Gathering the Voices, andreplaying them in serious games

David MoffatGlasgow Caledonian University1

EVA-MinervaJerusalem, IsraelNovember 2014.

1dm.emogames@gmail.com

Outline

Gathering the Voices project

1st serious game — Arrival

Why serious games?

2nd serious game – Marion’s Journey

Further work

Gathering the Voices project

This project has gathered oral testimony from refugeeswomen who sought sanctuary in Scotland to escape theracism of Nazi-dominated Europe.

Project led by six volunteers, from the Jewish community in Glasgow,and :-

I funded by Heritage Lottery Fund, and other funders

I aided by many other volunteers

I and professionals offering low rates

I faculty and students at Glasgow Caledonian University,particularly our School of Engineering

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GtV project outcomes

GtV project aims :-

I to collect stories of Holocaust survivors in Scotland

I to record their audio interviews

I to digitise their documents (e.g. citizen’s papers, photos)

I to preserve, and make this available via www

I to show contributions they have made to society

—Dissemination is via the website

I http://www.gatheringthevoices.com/

I and a mobile exhibition

I to be used in schools and museums

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GtV website

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GtV website – photos

Marion’s passport (aged 14, in 1946) arriving into the UK.

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GtV mobile exhibition

This can travel to schools in the area. It includes a TV display that canshow videos of the game, continuously.

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1st serious game — Arrival

We held a Game Jam funded by the German Consulate, who alsofunded the development of the winning game.This game Arrival shows the experience of a refugee arriving inGlasgow during the war.—Your character has goals to post a letter, meet his sister, buy somelunch, and so on. . . but all without being able to speak English.—The progress is illustrated with original photos of Glasgow in theperiod.—Game runs on iPhone and iPad.

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1st serious game — ArrivalArriving first at the train station.

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1st serious game — ArrivalCheck to see what is in bag.

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1st serious game — ArrivalTry to find way around city to do tasks.

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1st serious game — ArrivalYou ask a policeman but you don’t know the English language!

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Why serious games?

The key to serious games is intrinsic motivation, and interest.Following self-determination theory, we seek to provide :-

autonomy so the player feels in control

challenge leading to a sense of increasing mastery

social interest which may come in through a story

We build these into a story-game structure that could go with manyother digially captured stories:-

I Main story-game giving facts in context

I asking player to make key decisions

I mini-games to exercise parts of the story

I and provide replay value to extend life of the game

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2nd serious game – Marion’s Journey

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2nd serious game – Marion’s Journey -

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2nd serious game – Marion’s Journey – raft

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2nd serious game – Marion’s Journey — Bukhara

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2nd serious game – Marion’s Journey — Bukhara2

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Further work

Both games are soon to be finished.—Then we shall try them in schools, setting them into a learning / lessoncontext (history, or religious education, or citizenship classes).—Will the game prove to be fun to play, and support learning effectively?Will it deepen understanding of social issues, and human sympathy?—Is this the way to enliven other kinds of “museum material”?

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