Ep. 08: Learning the Language of Rules vs. Creativity (Video Games with People Who Don’t Like Playing Video Games Part 3)

Join JD and Lisa P. for Episode 08 as we unpack the question of rules. When are rules in games fun? When are they a real snore-fest? What's the value of rules vs. creativity in play and language-learning? Lisa P. is a full-time public school teacher for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing finishing up her Master's in special education at the University of Northern Colorado. Lisa doesn't play video games, but loves to play regular old games (aka board games and tabletop games), and the differences between the two makes all the difference for her.

Growing up, Lisa did play a few computer games, but at the time didn't really think of them as video games. The games she played were mostly creative and open, not bound by what she thought of as the defining characteristics of video games: narrative and objectives. Not all games with rules throw her off though. A lover of people-to-people connections, Lisa does enjoy the deeply social nature of board games, rules and all. She uses that drive for conversation in her classroom, where she teaches young students about the world of words through gameplay. Rules play a part in the way she helps children learn about language. As it turns out, learning to communicate with other people isn't so different from learning the rules for how to play a game! 

This is the third episode in a series of interviews about video games with people who don't like playing video games, inspired by Brie Code and a panel from SXSW (titled "Video Games for People Who Don't Like Video Games"). See Episode 06: Crying in a Closet, an interview with non-gamer Bailey Morrison about games and anxiety, for part one in the series, and Episode 07: The Pleasures of Back-seat Gaming with game spectator and eSports lover Nora Green, for part two.

 

Stuff we mentioned...
Wii Fit
Wii Sports
Barbie Fashion Designer
Barbie Magic Hair Styler
Beasts of Balance
Skylanders
Talk With Me Barbie
Rollercoaster Tycoon
Pokemon Snap
Monopoly
Codenames
Heads Up
Use and Pragmatics of Language
Don't Spill the Beans
Cootie Game
Tell Tale
The Sims

 

JD (The Broad)
Website: GamingBroadly.com
Twitter: @JayDeeCepticon
Instagram: @JayDeeCepticon

Lisa P. (The Cast)
Twitter: @PilgrimDeafEd

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