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The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School Department of Learning and Performance Systems CALL OF DUTY FOR ADOLESCENT BOYS: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC PHENOMENOLOGY OF THE EXPERIENCES WITHIN A GAMING CULTURE A Dissertation in Learning, Design, and Technology by Jason A. Engerman © 2016 Jason A. Engerman Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2016 The dissertation of Jason A. Engerman was reviewed and approved* by the following: Alison Carr-Chellman Professor of Learning, Design and Technology Dissertation Advisor Chair of Committee Kyle Peck Professor of Learning, Design and Technology Director of Graduate Studies Fred Schied Associate Professor of Education Andrea Tapia Associate Professor of Information Sciences and Technology Roy B. Clariana Director of Graduate Studies for Learning and Performance Systems *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School iii ABSTRACT While there is plenty of controversy surrounding the assertion that boys struggle in our education systems and are disengaged, (Voyer & Voyer, 2014; Cleveland, 2011) there is sufficient evidence to merit further investigation. The current study builds on an ongoing three- year investigation on boys and commercial-off-the-shelf games that aligned findings to national standards as well as valuable 21st Century skills (Engerman & Carr-Chellman, 2014; Engerman, Mun, Yan, Carr-Chellman, 2015). Considering these positive impacts of gaming, the current study performed an in depth investigation of the interactions between the same boy population and one online game in Call of Duty (CoD). The central question this study sought to answer was: “How do boys perceive their gaming experiences within Call of Duty?” The ethnographic phenomenological design was interpretive and included a Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The study accentuated sociocultural and historical engagements of development through CHAT (Engestrom, 1987, 2001) and was narrated through human activity systems. Among other approaches within the analysis, think aloud interviews served to gain insight into private speech and inner thought habits to unpack participant processing and thought. The motive-object of “Owning the Zone” represented the collective motive that drove the CoD Activity Network (CAN). Tensions were examined through the Expansive Learning Matrix (Engestrom, 2001) and revealed that learning outcomes may include communication skills, strategic thinking, identity formation and leadership development through teamwork. The main finding of this study revealed a (what I interpret to be) playcology through the CAN. The playcology may have expressed that play, in its many forms, may be a fundamental component of adolescent boy development as an order-making tool. The current study concludes that playcologies may give insight into unpacking adolescent boy development beyond sociotechnical spaces. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures……………………………………………………………………………… vii List of Tables………………………………………………………………………………. viii List of Definitions………………………………………………………………………….. ix Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………….. x Chapter 1: Video Games and Boys…………………………………………………….... 1 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………… 1 Background………………………………………………………………………………… 2 Purpose Statement and Approach………………………………………………………….. 7 Research Questions………………………………………………………………………… 8 Significance of Study………………………………………………………………………. 8 Summary…………………………………………………………………………………....10 Chapter 2: Theoretical Frame and Literature Review………………………………… 11 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………… 11 Theoretical Frame: Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory and CHAT………………………… 12 The Role of Language……………………………………………………………… 13 Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) as an Analytic Frame………………………. 15 The Generations of CHAT…………………………………………………………. 15 Unpacking CHAT Components……………………………………………………. 18 Activity…………………………………………………………………….. 29 Object………………………………………………………………………. 23 The Subject………………………………………………………………… 25 Contradictions (Tensions)……………………………………………..…… 27 Literature Review…………………………………………………………………………...30 Play as a Culturally Functioning Experience……………............…………………. 30 Play as a cultural function…………………………………….…….……… 32 Play as an experience………………………………………….…………… 35 Playographies in virtual spaces……………………………..……………… 37 Inside the Boy Crisis with Boy Culture and Play.…………………………………. 39 Masculinity vs. femininity in schools…………..………………..………… 42 Video Games and Boy Development………………………………………………. 44 Concerns about video game engagement……………………...…………… 44 Understanding violent video games and true violence……….……………. 47 The Benefits of Gameplay for Boys…………………….…………………………. 