The digital point-and-click game “Stop the Mob” – designed for computer and tablet use – introduces players to the highly relevant topic of bullying in schools. It presents gameplayers with situations or scenarios in which their actions can make a positive or negative difference for mobbing victims. Aimed primarily for students in lower secondary education, this serious game helps students understand mobbing and equips them with knowledge vital to identify incidents and actions or inactions as mobbing. Most importantly, however, they are made aware that their own actions have enough influence to prevent bullying and stop “the mob”.
Play the browser version here
Download the new android version here
For more Information go to: http://www.serious-gamers.at
Play the browser version here
Download the new android version here
For more Information go to: http://www.serious-gamers.at
A recent study by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) shows that, out of all OECD countries, Austria has the highest mobbing rate in schools. 21,3% of Austrian schoolchildren experience mobbing during their school years – almost twice as many as the OECD average. (cf. Nimmervoll 2015) Therefore, it is critical to raise learners' awareness of mobbing (bullying) in schools and how their actions can make a difference, which is exactly what “Stop the Mob” aims to do.
“Stop the Mob” overview
In “Stop the Mob” the player takes on the role of a nameless girl in whose class a certain student called Bob is frequently bullied by his classmates. At the beginning of the game, the player's character has not yet taken a stand on the situation, which leaves the player to decide how to react to Bob's bullying. In five different scenarios the player witnesses the bullying of Bob and can choose from a number of possible responses to the situation that range from joining the mobbing or walking away to taking action and helping Bob. The scenarios correspond to five consecutive school days. On each day, the players find themselves at home after the school scenario and can decide how to spend their afternoon. Apart from doing their homework or enjoying their free time, they always have the option to engage in an activity that may benefit Bob or broaden their understanding of what is happening to him, i.e. their understanding of mobbing.
Every decision and action the players take either awards them with a certain number of points if they act towards improving Bob's situation, or points are subtracted if they make Bob feel even worse. The players receive immediate feedback on their actions in the form of Bob's facial expression that is intended to arouse their empathy. His sad expression either changes to a smile or worsens by changing to a crying face. However, the score is not revealed to the gameplayers until the very end when they are informed if Bob feels better, does not feel better, or feels even worse. Bob's condition is again illustrated by a picture with the appropriate facial expression.
The scenarios the players find themselves in during the game are kept on a more general and stereotypical basis on purpose. Reasons for discrimination and mobbing may vary from school to school, which is why more specified incidents concerning students' sexual orientation or ethnic background could alienate students, rather than engage them to play the game. Additionally, the game tries to refrain from any specific ideological stance, focusing solely on the notion that students' own actions can make a difference – in which way they affect the victim's condition and why. Nonetheless, when implemented in the classroom, students can always be offered to suggest and discuss the different scenarios that correspond to their own lifeworlds.
“Stop the Mob” in Playful Pedagogy: About the Game's General Educational Value
“Stop the Mob” functions as a simulation that help learners prepare for action in the real world. Immersed in an environment where English is the native language, the players are faced with mobbing scenarios and can test the consequences of their actions so they can think about how they act in real life.
Even though players can very well navigate through this “fish tank” on their own, its educational value increases when students play the game in pairs or in groups. Students can not only together act out the dialogues in the different scenarios, but, more importantly, have to discuss which action they choose in the five school and the four home scenarios and, eventually, agree on one action. Thereby, they communicate with each other, bring forth their arguments, try to convince their classmates, and listen to and consider a different argumentation, i.e. they develop “a set of effective social practices” (Shaffer et al. 2005: 106).
“Stop the Mob's" primary educational goal is to help students identify mobbing, i.e. bullying, in school and to encourage them to take actions aiming at helping the victim. The game simulates mobbing incidents that require students to react. It conveys the idea that their actions can make a difference and generates (peer) discussions about the topic. However, apart from its primary aim, the game can also be utilized to train students' literacy skills with special regard to digital media literacy. As the game is text-based and only few actions are animated, students have to read an introductory text to orientate themselves to the game, follow continuous dialogues and understand the options they have in each scenario. The game's texts are designed so as not to exceed a B1 language level (according to the Common European Frame of Reference), which makes the serious game suitable for implementation in lower secondary in teaching English as a foreign language. (BMBF 2000: 5) The extended text that pops up on the home screen when the players choose to google “mobbing”, however, is a simulated authentic text and constitutes an exception to this language level. Nonetheless, it can easily be adapted to the students' language level with appropriate teaching activities that do not require learners to understand the whole text, but rather train reading strategies such as scanning or skimming. Regarding digital media literacy and viewing video games as texts in the broadest sense (Beavis et al. 2009: 169), “Stop the Mob”, furthermore, addresses students' skills to successfully work with digital media: they have to know how to interact with the game, how to reach a desirable outcome and how to extract information for specific purposes installed by the game or the teaching context.
