User:Tash/grad testplay: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 13:06, 9 April 2019

Test Play: 11 March 2019

The Game

Live Action Instagram RPG

Knowing that social media functions by amplifying some voices while suppressing others, this interactive game will ask you to rethink your own relation to the medium. Like the practices of 'counterspeech' or 'contra-internet', it suggests new ways to talk back to social media spaces which have become especially hostile towards women. Through the performance and labour of roleplay, you are invited to critically explore this setting, and vicariously engage with its mechanisms and 'players'.

Unlike Gamification, which is the application of game-design elements to non-game contexts, this project relies on the already-existing gaming mechanisms in social media culture. As such, it is not the creation of a new game – but simply an invitation to play differently.

What you need

Laptop & smartphone
Internet connection
Gameplay cards

Rules

Always begin & end the game together
Always play in teams of 2 or more
Stay in character until further instruction
Always follow back users who follow you
Always screenshot your engagements in order of play
Always tag / mention the game's main profile in your posts & comments, this way we can document your actions @raksasi1
After the game, decide together whether to kill / donate the profile

Documentation: https://pad.xpub.nl/p/tash-testplay01

How to play
In groups of two or more, create fake identities and profiles on Instagram. Picking up cards from a deck, perform the actions on the card. Document the engagement you receive. More attention = more points. The team with the most points after 10 rounds, wins.

Steps

Divide into teams of 2.
Each time picks up one character card. Discuss, in your teams, what your target and mission is.
Create a new mail account with a free, secure service like Protonmail. All you need is a username & password. https://protonmail.com/signup
Open Instagram, and select: Add Account > Sign Up with email
Set a username and password that cannot be traced back to you. Do not connect any of your personal accounts or contacts to the profile.
Decide if you want a public or private profile. Turn off 'Hide offensive comments' in Settings > Privacy & Security > Comment Controls
Set up your profile (what is your profile pic? who do you follow? what is in your bio? whose voice are you representing?).
Once everyone is ready, we exchange handles, and all profiles follow the primary game profile. @raksasi1
Before we play the first round, each team is given a set of 4 "Gardening cards". These may be employed only once, and in place of picking up an action card.
– Gardening card 1: Call allies to a conversation
– Gardening card 2: Call 1 ally to a conversation
– Gardening card 3: Maintain a conversation
– Gardening card 4: Skip action (this one can be employed after picking up an action card)
Picking up cards from two decks, each team then completes 5 actions:
– Pick up action card + channel card
– Perform the chosen action on the chosen channel
– Make screenshot
– Save post to own archive
Always tag @raksasi1 in your comments and posts!
At the end of 5 rounds, do one round of evaluation and discussion.
Picking up cards, each team then completes another 5 actions
Final round of evaluation, count points and decide on fate of accounts

Point System

For every follower at end of game: 1 point
For every like on comments or posts: 2 points
For every flagged comment or post: 4 points
For every DM received: 3 points
For every reply to a comment or post: 2 points

Documentation

Player notes & observations:

The game is too structured, making distractions difficult to engage with: "We got distracted by dms from people wanting to solicit sex (tarryraymond27@gmail.com, @wilson_sandra_11)."
There are different levels of difficulty when it comes to actions. Maybe good to look at that in terms of gameplay?: "Commenting is quite easy, fact checking is hard and takes time"
Some actions were skipped because of uncomfortable factor, and questions about legality and accountability: "I was too afraid to tag the IDF"
More at: https://pad.xpub.nl/p/tash-testplay01

Feedback for development:

set up- takes too long, at least 30 mins
protonmail may ask for extra authentication. solution = prepare emails beforehand
increase interactivity between players, direct competition is not as important
giving 'characters' in this way is actually too stifling. some teams get stuck with targets they have no interest in
solution = prepare a list of options and accounts to engage with, then ask them to CHOOSE
trolling needs a balance between chaos & order, spontaneity & structure. at the moment the game doesn't allow for enough chance encounters
more explanation and in-depth preparation & evaluation is needed. workshop structure!
channel cards may be unnecessary. give more options to players, to make the game more about strategy and choice
timing: ideal time to play: 3 hours? with lunch in the middle?
question: gender of players?

