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=== PCST: Public Communication of Science and Technology ===

Notes from the __Sharing Knowledge__ conference organized by the __Da Vinchi Institute__ in Amsterdam.\\




=== Communication of Science and New Media ===

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=== Role of Gaming in PCST: ===

Lecture by __Peter Vorderer__\\

What attracts people to games or anything else for that matter?\\
The standard way of looking at this is the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uses_and_Gratifications_Theory|uses and gratification theory]]\\
But Vorderer advocates the use of __entertainment research/theory__: effect-dependent theory of stimulus arrangement.

== How do we select a medium? Do we watch a movie or read a book? ==
  - excitatory homeostasis: optimal level of arousal.
  - intervention potential: level of absorption of the medium.
  - message-behavioral affinity: does it fit my mood?
  - hedonistic valence: is it uplifting or distressing, can it change my mood?

Problems of this approach:
  - entertainment is multifaceted and multidimensional.
  - interactive entertainment is completely different from classical media.

More recent approaches:
  * [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolutionary_psychology|evolutionary psychology]]: explaining our behavior from evolutionary principles.
  * motivational theories: intrinsic and external motivations.
  * self-determination theory: which states that __people need 3 things__ for enjoyment or even mental health:
    - need for competence: a challenge to overcome at just the right level of difficulty to not get frustrated.
    - need for autonomy: the feeling of personal achievements.
    - need for relatedness: being part of a group where there are not only rivals but also friends.

== Relevance of self-determination theory to media and games: ==

Competence:\\
In traditional media you almost always feel competent; you don't switch of the television because it's too challenging.\\
In interactive media the level can change so it delivers excitatory homeostasis.

Autonomy:\\
Users of any media underestimate the interdependence from outside influences. When asked they think media influences others a lot, but not so much themselves.\\
In interactive media, you are not part of a movie-audience, you are scoring points and exploring individually.\\

Relatedness:\\
PSI/PSR affective dispositions. This is of mayor importance. The success of a tv-show or game (MMOG) or a film depends very much on the popularity or unpopularity of show-hosts, avatars, movie-stars. Do we feel related, this is crucial to success.\\

== Conclusion: PCST has to target these three needs just like entertainment has to and gaming meets them better than any other media. ==

Notes:
  * **the popularity of destruction**. We like things exploding, falling over, and crashing, especially old and expensive things. Vorderer speculates that this tapps into a deep longing for change and renewal and the liberation from existing structures. The collapsing of the World Trade Center has overtaken the Challenger-explosion as the most broadcast picture of all time.
  * **The budged for research into education in the USA is dominated by exploring the use of avatars as a learning tool**.


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=== Games and Learning. ===

Lecture by Ute Ritterfeld.