- Does it have any effect on the victim if I just walk away?
- What could I do to improve the victim's situation?
Even though players can very well navigate through this “fish tank” on their own, its educational value increases when students play the game in pairs or in groups. Students can not only together act out the dialogues in the different scenarios, but, more importantly, have to discuss which action they choose in the five school and the four home scenarios and, eventually, agree on one action. Thereby, they communicate with each other, bring forth their arguments, try to convince their classmates, and listen to and consider a different argumentation, i.e. they develop “a set of effective social practices” (Shaffer et al. 2005: 106).
“Stop the Mob's" primary educational goal is to help students identify mobbing, i.e. bullying, in school and to encourage them to take actions aiming at helping the victim. The game simulates mobbing incidents that require students to react. It conveys the idea that their actions can make a difference and generates (peer) discussions about the topic. However, apart from its primary aim, the game can also be utilized to train students' literacy skills with special regard to digital media literacy. As the game is text-based and only few actions are animated, students have to read an introductory text to orientate themselves to the game, follow continuous dialogues and understand the options they have in each scenario. The game's texts are designed so as not to exceed a B1 language level (according to the Common European Frame of Reference), which makes the serious game suitable for implementation in lower secondary in teaching English as a foreign language. (BMBF 2000: 5) The extended text that pops up on the home screen when the players choose to google “mobbing”, however, is a simulated authentic text and constitutes an exception to this language level. Nonetheless, it can easily be adapted to the students' language level with appropriate teaching activities that do not require learners to understand the whole text, but rather train reading strategies such as scanning or skimming. Regarding digital media literacy and viewing video games as texts in the broadest sense (Beavis et al. 2009: 169), “Stop the Mob”, furthermore, addresses students' skills to successfully work with digital media: they have to know how to interact with the game, how to reach a desirable outcome and how to extract information for specific purposes installed by the game or the teaching context.
“Stop the Mob” in the Classroom: About the Game's Implementation in Schools
“Stop the Mob” in the English Classroom
If video games are, as already stated above, regarded as texts in the broadest sense of the term (Beavis et al. 2009: 169), their implementation in the English language classroom requires pre-reading/pre-gaming activities to orientate the learners to the text and post-reading/post-gaming activities to tie up loose ends and summarize the reading, i.e. gaming, experience. (Hedge 2000: 209) Pre-gaming activities can be used to activate students' general world, sociocultural or topic knowledge (schematic knowledge) by showing them a short documentary on mobbing or eliciting their expectations of the game, to only name a few possibilities. Activities can also be used to work on the learners' systemic knowledge and, for instance, familiarize them with some of the vocabulary in the game.
While-gaming activities could then not only include the successful completion of the game, but could also utilize the google result on “mobbing” that appears by player's choice. If students pronunciation needs to be trained the teacher can, additionally, choose to have them read the game's dialogues out loud. Fluency in speaking can further be trained during the game as well when learners play it in groups, discuss their choices and agree on one of them. When “Stop the Mob” is used as the starting point of a lesson several possible post-gaming options arise that, ideally, focus on skills taught in the English language classroom other than reading. Students could engage in speaking activities such as discussing their actions, the motivations behind them, and how they could have acted differently. Moreover, the teacher could ask the students to invent their own scenarios and either link them with speaking activities such as a role play, or with writing exercises. Learners could write about a real or an imaginary incident in the form of an open letter, a report, an article or a diary entry. All of these suggestions are, however, only a selection of the numerous possibilities to embed “Stop the Mob” in the teaching and learning contexts of the English language classroom.
