re: Visualization, Simulation Resources

Vanessa Gack (vgack who-is-at weber.ucsd.edu)
Mon, 20 Oct 1997 17:36:46 -0700 (PDT)

In the process of writing a paper on Civilization-- that includes
commentary of the sort ventriloquated by David-- I have been putting
together a set of references to help me think about the relationship
between *systems* theory (my first encounter with it was Bateson, but I
have also been looking at complexity theory, the Santa Fe Institute and
other versions), *education*, *simulation gaming*,and *identity*. I don't
know if any of these references will help your theorizing--- I would
certainly appreciate additions to the list...

My experience has been that *relevant* research has been scattered along
disciplinary lines. Since I have been trying to cross those boundaries,
my references are scattered:

-Mizuko Ito has been studying kids' play with simulation games like
SimCity ( SimTown, SimCity2000, Sim Earth, Sim Tower, Civ, Sim Ant) at 5th
Dimensions for several years now. She uses her background in Antropology
and Education to do detailed analyses of a few minutes of simulation-kid
interaction (captured on videotape)--but situated within larger
ethnographic contexts (like computer-gaming culture, afterschool
environments, game design logics...). She has many available papers and a
Stanford Dissertation (you can e-mail me for specific references)

-Greg Smith is editing a volume on CD-ROMS (_Discovering Disks:
Transforming Space and Genre on CD-ROM, forthcoming) which includes a
range of analytic perspectives (psychoanalysis, science fiction,
education, gender, identity, media studies...); (I have a paper which
explores the relationship between the development of expertise within Sim
games and its relationship to spaces outside the games).

- _The Journal of Simulation and Gaming_ (it tends to emphasize game
theory/ rational choice analyses, but includes other kinds
as well (education/ science/ math/ "effects"...)

- Sherry Turkle's work

- Gary Alan Fine's work on role-playing games

- Technology in the Curriculum Webpage http://tic.stan-co.k12.ca.us/
provides a database of teacher-based evaluations/ suggestions for use and
more. You can search by language, platform, category (simulation)-
curricular application, specific game, publisher...

- Topical web pages and chat rooms (Sim City 2000, CivII and Civnet)

- Papert and studies of LOGO (see Charles Crook:1996? for brief summary)

[For help with understanding narrative structure (or lack thereof)-- I
have been looking at Jenkin's and Tulloch's work on Sci Fi Fans; "choose
your own adventure" novelettes]

****************************************
Vanessa Gack
UCSD Communication / Cognitive Science &
Laboratory of Comparative Human Cognition
<vgack who-is-at weber.ucsd.edu>
Tel.(619) 534-7487
****************************************