Virtual Reality in Postdigital Spaces: Students as Game Developers (VRPR).

The participatory practice and research project aims to give the students of a computer science group the opportunity to develop a VR game in The Basement and to explore this process from different perspectives. Thematically, the project is determined by the practice partners*: The teachers' suggestion to design the game as a time travel into the history of mathematics and science will be further developed and fleshed out by the students. From a research perspective, we ask (1) how students bring together subject matter and game design, e.g., in terms of informatics competencies and game programming, and (2) how the design processes in a post-digital space stimulate critical reflection on VR technology and the content presented.

Approach

Following the Social Living Labs Approach, these questions will be investigated with user-centered methods and phases of co-creation, exploration, experimentation, and co-reflection will be evaluated based on participant observation, reflection conversations, interviews, and the products. Looking at the interactions on a social, socio-technical and symbolic level should make it possible to grasp the complex learning processes in their situatedness.

2023