Screenshots:

Team 1: The Politico

Team 3: The Feminist

Team 4: The News Pundit

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-=== Test Play 1: March 2019 ===
+== Test Play: 11 March 2019 ==
-'''Introduction''' <br>
+=== The Game ===
-'''Reading: on current censorship trends online'''
+Live Action Instagram RPG
+Knowing that social media functions by amplifying some voices while suppressing others, this interactive game will ask you to rethink your own relation to the medium.
+Like the practices of 'counterspeech' or 'contra-internet', it suggests new ways to talk back to social media spaces which have become especially hostile towards women.
+Through the performance and labour of roleplay, you are invited to critically explore this setting, and vicariously engage with its mechanisms and 'players'.
+Unlike Gamification, which is the application of game-design elements to non-game contexts, this project relies on the already-existing gaming mechanisms in social media culture.
+As such, it is not the creation of a new game – but simply an invitation to play differently.
-* Delbert, R. (2008) Black Code Redux: Censorship, Surveillance, and the Militarization of Cyberspace. In: Boler, M. (ed.) Digital Media and Democracy: Tactics in Hard Times. Cambridge: MIT Press.
-* Scott, M. (2018) ‘Welcome to new era of global digital censorship’. [online] Politico. Available at: https://www.politico.eu/article/google-facebook-twitter-censorship-europe-commission-hate-speech-propaganda-terrorist/ [Accessed: 02 Feb. 2019]
-* Siddharta, A. (2017) ‘Indonesian TV censorship: cartoons cut, athletes blurred as conservative Islam asserts itself and broadcasters fear sanctions’ [online] South China Morning Post. Available at: https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2126007/indonesian-tv-censorship-cartoons-cut-athletes-blurred-conservative [Accessed: 20 Jan. 2019]
-'''Reading: on the impact of trolls & paid propaganda on social media'''
+[[File:Game-cards01-collated.jpg|950px|frameless|center]]
-Lim, M. (2017) ‘Freedom to hate: social media, algorithmic enclaves, and the rise of tribal nationalism in Indonesia.’ Critical Asian Studies, 49(3): 411-427.
-https://decoders.amnesty.org/projects/troll-patrol/findings
+'''What you need'''<br>
+* Laptop & smartphone
+* Internet connection
+* Gameplay cards
-Juniarto, D. (2018) ’The Muslim Cyber Army: what is it and what does it want?’ [online] University of Melbourne. Available at: http://indonesiaatmelbourne.unimelb.edu.au/the-muslim-cyber-army-what-is-it-and-what-does-it-want/ [Accessed: 02 Feb. 2019]
-Sanfilippo, M. & Fichman, P. (2015) The Bad Boys and Girls of Cyberspace: How Gender and Context Impact Perception of and Reaction to Trolling. Social Science Computer Review 2015, Vol. 33(2) 163-180.
+'''Rules''' <br>
+* Always begin & end the game together
+* Always play in teams of 2 or more
+* Stay in character until further instruction
+* Always follow back users who follow you
+* Always screenshot your engagements in order of play
+* Always tag / mention the game's main profile in your posts & comments, this way we can document your actions @raksasi1
+* After the game, decide together whether to kill / donate the profile
+'''Documentation:''' https://pad.xpub.nl/p/tash-testplay01
-'''Examples of hostile social media spaces''' <br>
-walk through some examples of hostile social media accounts and hashtags
+'''How to play''' <br>
+In groups of two or more, create fake identities and profiles on Instagram.
+Picking up cards from a deck, perform the actions on the card. Document the engagement you receive. More attention = more points.
+The team with the most points after 10 rounds, wins.
-'''Examples of experiences''' <br>
-* read self-censorship texts by people
-https://pad.xpub.nl/p/deletecomment
+'''Steps''' <br>
-'''Terms & definitions''' <br>
+# Divide into teams of 2. <br><br>
-* '''Astroturfing''' is the practice of masking the sponsors of a message or organization (e.g., political, advertising, religious or public relations) to make it appear as though it originates from and is supported by grassroots participants. This practice is about producing 'fake' or 'artificial' support.
+# Each time picks up one character card. Discuss, in your teams, what your target and mission is. <br><br>
+# Create a new mail account with a free, secure service like Protonmail. All you need is a username & password. https://protonmail.com/signup <br><br>
+# Open Instagram, and select: Add Account > Sign Up with email <br><br>
+# Set a username and password that cannot be traced back to you. Do not connect any of your personal accounts or contacts to the profile. <br><br>
+# Decide if you want a public or private profile. Turn off 'Hide offensive comments' in Settings > Privacy & Security > Comment Controls <br><br>
+# Set up your profile (what is your profile pic? who do you follow? what is in your bio? whose voice are you representing?). <br><br>
+# Once everyone is ready, we exchange handles, and all profiles follow the primary game profile. @raksasi1 <br><br>
+# Before we play the first round, each team is given a set of 4 "Gardening cards". These may be employed only once, and in place of picking up an action card. <br>– Gardening  card 1: Call allies to a conversation <br>– Gardening card 2: Call 1 ally to a conversation <br>– Gardening card 3: Maintain a conversation <br>– Gardening card 4: Skip action (this one can be employed after picking up an action card)  <br> <br>
+# Picking up cards from two decks, each team then completes 5 actions: <br>– Pick up action card + channel card <br>– Perform the chosen action on the chosen channel <br>– Make screenshot  <br>– Save post to own archive <br> Always tag @raksasi1 in your comments and posts! <br><br>
