Dungeons, dragons, and discretion: A gateway to gaming, technology, and literacy

Abstract

Wat kinds of experiences form the cultural ecology of literacy? What role does gaming (computer, console, or otherwise) play in this cultural ecol-ogy? During the preliminary interviews we conducted in the spring of 2004, we discovered trends that suggested a connection between gaming, digital, and print literacies in two members of Generation X, the generation born in the United States and Canada from the early 1960s through the late 1970s. These case-study participants, now in their early 30s and 40s, did not have the exposure and access to technology for which Generation Y, the group representing the majority of current college students, is famous. However, gaming still had an impact on how these case-study participants learned to be digitally literate in ways that can be informative for teachers of Generation Y and beyond.