Game Development Praxiography: A Methodological Approach to Setup a Knowledge Brokering Pipeline Between Higher Education Institutions and the Game Development Industry

Abstract

Although they aim at preparing students for the game industry, higher education courses and programs have evolved on their own. Few professors or lecturers combine a steady practice and a constant watch over new game-related knowledge and theories. This creates a growing gap between teaching practice and professional practice since no knowledge transfer pipeline is in place between the two contexts. This study examines how researchers can become knowledge brokers between higher education and industry through an investigation, field tests and refinement of a methodological approach we call ‘game development praxiography’. This approach is inspired by practice theory’s praxiography and research through design and it was field tested using a theoretical framework combining concepts from game studies, design theory, rhetoric and innovation sociology. This paper describes the concepts and methods that were tested and adapted during a pilot project in a game development studio and discusses how to build an appropriate methodology for similar projects. The approach can be used to set up knowledge transfers between higher education and local game development studios and to develop and contextualize teaching tools for higher education.