Conversations with women in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine) about their journeys, work, passions, and what they learned along the way. We’re a diverse group of people with unique personal and professional journeys, and I want you to meet some of us.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyChartable - https://chartable.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacyPodsights - https://podsights.com/privacy
https://steampoweredshow.com/
episode 6: Game Ethics and Accessibility in Boardgames with Pauline Belford
Pauline Belford is an experienced educator who has spent nearly two decades teaching in post-16 education at both Further Education and Higher Education institutions. She was involved in the development of the first Scottish Higher National Diploma in Computer Games Development – a national qualification delivered across Scotland’s Further Education Colleges. She is also an active researcher in the fields of computer ethics and accessibility in games, and has co-authored several papers on topics such as game design, game ethics, and sexism in gaming. She is currently working part-time as a freelance educational consultant and accessibility researcher, whilst co-authoring a book on computer ethics, and learning Swedish.
In our conversation, we talk about morality in games, board game accessibility, and parkrun.
Show Notes (link)
[00:40] What drew Pauline to game design, computer ethics, and accessibility [01:06] Pauline's background and exposure to computers [01:42] From biology and sociology to computer science [02:49] Developing the HNC and HND Computer Games Development qualification [04:14] Where that qualification can lead [04:40] Setting up teams and incubators during the program [06:38] Pauline's interest in computer ethics [07:21] Teaching ethics through the case study "Scandal in Academia" [08:47] Student reception to learning ethics in computing [09:35] The lessons behind the lesson [10:38] Also, PhDs: Beware of what you're getting into [11:18] The potential for exploitation in academia [13:25] On independent research and publishing [14:24] Teaching ethics to both computing students and police officers [15:13] How to assess an ethics unit [16:25] Morality in games [17:40] Morality systems in the "Fallout" (VG) series [19:14] The "Magic Circle” concept [20:29] Empathy as a mechanic in "Life is Strange" (VG) [22:02] The politics of story crafting in games [22:24] The analogy to slavery in "Detroit: Become Human" (VG) [22:56] Ethics and morality as a mechanic in games [23:40] "Papers, Please" (VG) [26:47] How they found a niche in board game accessibility [27:35] Social benefits of board games [29:01] Board game community feedback to their accessibility work [30:50] Bonus Question 1: What hobby or interest do you have that is most unrelated to your field of work? [31:19] parkrun [33:52] Starting her own local chapter [36:22] The Swedish parkrun community [38:07] Bonus Question 2: Which childhood book holds the strongest memories for you? [39:49] Bonus Question 3: What advice you would give someone who wants to do what you do? Or what advice should they ignore? [39:56] On knowing your worth [40:39] On applying for jobs [41:19] On networking [41:36] Mark Granovetter’s "The Strength of Weak Ties" [41:57] On maintaining connections [43:49] On impostor syndrome [44:52] On "fake it 'til you make it" [45:28] On shaping your work [47:56] Anders Ericsson's "Deliberate Practice" [49:39] Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's "Flow"
Connect with STEAM Powered:
Website Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon Ko-Fi
Music is Gypsy Jazz in Paris 1935 by Brett Van Donsel.
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy