Source: http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/2734/4304
Timestamp: 2019-04-20 16:55:57+00:00

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Abstract: In this article I discuss how participatory action research (PAR) and game jams can be mutually enriching activities to achieve social transformation. PAR is a collaborative method where researchers and participants go through a cycle of reflection and action to understand and solve a collective challenge. Game jams are playful events where people from different disciplines build on collective knowledge to create game prototypes. The literature review is illustrated with eleven game jams held in Switzerland and Canada to create games for respiratory physiotherapy in cystic fibrosis, and to foster self-management in asthma. Together, game jams and PAR offer attractive and inclusive contexts to ease the appropriation of interdisciplinary knowledge, develop leadership and social skills, and foster civic engagement.
Several kinds of gameplay—the rules of the games that inform the player experience—were collectively designed by the game jam participants.
Seven prototypes (sidescrollers, puzzle, tower defense, point-and-click, narration) aim to ease the daily physiotherapy that children who have cystic fibrosis do to release the mucus in the lungs: The games use a breath-pressure-based controller to give visual biofeedback to the player. For example, the player drives a spaceship towards a destination—breathing in makes meteorites appear in front on the vessel, and breathing out allows to shoot at them with a laser.
Three prototypes (sidescrollers) strive to motivate children to regularly self-assess their lung capacity: The games use a breath-flow-based controller to give visual biofeedback to the player. For example, the player blows intensely three times so that Easter statues 1. destroy buildings, 2. plant seeds, and 3. make rain to reinstate nature.
Three prototypes (point-and-click, Tamagotchi (virtual pet), character customization) seek to teach children how to prevent and manage asthma crises (triggers, signals, medication use, etc.): For example, the player collects objects and combines them to open doors and help characters be healthy.
The game jams also allowed us to work on the financial viability and on community targeted communications about the initiative. The method for making the initiative financially sustainable was also better defined—as the games and the design of hardware are made freely available. By doing this, anyone is able to use and adapt the work so that it fits their needs.
We involved patient associations, hospitals, universities, and networks of professionals before the events to ensure that key actors would be represented. Medical care professionals also helped us in defining key messages to deliver in the games.
The setting was relatively similar in all game jams. The events in Switzerland took place during an international event dedicated to innovation and prototyping. These events were held over three to four days in downtown Geneva, Switzerland. Two zones were provided: an open space with seats, tables and bulletin boards, and a space in a prototyping lab, with seats, whiteboards, and movable elements. Food was provided. The event in Canada ran for two days in a modern, adaptable space at a university in downtown Montreal, Canada. The space included a classroom, and a working lounge. Food, a sleeping option, as well as computers and tablets, were provided. In both cases, documentation about the schedule, goals, and resources available was provided in advance.
In the following illustration, I show how the facilitation process builds on TUCKMAN’s (1965) stages of group development, from the arrival of participants, where people invest little energy and do rituals, to the end of the event, where people divest their energy to move on to another activity. I co-facilitated all events with one or two other contributors.
Tools that we actively used during the game jams are described hereafter, with examples.
Documentation was mostly done on Google Drive, which enables different users to edit texts, spreadsheets, and presentations simultaneously. For the game jams, the facilitators created most documents, and participants completed them (for example promotional flyers, abstracts from medical literature, documents used by health professionals, game design document, images taken by participants, articles for congresses).
Source code of the games and devices was registered on GitHub and later on GitLab (the latter being a free/libre version), a hosting service for software development that includes version control and access management systems. Most participants used this tool, as it enabled them to work simultaneously on the content of games and devices, without the risk of losing their individual work; for example, content produced by the game engine including code, images, sounds, and animations.
Contributions were logged into the Sensorica/Mikorizal Value Accounting System, a free/libre platform which enables a group to document contributions in time, material, and money; validate outcomes from peers; see the collective effort; and have funds redistributed via an algorithm. This system is key to the initiative, as it enables everyone everywhere to contribute to the project, and be acknowledged for their contribution. This makes collaboration more attractive than competition, as participants build on each other’s work instead of contending for an award; for example, 5 hours used for design and coordination, $25 pressure sensor bought, $100 donation received.
Ambience and dynamics were captured through pictures, videos, and audio recording done by facilitators and participants. Time-lapse videos (pictures taken every n minutes and shown in fast-motion) were also done. In the second game jam, short interviews were done with participants to document their experiences, which were then broadcast online. This turned out to be an added value for all: an acknowledgment and new experience for participants, and a means to increase visibility for the initiative and its supporters. This gives voice to everyone, not only within the project or for research purposes, but also making the work accessible on the Internet. Participants could also be invited to film their own interviews and sequences. This fits with PAR practices where "experience has shown that, after appropriate training, the various research partners are well able to conduct these interviews" (BERGOLD & THOMAS, 2012, §67).
In the first game jam for example, about 410 hours were spent together by 30 participants over three days. In the second game jam, 26 participants invested about 315 hours together over a weekend. The documentation produced—the videos and interviews in particular—provides a sneak peek into the human experience lived in such an activity. This could also become valuable research data for PAR, and be a topic for a publication collectively written by game jam participants.
I thank Dr. Warren LINDS, professor in applied human sciences from Concordia University (Canada) for his review; Dr. Philippe CAIGNON, professor in linguistics from Concordia University (Canada) and Juan-Pablo PIMENTEL, PhD student at McGill University (Canada) for their valuable inputs; and Scot DEEMING, student in the Individualized PhD in humanities at Concordia University for the proofreading.
