A major focus of social constructionism is to uncover the
ways in which individual and groups participate in the creation of their
perceived reality.
It involves looking at the ways social phenomena (how games
are perceived and how games engage players) are created, institutionalized (in
game studios?) and made into tradition by humans (game designers; in creative
industry).
Socially constructed reality is seen as an ongoing, dynamic
process; (why? As ICT evolves rapidly or change of players’ need / demand—linear
to interaction; traditional media to new media)
Reality is reproduced (games are redesigned / upgraded / re-packaged);
by people acting on their interpretation and their knowledge of it.
Berger and Luckmann (1967) argue that knowledge is derived
from and maintained by social interaction:
“When people interact, they do so
with the understanding that their respective perceptions of reality are
related, and as they act upon this understanding their common knowledge of
reality becomes reinforced. Since this common sense knowledge is negotiated by
people, human typifications, significations and institutions come to be
presented as part of an objective reality. It is in this sense that it can be
said that reality is socially constructed.
Ian Hacking (1999): The Social Construction of What?
Berger and Luckmann (1967): The Social Construction of
Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge
Theoretical perspective is the philosophical stance lying
behind a methodology: it provides a context for the process involved and a
basis for its logic and its criteria.
Assumptions I made when I choose a particular methodology.
Interpretivism looks for culturally derived and historically
situated interpretations of social life world.
Max Weber (1864 – 1920)
|
Human
Sciences
|
Natural
Sciences
|
|
Understanding
|
Causality
|
|
Interpretive
approach
|
Explicative
approach (explaining)
|
|
Qualitative
research methods
|
Qualitative
research methods
|
Both the natural sciences and social sciences may be
concerned at any given time with either the nomothetic or the idiographic.
The one scientific method should apply to these 2 forms of
sciences and should cater for both nomothetic and idiographic inquiry
-------
Wilhelm Dilthey (1833 – 1933):
-
Social reality and natural reality are different
kinds of reality, therefore their investigation requires different methods.
Windelband and Richkert:
-
Rejecting the notion that there is some kind of
real distinction between natural reality and social reality.
-
Accept that there is a logical distinction
o
In the case of nature, science is looking for
§
Consistencies
§
Regularities
§
The ‘law’ that obtains nomothetic generalizing method.
o
In the case of human affairs (in historical
studies), we are concerned with the individual case idiographic individualizing
method.
§
Isolate individual phenomena in order to trace
their unique development
ASSUMPTIONS: symbolic interactionism (Blumer, 1969, p2)
-
Human beings (game developers) act toward things
on the basis of the meanings that these things have for them;
-
The meaning of such things is derived from, and
arises out of, the social interaction that one has with one’s fellows (seniors,
other experts, etc);
-
These meanings are handled in and modified
through, an interpretive process used by the person in dealing with the things
he encounters (various game genres).