+# At the end of 5 rounds, do one round of evaluation and discussion. <br><br>
+# Picking up cards, each team then completes another 5 actions <br><br>
+# Final round of evaluation, count points and decide on fate of accounts <br><br>
-* '''Trolling''' is a mischievous / deviant activity which involves starting quarrels or upsetting people on the Internet to distract and sow discord by posting inflammatory and digressive, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community.
+'''Point System''' <br>
-* '''Doxing''' (from dox, abbreviation of documents) or doxxing, is the Internet-based practice of researching and broadcasting private or identifiable information (especially personally identifiable information) about an individual or organization.
-* '''Raids (gaming):''' Often used with mmorpgs. It involves players banding together to succeed at a common goal- such as taking over territory, killing an opposing faction, or most commonly killing big scary internet monsters that drop coveted items.
-* '''Raids (4chan):''' A collaborative effort of 4Chan users to disrupt the community that surrounds a certain hashtag. Can include illegal actions like DDoS attacks.
+* For every follower at end of game: 1 point
+* For every like on comments or posts: 2 points
+* For every flagged comment or post: 4 points
+* For every DM received: 3 points
+* For every reply to a comment or post: 2 points
-* '''Flame bait''' is a message posted to a public Internet discussion group, such as a forum, newsgroup or mailing list, with the intent of provoking an angry response (a "flame") or argument over a topic the "troll" (original poster provoking angry response) often has no real interest in, and finds humour, or entertainment in reactions.
-* '''Spamming''' is the use of messaging systems to send an unsolicited message (spam), especially advertising, as well as sending messages repeatedly on the same site.
-* '''Swatting''' is the harassment tactic of deceiving an emergency service (via such means as hoaxing an emergency services dispatcher) into sending a police and emergency service response team to another person's address.
+== Documentation ==
-* '''Scambaiting''' is a form of Internet vigilantism, where the vigilante poses as a potential victim to the scammer in order to waste their time and resources, gather information that will be of use to authorities, and publicly expose the scammer.
+[[File:Testplay190311-01.jpg|400px|frameless|right]]
+'''Player notes & observations:'''
+* The game is too structured, making distractions difficult to engage with: "We got distracted by dms from people wanting to solicit sex (tarryraymond27@gmail.com, @wilson_sandra_11)."
+* There are different levels of difficulty when it comes to actions. Maybe good to look at that in terms of gameplay?: "Commenting is quite easy, fact checking is hard and takes time"
+* Some actions were skipped because of uncomfortable factor, and questions about legality and accountability: "I was too afraid to tag the IDF"
+* More at: https://pad.xpub.nl/p/tash-testplay01
-'''Gameplay Rules''' <br>
-Live Action Instagram RPG
-Knowing that social media functions by amplifying some voices while suppressing others, this interactive game will ask you to rethink your own relation to the medium.
+'''Feedback for development:'''
-Like the practices of 'counterspeech' or 'contra-internet', it suggests new ways to talk back to social media spaces which have become especially hostile towards women.
+* set up- takes too long, at least 30 mins
-Through the performance and labour of roleplay, you are invited to critically explore this setting, and vicariously engage with its mechanisms and 'players'.
+* protonmail may ask for extra authentication. solution = prepare emails beforehand
+* increase interactivity between players, direct competition is not as important
+* giving 'characters' in this way is actually too stifling. some teams get stuck with targets they have no interest in
+* solution = prepare a list of options and accounts to engage with, then ask them to CHOOSE
+* trolling needs a balance between chaos & order, spontaneity & structure. at the moment the game doesn't allow for enough chance encounters
+* more explanation and in-depth preparation & evaluation is needed. workshop structure!
+* channel cards may be unnecessary. give more options to players, to make the game more about strategy and choice
+* timing: ideal time to play: 3 hours? with lunch in the middle?
+* question: gender of players?
-Unlike Gamification, which is the application of game-design elements to non-game contexts, this project relies on the already-existing gaming mechanisms in social media culture.
-As such, it is not the creation of a new game – but simply an invitation to play differently.
-'''Order of play''' <br>
+'''Screenshots:'''
-# Collectively decide on a mission or a target
+[[File:Screenshots-joca.jpg|800px|thumbnail|left|Team 1: The Politico]]
-# Divide into teams of 2
+[[File:Screenshots-lotte.jpg|800px|thumbnail|left|Team 3: The Feminist]]
-# Create Protonmail accounts and Instagram profiles
+[[File:Screenshots-ewan.jpg|800px|thumbnail|left|Team 4: The News Pundit]]
-# Set up first character traits (follows, bio, etc)
-# In the meantime, each team is given a set of 3 gardening cards (Call allies, maintain conversation, skip)
-# Picking up cards from two decks, each team then completes 10 actions:
-* Pick up action card + channel card
-* Make screenshot and document points
-# At the end of 10 rounds, do one round of evaluation
-# Picking up cards, each team then completes another 10 actions
-# Final round of evaluation, count points and decide on fate of accounts