A Philosophical Exploration of Attitudes and Identities in Games Liam Andrew Kevin Miller Bachelor Or Multimedia Design (UQ), Bachelor of Arts (Hons) (UQ)
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Playing With Your Self: A Philosophical Exploration of Attitudes and Identities in Games Liam Andrew Kevin Miller Bachelor or Multimedia Design (UQ), Bachelor of Arts (Hons) (UQ) A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2016 School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry I Abstract The following thesis is situated at the intersection where philosophy and video games meet. Video games are unique cultural artefacts that ask participants to engage in activities that have little to no point beyond the intrinsic desire to 'play the game'. The domain of philosophy is helpful here for two reasons: firstly, philosophy provides a frame with which to view video games in the context of our world in an attempt to understand the motivation to engage in such activities. Secondly, and maybe more importantly, there is something similar about the kind of engagement that occurs when someone plays and when someone engages philosophically. Through an analysis of several key texts about play and games (Huizinga, Suits), it will be shown that games can be defined as both an activity and an attitude. As activities, games open a temporary space where action can occur, where games can be played. As an attitude, however, games open temporary spheres of knowledge and belief, where players can experiment and manipulate identities. At its heart, the playful attitude is an educative attitude, in that it allows for the extension of the self into new areas of knowledge and belief. In this thesis I explore these ideas by looking at the connections between games and education, communities of inquiry, personal identity, and autonomy. One particular focus, from John Dewey, is on rethinking our educative institutions as domains or communities where identities are constructed; how our habitat constructs our habits, and how we, through our habits, construct our habitats. The aim here is to add to the idea that games, and particularly video games, offer a unique way to engage with, and change, the world. Through games, for example, we are able to explore domains of knowledge and structures of belief without having to adhere to, or deny, them. II Declaration by author This thesis is composed of my original work, and contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text. I have clearly stated the contribution by others to jointly-authored works that I have included in my thesis. I have clearly stated the contribution of others to my thesis as a whole, including statistical assistance, survey design, data analysis, significant technical procedures, professional editorial advice, and any other original research work used or reported in my thesis. The content of my thesis is the result of work I have carried out since the commencement of my research higher degree candidature and does not include a substantial part of work that has been submitted to qualify for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution. I have clearly stated which parts of my thesis, if any, have been submitted to qualify for another award. I acknowledge that an electronic copy of my thesis must be lodged with the University Library and, subject to the policy and procedures of The University of Queensland, the thesis be made available for research and study in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968 unless a period of embargo has been approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. I acknowledge that copyright of all material contained in my thesis resides with the copyright holder(s) of that material. Where appropriate I have obtained copyright permission from the copyright holder to reproduce material in this thesis. III Publications during candidature Book Chapter Miller, L. (2015). The Owl and the One Armed Boy. In Michaud, N. (Ed.). Adventure Time and Philosophy. (pp. 89-100). Open Court. Conference Proceedings Miller, L. (2015) Education & Video Games: Constructing Identity Through Play. PESA 2015 Conference. https://pesa.org.au/conference-2015/papers Online publications Miller, L. (2015). Not all graffiti is vandalism – let’s rethink the public space debate. https://theconversation.com/not-all-graffiti-is-vandalism-lets-rethink-the-public-space-debate-38972 Miller, L. (2015). An Ethical Case for Marriage Equality in Australia. https://theconversation.com/an-ethical-case-for-marriage-equality-in-australia-39698 Miller, L. (2016) Outlaw art: the ruling against ‘Brisbane’s Banksy’ needs to start a debate. https://theconversation.com/outlaw-art-the-ruling-against-brisbanes-banksy-needs-to-start-a-debate- 54319 Publications included in this thesis No Publications included. IV