Craig Watkins: Shut Out of Play: What Happens when Kids Don’t Have Access?
Filed at 11:24 am on November 8, 2006 in Games • Leave a comment
Many of us are familiar with the popular rise of the “digital divide” debate a few years ago or, more basically, the creation of a world of “technology haves” and “technology have nots.” As I think about power and agency in games I work hard to locate these issues within a broader social context.
One of my interests in digital media culture is the issue of access and participation.
What strikes me as interesting about what is happening in games-modding, the growth of massively multiplayer on line gaming, world-building, etc.-is that a great deal of it is predicated on the ability to consume. The consumption of capable hardware, software applications, broadband, and the ability to afford monthly subscription fees, upgrades, as well as other financial commitments.
This brave new world of gaming has the potential to not only build new learning environments and modes of digital literacy, but equally important, unchain young people from the clutches of big media. In my work I have become increasingly concerned with the degree to which the multinational corporations are dominating global culture-the production of both educational and entertainment content. As we think about the lively ways in which digital media enables young people to assert greater control over their cultural environment I do not think this holds true for all youth. Thus, what are the consequences for young people’s whose access to digital technology is either limited (i.e., the school or local library) or virtually non-existent?
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