Learning card

Narrating gameplay (Let’s Play)

Description

Let’s Play videos have become one of the most popular content forms in Youtube and other video sharing platforms. Most of the LP’s include narration by the player, in addition to the recorded play action. This activity emphasizes the different modalities of playing, narrating play, and watching somebody else play in order to help students to understand the workings of media characteristics across different media.

Tag

Video
Videogames
Writing
Youtube

Skills

PRODUCTION

To create and modify writing productions
To use writing software and apps
To create and modify audiovisual productions
To use photographic and editing tools

NARRATIVE AND AESTHETICS

To recognize and describe
To evaluate and reflect

IDEOLOGY AND ETHICS

To evaluate and reflect

Learning areas

Foreign Languages
Language
Technologies

Card language

English
Spanish
Finnish
Italian

Structure

Sessions

Duration

60’ (variable)

Number of participants

10-30 participants

Age

10-13
14-16
17-18

Materials

Writing material
Smartphone or video camera
Internet

Process

Key questions

How does the story change when the narrator is not from the game world?
When you are not actually playing yourself, what is missing from the experience? What does the narration add to the experience?

Development

A few days before the session, the teacher asks students to watch a Let’s Play video at home and think about their favourite youtubers.

In the classroom, the teacher asks the students about their favourite Let’s Play videos. The teacher picks one video from the favourites. The video is then watched together (not completely).
Students are then separated into small groups for the continuing activity. (15’).

Within the group the students show each other the videos they have selected at home and have a short discussion about their content. The group selects one of the videos for the following activity. (10’).

Each member of the group or the group together makes a Let’s Play based on a mobile game. The activity is done by writing down the experience of playing the mobile game.
Any game will do, the students can choose the game by themselves. Usually mobile phones come with some sample games, if the students haven’t downloaded any games themselves.
If the suitable technology is available, or if the group wishes to make a video with a mobile phone, the students can also make a video about playing the game. (30’).

After writing, each member of the group presents what they have written to the other groups. What kinds of differences/similarities are there in the written pieces? How did each group present the gaming experience by writing? Was there any critical notes about the game in the narration? (10’).

Evaluation

In the final discussion, the teacher should discuss the differences between different types of narration. For example, how does immediate narration (as in this activity) differ from a scripted narration? What is missing and what could be gained in the two formats?

References for professors