If video games are, as already stated above, regarded as texts in the broadest sense of the term (Beavis et al. 2009: 169), their implementation in the English language classroom requires pre-reading/pre-gaming activities to orientate the learners to the text and post-reading/post-gaming activities to tie up loose ends and summarize the reading, i.e. gaming, experience. (Hedge 2000: 209) Pre-gaming activities can be used to activate students' general world, sociocultural or topic knowledge (schematic knowledge) by showing them a short documentary on mobbing or eliciting their expectations of the game, to only name a few possibilities. Activities can also be used to work on the learners' systemic knowledge and, for instance, familiarize them with some of the vocabulary in the game.
While-gaming activities could then not only include the successful completion of the game, but could also utilize the google result on “mobbing” that appears by player's choice. If students pronunciation needs to be trained the teacher can, additionally, choose to have them read the game's dialogues out loud. Fluency in speaking can further be trained during the game as well when learners play it in groups, discuss their choices and agree on one of them. When “Stop the Mob” is used as the starting point of a lesson several possible post-gaming options arise that, ideally, focus on skills taught in the English language classroom other than reading. Students could engage in speaking activities such as discussing their actions, the motivations behind them, and how they could have acted differently. Moreover, the teacher could ask the students to invent their own scenarios and either link them with speaking activities such as a role play, or with writing exercises. Learners could write about a real or an imaginary incident in the form of an open letter, a report, an article or a diary entry. All of these suggestions are, however, only a selection of the numerous possibilities to embed “Stop the Mob” in the teaching and learning contexts of the English language classroom.
“Stop the Mob” in the Psychology and Philosophy Classroom
“Stop the Mob” qualifies in many ways for psychology and philosophy lessons. The game could serve as introduction to issues such as violence in school, group forming processes or, of course, mobbing. At first, it may be a good idea if learners played the game individually. In a second round, they can play it again in a group students, and now discuss their options for action and make an unanimous choice. “Stop the mob”, further, encourages students to see the world through the eyes of Bob, the mobbing victim, and, thereby, rethink their actions. In many cases, mobbing can be stopped if someone stands up for the victim.
Specific learning activities for "Stop the Mob" can have many faces concerning psychology and philosophy. Social skills are fostered by playing the game, which, furthermore, affects the character forming process of the learners. It is very important that they not just play the game, but also talk about their arising emotions and thoughts. An open discussion about the topic, the different choices of action and the students' emotions can be part of a psychology lesson. Another way to deepen the issue of the game is to create a role-play. The different scenes from "Stop the Mob" can function as a script, so pupils can actually assume a role or character from the game and act out scenes in the classroom. Furthermore, they can add their own scenes and, thereby, handle real conflicts or problems they have. Moreover, some possible ways of conflict management can be presented and tried out by the class. Mobbing/bullying, violence in school, group forming processes and conflict management are part of the psychology and philosophy curricula. On the basis of the game, all of these topics can be discussed in a way the learners have the chance to engage. These topics matter to them and they should be contextualized in meaningful ways, so that the students have a sense of ownership and agency. Another possibility is to ask the class how they want to approach the topic, as they often have creative ideas or learn more effectively if they can decide for themselves. Teachers should use engaging and effective teaching methods that help students develop certain skills they need for our rapidly changing world. Therefore, the game could actually make a difference when it is embedded in a meaningful learning context.
“Stop the Mob” qualifies in many ways for psychology and philosophy lessons. The game could serve as introduction to issues such as violence in school, group forming processes or, of course, mobbing. At first, it may be a good idea if learners played the game individually. In a second round, they can play it again in a group students, and now discuss their options for action and make an unanimous choice. “Stop the mob”, further, encourages students to see the world through the eyes of Bob, the mobbing victim, and, thereby, rethink their actions. In many cases, mobbing can be stopped if someone stands up for the victim.
Specific learning activities for "Stop the Mob" can have many faces concerning psychology and philosophy. Social skills are fostered by playing the game, which, furthermore, affects the character forming process of the learners. It is very important that they not just play the game, but also talk about their arising emotions and thoughts. An open discussion about the topic, the different choices of action and the students' emotions can be part of a psychology lesson. Another way to deepen the issue of the game is to create a role-play. The different scenes from "Stop the Mob" can function as a script, so pupils can actually assume a role or character from the game and act out scenes in the classroom. Furthermore, they can add their own scenes and, thereby, handle real conflicts or problems they have. Moreover, some possible ways of conflict management can be presented and tried out by the class. Mobbing/bullying, violence in school, group forming processes and conflict management are part of the psychology and philosophy curricula. On the basis of the game, all of these topics can be discussed in a way the learners have the chance to engage. These topics matter to them and they should be contextualized in meaningful ways, so that the students have a sense of ownership and agency. Another possibility is to ask the class how they want to approach the topic, as they often have creative ideas or learn more effectively if they can decide for themselves. Teachers should use engaging and effective teaching methods that help students develop certain skills they need for our rapidly changing world. Therefore, the game could actually make a difference when it is embedded in a meaningful learning context.
