As McGann explains it, every artistic work is driven by ambiguity and has different forms concealed within it. There can be Marxist, feminist, and psychological interpretations of a single work. McGann is not arguing with the intrinsic value of these approaches, only noting that they are limited to the extent that they are not self-conscious. McGann, in collaboration with Johanna Drucker, director of Media Studies, and his colleagues in the Department of English, devised what they refer to as The Ivanhoe Game, which by its very nature forces its players to become more self-conscious about the act of interpretation. In essence, The Ivanhoe Game involves players assuming a persona, which they conceal from other players, and producing new commentary and interpretations, which they share with the others.
Players keep a log of their own thoughts and goals.
You interact with other people. You can abandon your role and take up a new one as you respond to what the other players are doing. McGann and his colleagues have played several rounds of the game over the last few months. They began with Sir Walter Scott's novel, then applied the game to Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. The very act of choosing a role is revelatory.