-
(Andreas Formiconi) This video documents
one of the meetings
-
based on the use of Terminal Quest,
a narrative video game.
-
The striking thing is
the unemployment of the educators:
-
both the teachers' and mine. I just sat
in a corner and filmed.
-
As you can see, the game consists
of a black screen with some writing.
-
Let's now see more in detail how the game
presents itself.
-
On the left, the story appears:
-
"Beep beep, hello, this is News at Nine.
-
Strange rumors are circulating
early this morning in Strada in Chianti.
-
Some are talking of people who disappeared
and of ransacked houses in town.
-
We'll soon give you updates.
-
The mayor called for
a new emergency meeting.
-
We'll refer about it when it happens."
-
"Time to wake up, Sleepyhead!"
-
Here, the color changes, because
the player is being addressed.
-
And here is the hint
for the first command:
-
"Write ls and hit Send
in order to look around".
-
On the right, players use
the actual terminal:
-
"ls" and "Send"
-
We get a series of objects:
-
closet, computer, bed,
bookshelf, desk, chair, alarm clock.
-
Meanwhile, on the left:
-
"Great! Now you can see the objects
around you.
-
There's your bed, the alarm clock.
-
Ugh! Switch off that alarm clock!
-
"cat sveglia" ("cat alarm clock") to see
the alarm clock.
-
"cat sveglia".
-
And on the left:
-
"Good, you've switched it off!
Better get dressed now...
-
Write "ls armadio" ("ls closet")"
and so on.
-
In another video, we describe this
in more detail.
-
This is what the children are doing.
-
Drawings are also made
via text signs,
-
using the so-called ASCII Art,
which the children seem to enjoy a lot.
-
They are surprised by these drawings.
-
And this is the meeting
with the other group of 16 children.
-
Basically, the situation repeated itself.
-
Here we saw that one child
was still filming
-
but in the end, all get involved
and collaborate in the game,
-
with a few incursions to see what
the others are doing.
-
(Child) But where is the wavy line?
-
(AF) "Where is the wavy line?"
i.e. he means the tilde.
-
Such rare interventions
-
about some strange keyboard shortcut,
happen
-
But otherwise, almost nothing.
-
They did everything entirely on their own.
-
I was amazed when a child dictated
from memory
-
a complex command to the others
-
after having worked for only half an hour.
-
Here, I'd like to describe
the slow process.
-
This little girl follows with her finger
-
the command typed on the terminal.
-
Then she compares it with the instruction
written on the left of the screen,
-
where the story is narrated
and commands are indicated.
-
Discussion.
-
The other child then tries according
to the conclusion they reached.
-
In other words: this is group work
-
Another type of intervention:
-
"How come it does not work?"
-
"Ah, Upper case!
-
Ah, you see? Correct it!
-
If you use lower case
you'll see it'll work!"
-
Because in Unix commands, upper case
and lower case letters are different.
-
Again, discussion
-
and sharing of the written narrations
and of the drawings,
-
as in former meetings.
-
Finally , a moving goodbye (applause)
-
for what has been indeed
a beautiful story.