The video shows the first two scenarios of "Stop the Mob": one classroom scenario and one home scenario.
Authors:
If you have any further questions about “Stop the Mob” please do not hesitate to contact us:
Katharina Luftensteiner, Kathi_luft@gmx.net
Katharina Pölzl,
Markus Resch,
Katrin Waldhart, katiwald@gmail.com
If you have any further questions about “Stop the Mob” please do not hesitate to contact us:
Katharina Luftensteiner, Kathi_luft@gmx.net
Katharina Pölzl,
Markus Resch,
Katrin Waldhart, katiwald@gmail.com
Bibliography:
Beavis, Catherine; Bradford, Clare, Apperley, Thomas; O'Mara, Joanne; Walsh, Christopher. (2009) Literacy in the digital age : learning from computer games, English in education, vol. 43, no. 2, pp. 162-175. https://www.academia.edu/386001/Literacy_in_the_digital_age_Learning_from_computer_games
BMBF. Lehrplan AHS Unterstufe. Lebende Fremdsprache (Erste, Zweite). Wien: BMBF, 2000. https://www.bmbf.gv.at/schulen/unterricht/lp/ahs8_782.pdf?4dzgm2
Gee, James Paul. “Good video games, the human mind, and good learning”. In: James Paul Gee. Good Video Games Plus Good Learning (Vol. 27). Chicago: Peter Lang, 2007. http://rhetoricalpeaks.pbworks.com/f/Good+Video+Games+Gee001%5B1%5D.pdf
Hedge, Tricia. Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.
Nimmervoll, Lisa. “OECD: Österreich hat höchste Mobbingrate in Schulen”. derStandard.at. 23. März 2015. http://mobil.derstandard.at/2000013298817/OECD-Oesterreich-mit-hoechster-Mobbingrate-in-Schulen
Shaffer, D. W.; Halverson, R.; Squire, K. R.; Gee, James Paul. “Video Games and the Future of Learning”. WCER Working Paper No. 2005-4. Wisconsin Center for Education Research, 2005. http://website.education.wisc.edu/~kdsquire/tenure-files/23-pdk-VideoGamesAndFutureOfLearning.pdf
Beavis, Catherine; Bradford, Clare, Apperley, Thomas; O'Mara, Joanne; Walsh, Christopher. (2009) Literacy in the digital age : learning from computer games, English in education, vol. 43, no. 2, pp. 162-175. https://www.academia.edu/386001/Literacy_in_the_digital_age_Learning_from_computer_games
BMBF. Lehrplan AHS Unterstufe. Lebende Fremdsprache (Erste, Zweite). Wien: BMBF, 2000. https://www.bmbf.gv.at/schulen/unterricht/lp/ahs8_782.pdf?4dzgm2
Gee, James Paul. “Good video games, the human mind, and good learning”. In: James Paul Gee. Good Video Games Plus Good Learning (Vol. 27). Chicago: Peter Lang, 2007. http://rhetoricalpeaks.pbworks.com/f/Good+Video+Games+Gee001%5B1%5D.pdf
Hedge, Tricia. Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.
Nimmervoll, Lisa. “OECD: Österreich hat höchste Mobbingrate in Schulen”. derStandard.at. 23. März 2015. http://mobil.derstandard.at/2000013298817/OECD-Oesterreich-mit-hoechster-Mobbingrate-in-Schulen
Shaffer, D. W.; Halverson, R.; Squire, K. R.; Gee, James Paul. “Video Games and the Future of Learning”. WCER Working Paper No. 2005-4. Wisconsin Center for Education Research, 2005. http://website.education.wisc.edu/~kdsquire/tenure-files/23-pdk-VideoGamesAndFutureOfLearning.pdf
