“If you’re going to foster learning in a virtual world, don’t build a classroom. Build an experience.”
The Road to Deadwood is a roleplay community that has been evolving in Second Life for over two years.
Below are answers to some questions that you might be wondering about:
Q. What do you think is the most valuable element of participation in a roleplay community?
A. The key to successful participation in a roleplay community like “Deadwood 1876” is having a focus on storytelling. The most engaged residents are those who are motivated to participate in creating a shared narrative, both in terms of advancing a story using their characters in the context of Deadwood in the 1870s, and in the process of working together in carrying out this experiment in learning reinforced through play.
Ultimately, most of the residents agree that the most productive and fulfilling experience in the sim comes from feeling a sense of being a part of an ensemble of players, developing and presenting stories in a way that is analogous to first-person historical interpretation, mixed with elements of improvisational theater.
Q. If your roleplay community is historical in nature, or has an historical component to it, is this based on accurate historical information? If not, how have you combined the facts with the fantasy? What resources have you used to establish the historical basis of your roleplay?
A. The Deadwood sim has proven to be a significant opportunity to promote “socially interactive” self-directed adult learning in a mutually supportive and engaging environment. We refer to it as “socially interactive” (a term borrowed from Dr. Suzanne Aurilio at San Diego State University) as there is a collective aspect to this learning dynamic. In our Deadwood sim, the residents share what they learn from their own reading and research on the forum, in lectures presented in the OOC (out of character) area of the sim, and through materials disseminated by means of the sim’s two libraries. Additionally, the sim residents publish a newspaper that presents both story-related information and historical material.
The social interaction in this process takes many forms, as the residents tend to encourage and assist each other in small groups or on an individual basis, while working to generate information, ideas, and props (such as clothing, structures, furnishings, tools etc.), that will be used to advance the storytelling.
A number of the residents also have developed their own blogs in which they share information, research and creative writing (in the form of short stories that are built upon the foundation of rp in the sim).
Furthermore, the residents recommend useful historical reading materials, web sites, images, and film/TV through the forum, lectures, libraries and blogs to each other on an ongoing basis.
If a player initiates ahistorical scenarios or storylines, displays attitudes or behavior that are not plausible for the context, or utilizes anachronistic clothing or technology, they are approached privately (in instant message) by admins or the owners, who provide guidance to correct the issues. If the players are not willing to cooperate they will not be permitted to continue participating in the sim.
Sources for historical information include hard copy or e-book versions of secondary sources such as the books of historians Watson Parker, Cathy Luchetti, and Joe Rosa; period newspapers, diaries and memoirs (accessed online or through hard copy publications), digital photo archives, and websites and online publications of historical organizations (including NPS and local historical sites, the National Archives, and state and local historical societies),
Q. If your roleplay is based on any creative works of others, such as movies, novels, or television shows, what are they and how closely do you follow the story established in the original piece?
A. There are some instances in which a scenario or aspects of a character may be drawn from popular culture sources such as film, TV, books, theater and opera. However, such sources are to be used only as inspiration, not played out verbatim. Often, the discussions of these sources in venues such as the “The Road to Deadwood” forum serve as opportunities to explore the mythologizing of the American West, a process that was already starting in the latter 19th century.
Q. How do the participants develop their stories, both backstory and ongoing roleplay activities?
A. Deadwood “residents” develop historically plausible characters, frequently based upon or inspired by actual historical individuals or types of individuals (while they may develop a persona “inspired” by a real historical personage, they are, however, not permitted to attempt to represent a particular real person such as Jane Canary or Wild Bill Hickok). They select a role for their character based on what would be historically appropriate–or at least plausible–for the time and place.
We do encourage our residents to build a backstory in advance of joining roleplay, but are not required to do so: many start playing with only a very basic sense of their character and develop a full backstory in course of roleplay. The best characters, in fact, demonstrate a tendency to evolve over time, developing more depth and detail.
The residents, as individuals and collectively develop storylines, as well as the scenarios, activities and rp events to support those stories. This process is carried out both in ad hoc groups and through semi-formal structures such as business and civic associations and the rp-based Town Council. The community forum serves as means for discussing storylines, promoting awareness of events and scenarios, and sharing information to facilitate participation.
Q. Do non-English speaking Second Life residents participate in your roleplay community?
A. Yes, just like historical town of Deadwood, the Deadwood 1876 sim draws its population from various nations and locations. By far, the majority of players are from the Untied States or other English speaking-nations. However, one of our sim owners is German, as are a number of current and past players. Residents from other nations playing in Deadwood 1876 also have come from other nations included The Netherlands, France, and Italy. Some of these residents have utilized translators (which can be problematic when other players type their dialog in a way to represent various dialects, such as rural southern US). Other international players have typed their dialog in English, without benefit of a translator device or program, in some cases using the interaction as an opportunity to improve their command of the language.
Q. Are any of your community members professional educators or historians?
A. Oh, there might be one or two sprinkled in here and there…but for the most part, the residents of the sim are just enthusiasts who enjoy learning about history and having fun developing and telling stories together.
Likewise, there is no organization, institution, or school connected with this experiment in “socially interactive” self directed learning. This concept developed organically from the imaginations and interests of a group of individual SL residents.