly affected by other’s actions in-game. The researchers also point out that “self-regulation” was needed in-game, as it was an unspoken rule that members needed to know the language and behaviors necessary to function in-game with other players.
The weakness of this, and any other article regarding games and learning has to do with the speed of the development of games and gamers. Scholarship is notoriously slow, and the researchers recognize how this limits their study. Though this is still the case today, the authors were able to determine that video-capture technology does seem to enhance knowledge-making in Minecraft players, and this is an interesting facet of what tools kids can use to modify, engage with, and enhance their learning capability.