Gaming/Writing: Alternative Discourse Communities in Online or Digitally Enhanced Technical Writing Classrooms

Abstract

This presentation focuses on the infusion of computer gaming into writing pedagogy at those entry points where the practice can enrich online or digitally enhanced technical writing courses. We ground our conceptualization of community briefly and explain how we invoked this understanding as a heuristic during ethnographic study of dedicated gamers. We discuss interviews that shed light on the intersections between community-building and the notably technical nature of much writing produced during gaming activities. We explore how the act of gaming/writing, in conjunction with the most pedagogically appropriate and attractive features of gaming, suggests teaching strategies and specific assignment prompts to support and to amplify pre-existing approaches to the teaching of writing in e-learning contexts.