[staff] Machinimania
"There are many different ways to use machinima as learning and entertainment tools".
This is something my friend said to me the other day when I started to tell him about a program OLP runs, the Virtual Video Project [VVP]. Over the last few months, I have been helping out with VVP, helping with the editing process of the child sex trafficking machinima they are currently working on. Since this, though I myself have not delved deeper into how machinima can be used educationally than I already have learned here at GK, I have found many people have a lot to say about it over some hamburgers. Apparently, pro sports channels use machinima to show replays of various goals, baskets, et cetera, made that are considered "spectacular", which my friend vehemently stressed, helps other athletes learn different techniques.
As I keep going back to in my staff reflections, it is interesting to me seeing how people view technology that I [again, pre-GK] did not know existed, in this case machinima - some see it as educational, others as solely entertainment and still others as both. I have found that those that see machinima as solely entertainment, have not actually heard of it being used as described above, by pro sports teams, or creating films about serious issues as VVP does, or even as recreating a walk-through of a Roman civilization to give context to a history course. This could be due to those who use it for entertainment do not actually see it as being also educational, or perhaps they find one "game" and stick with it. Either way, machinima is a neat invention, that I currently am enjoying taking part in, and definitely see the benefits for using it educationally, as well as entertainment-wise.