49 Video games in the digital era..…………..………………………………... 49 Morphing literacies towards third spaces…..…………………………….. 51 Literacy gains for school……………………………………………………55 Summary…………………………………………………………………………………… 57 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………. 59 Chapter 3: Methods……………………………………………………………………… 61 Rationale for Collaborative Methodological Frameworks………………………………… 61 Virtual Ethnography……………………………………………………………….. 63 Implementation of Integrated Methodology…………….…………………………. 64 v Design Overview…………………………………………………………………………... 66 Background………………………………………………………………………… 66 Methods…………………………………………………………………………………..... 67 Participant Population……………………………………………………………… 67 Research Setting.…...……………………………………………………………… 68 Materials…………………………………………………………………………… 71 Collection of Data………………………………………………………………….. 72 Gameplay surveys………………………………………………………….. 72 Video recordings……………………………………………………………73 Video interviews…………………………………………………………… 73 Think alouds and video recordings of gameplay…………………………... 74 Hauppage HD PVR Rocket………………………………………………... 76 Observations……………………………………………………………….. 76 Ethnographic Snapshot…………………………………………………………….. 78 Procedure……………………………………………………………………………80 Data Phenomena…………………………………………………………………… 82 Data Analysis………………………………………………………………………. 85 Familiarize yourself with data.…………………………………………….. 86 Generate initial codes……………………………………………………… 89 Search for theme…………………………………………………………... 90 Review and refine themes………………………………………………..... 92 Define & name themes…………………………………………………….. 95 Researcher Identity………………………………………………………………… 96 Limitations…………………………………………………………………………. 98 Ethical Considerations……………………………………………………………... 99 Summary…………………………………………………………………………………… 99 Chapter 4: Findings………………………………………………………………. ……... 101 Participant Profiles…………………………………………………………………………. 102 Main participants…………………………………………………………………....102 Supporting Participants…………………………………………………………….. 105 Theme 1: Call of Duty as a Social Function……………………………………………….. 108 Social Connectivity………………………………………………………………… 110 Teaming to Build Camaraderie …………………………………………………..... 113 Developing Communication Skills………………………………………… ……... 116 Trash talking to enhance competitive engagement………………………… 118 Tensions Towards Expansive Learning……………………............. ……………... 120 Expansive Learning: The Problem with Trash Talking……………………. 121 Theme 2: Satisfying a Competitive Drive…………………………………………………. 126 Exercising Power Dynamics ………………………………………………………. 127 “Meaning as Doing” with Psychomotor Engagement………………………………131 Leapfrog Learning to Prove Gamesmanship………………………………………. 136 No Hacking Allowed! ……………………………………………………………... 139 Aggressive Play through Violent Fantasy…………………………………………. 141 Parental Involvement………………………………………………………. 145 Tensions towards Expansive Learning…………………………………………….. 147 vi Expansive Learning: Leapfrog Learning towards Critical Thinking ……………… 148 Theme 3: Identity Formation through Playography………………………………………...155 Playographies Through CoD………………………………………………………..156 What am I capable of? ……………………………………………………. 157 How do I navigate between games? ………………………………………. 161 As I navigate game spaces, what am I searching for? ……………………. 162 What is it like to play various roles within the team? ……………………... 164 Who am I as a result of playing various team roles? ……………………… 168 Tensions Towards Expansive Learning……………………………………. ……... 170 Expansive Learning: Moving Beyond the Console…………………………………171 Theme 4: Showcasing Expertise through the Flow State (Finding “The Zone”)………….. 174 The Play Experience Inside and Outside of CoD………………………………….. 175 Traveling into the CoD Flow State…….…………………………………………... 177 Leveraging Teaming towards Winning……………………………………………. 181 Showcasing Expertise ……………………………………………………………... 183 The Flow State in Action…………………………………………………………... 185 Tensions towards Expansive Learning…………………………………………….. 189 Expansive Learning: Leadership through Teamwork……………………………… 191 Theme 5: The CoD Playcology……………………………………………………………. 196 Defining a Playcology………………………………………………………………198 Playfully socialize with peers……………………………………………… 202 Playfully complete in CoD………………………………………………… 203 Playfully develop self-awareness …………………………………………. 204 Play and profit (playfully gaining social capital) …………………………. 205 Summary……………………………………………………………………………………206 Chapter 5: Discussions and Conclusions……………………………………………….. 208 Connections to Play Literature…………………………………………………….. 208 Connections to play and culture literature…………………………………. 208 Connections to the flow literature………………………………………….. 210 Connections to Learning Design……………………………………………………214 Games based research……………………………………………………… 214 Playographies for commercial games based learning……………………… 215 From playographies to a CoD playcology…………………………………..216 Connections for Traditional School Systems………………………………………. 219 Local/State Policy Makers…………………………………………………. 219 Districts…………………………………………………………………….