Contributions by others to the thesis Dr Gilbert Burgh - Supervisor Statement of parts of the thesis submitted to qualify for the award of another degree None V Acknowledgements We are the products of our communities. Everything that I am or will be is a reflection of my communities; a combined set of experiences that I have distilled into the man that I am today. I take full responsibilities for my actions, not because I am a self-made person, but because my actions are a result of the effect the people in my life have had on me. In short, I owe them. Every triumph is theirs, and every failing and mis-step is proof that my ideals, the ideals I embody, are a greater set than any one person can achieve, because they are built upon the people who I look up to most in life. First, I would like to thank my Grandmother, Mary Maureen Finn, head of my community. Thank you for the tea, the beer, and for my conception of family and community. Thank you to my Parents, Anne and Gary, for my heart and my head. It is strange to look back and know I am a mix of pieces of you both, studying yourselves. Thank you to my sister and brother, Erin and Rhys, my kindred spirits, for showing me how to use my head and my heart. Thank you to my wife Melissa, who without which I would not be a person at all. You found my soul, and you willed it into existence with sheer force and love. Whatever would I be without you? Thank you to my daughter Ruby. You are a hurricane, and are more wonderful than I could ever imagine. You are the best of me. Thank you to my cousins, uncles, aunties, family friends, and neighbours. There are so many of you, but from each one I carry a piece in me. I would also like to thank the philosophy community at UQ, not just for nurturing my passion for philosophy, but for making me worthy of this dissertation. Thanks to Dr Gil Burgh, Dr Aurelia Armstrong, Dr Michelle Boulous Walker, Dr Dominic Hyde, Dr Marguerite La Caze, Dr Julian Lamont, Dr Martyn Lloyd, Bryan Mukandi, Dr Laura Roberts, Amelia Radke, Judy King, and all others in the University of Queensland community. VI Many thanks to the UQ Graduate School for the Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) scholarship, without which I would not have been able to take the time to complete this research. VII Keywords play, games, education, Pragmatism, Community, identity, autonomy, self. Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classifications (ANZSRC) ANZSRC code: 220399, Philosophy not elsewhere classified, 100% Fields of Research (FoR) Classification FoR code: 2203 Philosophy, 100% VIII Table of Contents Chapter Title Page Number Introduction Habilitation of the Playful 1 1 Play and Games 10 2 Games and Domains: Identity and Education 27 3 Immaturity, Dependency, and Doubt: A Philosophy of Play-based 47 Learning 4 The Extended Gamer: Video Games and the Extended Mind 70 5 Playing in the Intersection: Intersectional Autonomy and the 87 Playful Attitude 6 Fun is Not the Goal: Play in the Classroom 100 7 Play Pedagogy: An Initiation into a Deweyan Community of 124 Inquiry Conclusion The End of the Beginning 144 Bibliography 148 Appendix 156 IX Tables And Figures Page Number Figure 1 Carlson's (2012, p.79) venn diagram depicting 25 the relationship between play and games Figure 2 Venn diagram depicting the relationship 25 between attitudes and activities X Introduction Habilitation of the playful I moved in over his shoulder and wondered whether he'd just had some 'wow' way of being that took notice of alternatives. Did he know he was somewhere special and utterly fantastic, hopeful and terrifying, a world we've never seen before? Was there some irony, amazement, awe, sadness, anything other than facts about missiles to discuss? Could we make talk of the experience and not just the conduct? (Sudnow 1983, p.10) David Sudnow articulates a way of being that so many gamers have been aware of for some time; a way of being that values the experience of an activity over its perceived value. In Pilgrim in the Microworld (1983) Sudnow documents his exploration of several video games. His initial position is one of distain for the medium, which makes his eventual conversion all the more compelling. In many ways Sudnow articulates some deep truth about game playing, one that so many struggle to identify when justifying their game time to their parents, teachers, partners, friends, and society generally. This is what C.S. Lewis (1970) describes as looking along rather than looking at – a distinction I will address later in the next chapter. Sudnow's journey paints the picture of someone who looks at video games, is seduced into looking along video games, and emerges with a new sense of both visions. Pilgrim in the Microworld is one of several texts which inspired the thesis contained within this doctoral dissertation.