Using the method of reflection suggested by an action research project (Marshall, 2016) I reviewed my personal observations of the running of the Character Defining session, making critical observations within the context of continuing practice.
Critical observations
- The time it had taken to create the curated bibliography was too high. It also came with the risk of personal bias being imposed by me, which could undermine the ideals of the session. Also, the number of the books in the space, and the way that players accessed them caused practical problems. Revisions to this game or the development of new games would need to address these concerns.
- I had created the research project around personal experience of playing solo journaling games where the outcome is the journal you create. Following the logic through I had assumed that this would be the same for the players of my group session. When running the session, I realised that the space to share, expand and explain the scenarios the players had created with each other was potentially mush richer, participatory, embodying of the storytelling component of art research, and would better help disclose the empathetic relations. Running a session again that looked at this data would be useful.
- It was taken for granted that the players of the game would already have well-developed creative skills in the field of creative writing. One player found this hard, and it would have been helpful to have had some structure in the session that helped guide/support these participants.
Positive outcomes
- That the session was fun in a way that supported learning (Marshall, 2016; Walsh, 2018). Players were absorbed in their task, playful and excited to create their worlds. Pleasure was also taken in the stories the other players had made. The enthusiasm spilling over into discussions of content and creative process.
- The session put unusual books into the hands of users who would never have found them before and asked them to use them in a creative and critical way. At the end of the session plyers took notes of books and authors they had found and vocalised the potential for using unexpected items in their practice as a result of playing the game.
- Players learning and understanding of topics outside the realm of normal discovery methods.
Future projects (more games?)
- To create journaling games with disciplines that used narrative structure – screenwriting, film, television, illustration and advertising.
- To create journaling games that can be carried out alone, as ways of exploring the libray catalogue and specialist databases.
- To create journaling games that support welcome and wellbeing activities.
- To develop ways of using keyword development to support the delivery of games outside of the use of curated collection.
- To take findings and development of library journaling games to ARLIS.
Presentation slides
References
Marshall, J. (2016) First person action research: Living life as inquiry. London, England: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Walsh, A. (2018) The librarians’ book on teaching through games and play. Tallinn, Harju Maakond: Innovative Libraries.