Dr. Debbie Ging and Dr. Miriam Judge Dublin City University

Someone Elses Shoes A Pilot Digital Game aimed at year olds Designed to educate students about the causes and effects of migration and to explore intercultural relations between people in their wider social and political contexts Influenced by the type of role play exercises used in intercultural awareness training Game format – children and teenagers spend a lot of time plugged into games and the internet Projects such as Future Lab and the Serious Game Initiative e.g Darfur is Dying

Someone Elses Shoes Objectives of the Game? To encourage a better understanding of the dynamics of migration To address racism (causes and effects) and encourage intercultural awareness To encourage both media literacy and critical media literacy To entertain but in a way that is challenging and does not trivialise racism or the plight of migrants

t Someone Elses Shoes Why a Game? Many of the exercises used in ant-racism training are interactive, are based on role play and rely on ability of participants to imagine or visualise Appeal to young people Appeals to universal sympathy/imaginative empathy Engage the learner at various levels in the process of self-directed learning Specific Irish classroom resource looking at a range of legal, economic, historical and cultural realities

t Someone Elses Shoes Serious Game –Academic Framework Serious games are games that use the artistic medium of games to deliver a message, teach a lesson, or provide an experience (Michael and Chen, 2006 ) Pedagogically Someone Elses Shoes fits into the category of an activism game Team primarily interested in games ability to encourage reflection and critical thinking According to the Fair Play? Report (1999:2), video games' unique interactive capabilities may make them even more likely to influence children's attitudes, beliefs and behaviours than more traditional forms of media.

t Someone Elses Shoes Media and Education - Pedagogical Issues Central underpinning question – to what extent can a serious game help teachers and children to explore complex issues around multiculturalism, racism and identity? Addressing 2 types of learning – (a) the first is about improving media literacy skills (e.g.,to what extent does a visual, interactive format help with information retention?). (b) raising intercultural awareness & encouraging critical thinking about a range of issues around racism, cultural and national identity, integration, intercultural communication, etc.

Someone Elses Shoes Key Features It integrates a range of different exercises and strategies It can be played at different levels of complexity and intensity It provides teachers and students with a range of auxiliary learning resources It encourages critical thinking and debate

Someone Elses Shoes What will students learn? Factual Learning about Darfur, migration etc. Critical/Analytical learning about the role played by the media in representing minority groups, events, individuals etc. Students are encouraged to engage in wider philosophical debates about intercultural conflict and harmony

Someone Elses Shoes Pilot study Will be piloted in schools commencing September 2010 Schools currently being sought to participate Pilot feedback will determine future development of the game Further information and student and teacher worksheets available on the game website at / /