I acknowledge all Breathing Games commoners who contributed to the game jams: O. ADNANE, A. AKL, C. ALTMIKUS, H. ALVES, J. ANASTASSIOU, R. AOUN, D. ARANGO, C. BALLI, F. BALSIGER, J. BANKS, M.A.L BARAHONA, A. BEDARD, K. BERTHIAUME, E. BIRKIN, R. BOATENG, M. BONNIVARD, J. BOUCHARD, J. BOUCHARD, A. BOUITA, J. BOUIX, E. BOULAY, M. BRANSI, D. BRASTAVICEANU, T. BRASTAVICEANU, A. BROCHU, M. BROECK, J. BROOKE, F. BROSSEAU, G. BROWN, P.-P. BRÛLÉ, P.-R. BURGEL, P. CAIGNON, L. CHABRE, F. CHEDEVERGNE, P. CHERNOFF, A. CHEVALIER, P. CHIUPPI, S. CHRIST, W. CHUNG, M. CLARICIA, D. CORREIA, K. COTTIER, M.-A. COTTING, S. COURCHESNE, T. DAGUENEL, J. DANGER, Q. DE HALLEUX, T. DE REYDET, A. DE ROMANA, L. DELVALLE, E. DESFORGES, G. DEVAUD, J. DEXTRAZE, N. DEXTRAZE, N. DODUIK, C. DRÉVO, K. DUNN, B. DUGAS, D. DUGUAY, T. DUONG, F.-X. DUPAS, V. DURAND, N. EBNOETHER, L.-T. FAN, D. FANGOUS, L. FERLAND, A. FOLIE, L. FOSTER, M. FRANGOS, D. GALAN, H. GAUDENZ, M. GAUDET, T. GAUDY, S. GEISER, S. GENDREAU, J.-S. GERVAIS, Y. GERVAIS, M.-A. GIGUÈRE, S. GINGRAS, S. GOBRON, B. GODOT, V. GOMEZ, V. GOZZI, A. GRAY, D. GRUNENWALD, I. GULIZIA, L. HARTMAN, M. HARTMEIER, B. HAUGEN, A. HAVAS, L. HUBER, G. HUGUENIN, H. HURTADO, C. IONESCU, M. IZQUIERDO, F. JEANNERET, L. JEANNERET, P. JURGAITIS, T. JUVET, F.-E. KING, M. KIRSZENBAUM, F. KNUCHEL, P. KOENIG, C. KOKER, S. LABERGE, B. LANGELLIER, M. LAUGERI, T.-R. LEBOEUF, P.-M. LEGRIS, G. LO PRESTI, S. LOZINSKI, A. LUSTRE, N. MAHANI, M.-A. MAHEU, M. MANCA, C. MAHNEKE, J.-E. MARCOTTE, N. MARQUIS, N. MARTIN, S. MARTINEZ, R. MARTISCHANG, D. MASSIE, N. MBUMBA, T. MEIER, J. MÉJANE, M. MELNYKOWYCZ, M. MENDELL, S. MEUNIER, P. MEYER, T.-L. MEYER, W. MILED, K. MITESKYY, F. MONCOMBLE, B. MOHAMED, B. MOHAMED, P. MORALES, C. MORASSE, P. NATAF, J. NG, T.-D. NGUYEN, I. ORTIZ, R. ORY, C. PACHE, L. PALOMINO, K. PICCAND, A. D. PIERSON, J.-P. PIMENTEL, L. POUGET, H. QUINTANA, E. RAELISON, D. REGAZZONI, C. REIERSON, S. RIVERIN, A. RIZZOTTI, A. ROMAN, A. ROMERO, L. ROPERS, P. ROSSEL, P. ROY, S. SANGANI, H. SANTOS, A. SAUTER, A. SCHNEIDER, M. STEPHAN, D. SEKULARAC, I. SERMET, P. SIGAM, J. SILVESTRINI, L. SIMON, C. SKRAPITS, R. STAUFFER, J. SUN, M. TAMPORELLO, M. THOMPSON, S.-M. TSE, A. VALDERRAMA, S. VARONE, S. VELLAS, F. VERMUELEN, Y. VEZINA, C. VOIROL, A. WEGMULLER, N. WENK, P. WILKINSON, J. WILLIMANN, L. XING, Q. YAROUB, A. ZALINI, C. ZALINI, A. ZANESCU, J. ZELTNER, Y. ZHAO.
A synthesis of Breathing Games can be found at https://breathinggames.net/pub/bg_18_synthesis.pdf. Further information about the initiative including videos and documentation is available at https://www.breathinggames.net.
The Canadian game jams were held thanks to the support of Sainte-Justine university hospital (health promotion center and research center), Sensorica, Concordia University, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, Concordia Sustainability Action Fund, Blocsens.
The Swiss game jams were held thanks to the support of a Swiss foundation, Lift Conference, OpenGeneva, the Genevan Foundation against Cystic Fibrosis (FGLM), the Swiss Game Center, the Genevan University Hospitals (HUG), the University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland, Breathing Games Association.
The proofreading was paid by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
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Fabio BALLI leads Breathing Games, an open-access commons that encourages everyone to take care of respiratory health with play. He does an individualized PhD in social sciences at Concordia University, Tiohtiá:ke/Montreal, Canada. He benefits of ten years of experience in local and international organizations, where he has lead social transformation processes, and provided training and mentoring. Among others, Fabio BALLI holds a Swiss Masters of Advanced Studies in human systems engineering.
Balli, Fabio (2018). Game Jams to Co-Create Respiratory Health Games Prototypes as Participatory Research Methodology [71 paragraphs]. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 19(3), Art. 35, http://dx.doi.org/10.17169/fqs-19.3.2734.

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