[arg_discuss] ARGs for children?

[Brooke Thompson]

Before throwing a few ideas out there, it's slightly off-topic personal
story time 

When I was four, my grandparents took my mom & me to Disney. I loved it,
especially the characters. Now at four I was pretty smart and I understood
that they were like the Santas that hang out at the mall at Christmas - just
representatives for the big guy. Though, of course, the big guys all lived
there and, every night, I'd get mom to take me on the monorail in my PJs so
that I could say goodnight to Mickey and Co as we passed the Magic Kingdom.
(this is where you go awww!). 

Everything changed for me when I met Alice.

You see, Alice and the princesses aren't in suits. In my oh so enlightened
four-year old mind, I knew that the princesses wouldn't just be walking
around the park and so they must have had body doubles (aside from the
parade, every princess loves a parade!), but Alice, oh yes, she was real.
There was no convincing me of otherwise, not that I imagine mom tried very
hard, and for months afterwards I would tell people just how I met Alice and
how wonderful she was.

And thus the start of my complete fascination with all things Wonderland.


The Disney parallels to ARGs are interesting. One thing that fascinates me
with it is the way in which they go out of their way to take us out of our
real world and into their magical world while, in many cases, ARGs go out of
their way to take the us out of the game world into the real world. Because
you are on location, you have a very solid understanding of the magic circle
or curtain (unless you are like my four year old self) when you enter the
fictional space. Many ARGs go out of their way to remove that framework
which, depending on the goals of the project, can be a mistake.

There's a basic drive in people to find boundaries. When those boundaries
are clearly defined, it is easier for people to become immersed in the
universe that it contains. They can stop thinking about the "meta" and start
thinking about the world and its possibilities. They can embrace their
imagination.

And, as always, I move off of the subject which is ARGs for Children. I am
neither an educator nor a parent, so really have no solid stance on the
subject. However, I think that if the framework of the experience was
properly established, there'd be little concern and, on a serious games
level, it could be a very ripe environment for various fields that explore
and look into child development and related issues. 

It could be an interesting addition to play therapy, which is a very
valuable resource for educators, doctors, and therapists. In fact, just the
other day I was in a discussion about fan-fiction (focusing on Harry
Potter). While the discussion was all over the place, there was quite a bit
of focus on how it allowed children to explore some of the negative aspects
in their lives (divorce, sibling rivalry, abuse, illness) in a safe
environment. Many of us had that as kids, I know that my school had parent
volunteers that would bind the 'books' that we would have to write in a
number of our classes. The difference here is that it allows more peer
interaction. Now, obviously, there's a strong blending of fact and fiction
at work and it is through that blending that kids are able to explore these
problems and if not deal with them on a personal level create empathy for
others who are dealing with them.




> -----Original Message-----

> From: arg_discuss-bounces at igda.org [mailto:arg_discuss-bounces at igda.org]

> On Behalf Of Alex Jarvis

> Sent: Friday, June 29, 2007 12:27 PM

> To: Discussion list of the IGDA ARG SIG

> Subject: Re: [arg_discuss] ARGs for children?

> 

> Yes, In a world such as Disney, you find the true "Drink your Ovaltine"

> message hidden in plain sight- the 'hair-thin' curtain is not even

> perceived

> by the young mind, whose goal is maintaining this reality in whatever

> form.

> It is almost like Christmas and Santa- the reality 'must be true' due to

> the

> gifts under the tree - Disney 'must be real' because you are standing in

> it,

> the world reacts, and it is better than your reality. Might as well buy a

> piece to take home, eh, mom and dad?