Gaming as a Cultural Commons

This book focuses on relatively neglected areas of simulation and gaming (S&G), i.e., cultural aspects and ethical issues, in addition to giving readers a basic knowledge of S&G. Although the educational effects of S&G, and related methods such as gamification, as well as serious games have been studied and are gaining recognition, their downsides are often overlooked. For example, there is always a risk of manipulation by games if maliciously designed and facilitated. Ethical codes of game designers, facilitators, and educators must be established on the basis of academic research. Considerations of the ethics of games are essential not only for S&G researchers and educators but also for the general public, because games have sometimes been used for propaganda purposes in the past and could be again, in the present and future. Looking at the cultural aspect, as the S&G community has accumulated research over 50 years, the book includes the knowledge of the pioneers, i.e., archival interview data. This is the first book that includes extensive interviews of researchers and commercial game designers and critics. It also contains diverse topics from the perspective of gender and Japanese culture. Japan has been attracting attention in the field of board games as there are many independent game designers and an expanding market. Although women in S&G have gained some recognition, the topic has been rather ignored and was first officially discussed in 2019 at the international conference of the International Simulation and Gaming Association held in Warsaw. In summary, by focusing on comparatively overlooked or neglected aspects of S&G, this book expands future opportunities in the field for researchers and educators, with increased awareness by the general public.

Looking at the cultural aspect, as the S&G community has accumulated research over 50 years, the book includes the knowledge of the pioneers, i.e., archival interview data. This is the first book that includes extensive interviews of researchers and commercial game designers and critics. It also contains diverse topics from the perspective of gender and Japanese culture. Japan has been attracting attention in the field of board games as there are many independent game designers and an expanding market. Although women in S&G have gained some recognition, the topic has been rather ignored and was first officially discussed in 2019 at the international conference of the International Simulation and Gaming Association held in Warsaw. In summary, by focusing on comparatively overlooked or neglected aspects of S&G, this book expands future opportunities in the field for researchers and educators, with increased awareness by the general public.

Preface- Part 1 Culture in Gaming and Simulation.- Chapter 1: Gaming Simulation – Terminology and Fundamentals.- Chapter 2: Knowledge from the Great Ancestors: The “Cone of Ab-straction” – Revisiting a Key Concept through Interviews with Gaming Simulation Veterans.- Chapter 3.- Board Game Immersion.- Chapter 4: Women (and a little bit of Culture) in Simulation Gaming.- Chapter 5: The Current Status of Japanese Game Players and its Impact on the Society.- Part 2 Education.- Chapter 6: Case Example: KIKATOPIA Game – A Simulation Game on Diversity and Living together with Children as Co-designers.- Chapter 7: Bringing Gaming into Education: Cultural Context and Ethical Issues in the Case of SN Games.- Chapter 8: Code of Conduct for Facilitators and the Ethics of De-briefing.- Chapter 9: Ethics and Simulation Games in a Cultural Context: Why Should we Bother? And What Can We Learn?.- Part 3 Manipulation in Games.- Chapter 10: Subtle Manipulation in Games.- Chapter 11: Manipulation throughGamification and Gaming.