Appreciative+Systems



According to Gee, "The appreciative systems imply what is liked or good from the point of view of the evaluator/player." The newcomers like myself learn what counts as competent goals, desires, feelings, and values in the game. Gee says that it is a way of forming a taste in this domain, also it defines the learner's identity. --

Testimony "I learned a good deal about myself, about the virtual world of the game, and about the design of this and other related games." (pp. 92-95).

Cognition An appreciative system is where affect and cognition as well as the social, cultural and personal merge and come together (Gee 93) while video gaming. The appreciative system is how a player evaluates their set of goals, desires, feelings and values in a game or a given semiotic domain and forms their taste by making active and critical choices about the system or game. The player probes the game and revises their hypothesis depending upon their appreciative system. Social and cultural determinants enter the mix because affinity groups help to determine what is acceptable or recognizable and the presence of others is essential.

Digital Literacy While attempting to figure out the world of Minecraft, I formed my own "appreciative system" (a set of goals in respect to the domain I was engaging in) by viewing tutorial videos, watching videos and perusing the internet for tips and ideas, and creating a cheat sheet for myself in order to memorize the controls. My goal was not to create a world that would wow my classmates; rather, it was to get the basics down and survive. I was thrust into an unfamiliar domain, and I relied on the expertise of others to help me get through the first few days of playing. I then determined how this would work best for me based on my specific goals (what I wanted to get out of the game) and my feelings towards the game (not the biggest fan at first). I created worlds in both "creative" and "survival" mode, and my appreciative system shifted through practice and interaction with those who posted the videos, as well as my classmates.

Children vs. Adults Gee differentiated how the appreciative system may play out for children verses adults in the video game domain. An example of this difference may be, a child might be fascinated with breaking the blocks, be it wood, cobblestone etc. They may go into a mine and just begin digging and digging getting caught up in the breaking of the blocks and the ability to make a space wider and bigger. For children, “The appreciative system is where affect and cognition merge and come together” (93) Where as an adult might like building structures, refining them to not only for their personal satisfaction but to their affinity group. “ For the adult the appreciate system is not only a place where the affective and cognitive merge and come together, but social, cultural and personal.

Critical Analysis As James Paul Gee mentions in the section "Appreciative Systems," good video games like Minecraft make players think critically. When playing these types of games, we gain new knowledge about the world and learn how to make the right decisions. Within certain limitations (Survival Mode in Minecraft) as well as discovering, we develop our imagination and creativity (Creative Mode in Minecraft). Players of Minecraft "can determine what they 'like,' what is 'good' result, only in terms of an appreciative system, that is, their set of goals, desires, feelings, and values in respect to the domain being engaged with. The appreciative system is where affect and cognition merge and come together" (93). Players reconsider the expectations they have made based on their interests, goals, and values rooted in their "appreciative system." Coming back to Minecraft, one might notice how a novice player gradually learns what goals to make based on his or her values. Players ultimately learn to appreciate the importance of rational decisions, dexterity, and creativity.

What is an Appreciative System? It could be said that it is a process of recognizing the full worth or value of something and evaluating the potential of that worth. Gee defines it in reference to children as, "their set of goals, desires, feelings and values in respect to the domain being engaged with." In Minecraft, one has to determine within this vast and elaborate environment the learning literacy within a semiotic domain. Understanding the value of certain objects, characters and territory, (even the time of day) and evaluating how they affect the manner in which one plays the game are aspects of this process. In an appreciative system, the semiotic domain is constant because the symbols and characters being used don't change. However, one does add new ones. I.E., zombies and spiders will come out at night and kill the player. Archer's and water will kill and drown the player if the player doesn't get air Chopping at trees gives the player wood; where the player can fashion different tools in order to thrive in the world the player created, or is trying to survive in. Gee determined that critical thinking that is implemented by the child in reflective practice is what guides him/her along. This conscious reflection of what happens by probing, hypothesizing, re-probing, rethinking is the blueprint with which, according to Gee the appreciative system is based. For instance, the player doesn't realize that they can build tools to create or advance in their world until the player starts poking around and punching objects with their hands. And when the player realizes that they can acquire several objects or use them alone, the player may hypothesize what could happen if they combined two objects. After attempting to combine these objects, for instance wood and coal, the player may hypothesize that they must be arranged in a particular order to form something else. At this point, the player begins to reflect and rethink the original idea of searching for objects. Then, they may realize that combining the cobblestone and wood can make a pick ax. This ax will help the player borough through stone which could help the player cross terrain, create a hole in a cave to hide from zombies and spiders. This tool can even allow the player to use the ax as a weapon against those creatures.

Gee says that the player can create a skill-set within this appreciative system, here, the player is merging the cognitive and the affective. These traits, Gee says, will allow the player to utilize the social, cultural and personal. As a result, one can determine what they like or don't like, what is acceptable and not acceptable to the player. For example, if I were to build a pagoda in Minecraft I can appreciate the skill and time it takes to create such a building. In essence, the value system or appreciative system that occurs within my cognitive, experiential and semiotic domains are influencing how I view the image of the pagoda. I am able to appreciate it's aesthetics, I understand the time that it took to produce the pagoda and what it symbolizes to me is a representation and affinity for Asian culture. Gee says that though we may not have the skills to build a game through video game play, we have the ability to form an appreciative system in a semiotic domain. As a result, we are provided with the skill-set essential to build, augment and understand our own individual digital literacy.