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Evocative Knowledge Object
Evocative knowledge objects, introduced by Rich Gold in The Plenitude, have been
described by John Seely Brown as “metaphors, sayings, or experiences which then help the other
person rapidly construct their own understanding,” and by Steve Anderson as “tools, systems and
architectures that allow us to think differently about the world,” or more simply, “objects we think
with.” 56, 57 , 58
Leafcutters was designed as an evocative knowledge object, in that it seeks to evoke
engagement with a natural system and with the outside world in general. The game is an object
in that it is a digital artifact, a “toy” for the user to play with, echoing Maxis’ description of their
Sim games.59 This philosophy impacted many design decisions in the creation of Leafcutters.
First, the game guides the player only very loosely, with achievement-style intermediary
objectives which may be pursued or ignored. Second, the game contains very little didactic
information, instead relying on the player’s interaction with the system for the evocation of
knowledge and understanding. Third, the game prompts more questions than it answers, inviting
player speculation about its subject matter. Such “questions” include the use of a specific ant
species with a unique appearance, but a lack of explicit information about this species; a selection
of foliage and environment art which suggests a specific location, but again, a lack of explicit
location information; and the inclusion of expert subject matter in form of game objects, such as
the ants’ fungal gardens and the effects of the microfungus escovopsis, presented in a manner
which allows for successful play but which does not explicitly identify these objects.
35
56 Gold, Rich. The Plenitude: Creativity, Innovation, and Making Stuff. The MIT Press, 2007. Print.
57 Brown, John Seely. Upside Magazine. Intervew by Marcia Conner. 1993. Web. 21 Mar 2011. <http://
www.johnseelybrown.com/linklearn_int.html>.
58 "Interactive Media Division Forum for 9/24/08." YouTube. Web. 21 Mar 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=3bn327W5y_g>.
59 Cliff and Grand 82
Object Description
| Title | Leafcutters: life simulation gameplay designed to evoke engagement with real-world subject matter |
| Author | Graner, William B. |
| Author email | granerw@gmail.com; bill@bgraner.com |
| Degree | Master of Fine Arts |
| Document type | Thesis |
| Degree program | Interactive Media |
| School | School of Cinematic Arts |
| Date defended/completed | 2011-05-05 |
| Date submitted | 2011 |
| Restricted until | Unrestricted |
| Date published | 2011-05-05 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Gibson, Jeremy |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Fullerton, Tracy Anderson, Steven F. |
| Abstract | Leafcutters is a life simulation game about leafcutting ants which is designed to evoke engagement with real world subject matter. In this game, players shape the behaviors of a colony of ants in order to establish complex behaviors such as foraging and fungus farming. The game system in Leafcutters is adapted from existing biological research on ants, with an emphasis on the accurate adaptation of a natural system into a game system. This project draws on previous works in artificial life, life simulation games, swarm games, virtual pets, and virtual ants. Leafcutters is a work of expressive AI, an evocative knowledge object, and an educational game. |
| Keyword | simulation game; evocative knowledge object; educational game; video game |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m3919 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Graner, William B. |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-Graner-4578 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume40/etd-Graner-4578.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 40 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text |
Evocative Knowledge Object
Evocative knowledge objects, introduced by Rich Gold in The Plenitude, have been
described by John Seely Brown as “metaphors, sayings, or experiences which then help the other
person rapidly construct their own understanding,” and by Steve Anderson as “tools, systems and
architectures that allow us to think differently about the world,” or more simply, “objects we think
with.” 56, 57 , 58
Leafcutters was designed as an evocative knowledge object, in that it seeks to evoke
engagement with a natural system and with the outside world in general. The game is an object
in that it is a digital artifact, a “toy” for the user to play with, echoing Maxis’ description of their
Sim games.59 This philosophy impacted many design decisions in the creation of Leafcutters.
First, the game guides the player only very loosely, with achievement-style intermediary
objectives which may be pursued or ignored. Second, the game contains very little didactic
information, instead relying on the player’s interaction with the system for the evocation of
knowledge and understanding. Third, the game prompts more questions than it answers, inviting
player speculation about its subject matter. Such “questions” include the use of a specific ant
species with a unique appearance, but a lack of explicit information about this species; a selection
of foliage and environment art which suggests a specific location, but again, a lack of explicit
location information; and the inclusion of expert subject matter in form of game objects, such as
the ants’ fungal gardens and the effects of the microfungus escovopsis, presented in a manner
which allows for successful play but which does not explicitly identify these objects.
35
56 Gold, Rich. The Plenitude: Creativity, Innovation, and Making Stuff. The MIT Press, 2007. Print.
57 Brown, John Seely. Upside Magazine. Intervew by Marcia Conner. 1993. Web. 21 Mar 2011. |
