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America’s Army: “Playful Hatred” in the Social Studies Classroom

America’s Army: “Playful Hatred” in the Social Studies Classroom

Mark Pearcy
Copyright: © 2012 |Volume: 4 |Issue: 2 |Pages: 18
ISSN: 1942-3888|EISSN: 1942-3896|EISBN13: 9781466612242|DOI: 10.4018/jgcms.2012040102
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MLA

Pearcy, Mark. "America’s Army: “Playful Hatred” in the Social Studies Classroom." IJGCMS vol.4, no.2 2012: pp.19-36. http://doi.org/10.4018/jgcms.2012040102

APA

Pearcy, M. (2012). America’s Army: “Playful Hatred” in the Social Studies Classroom. International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations (IJGCMS), 4(2), 19-36. http://doi.org/10.4018/jgcms.2012040102

Chicago

Pearcy, Mark. "America’s Army: “Playful Hatred” in the Social Studies Classroom," International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations (IJGCMS) 4, no.2: 19-36. http://doi.org/10.4018/jgcms.2012040102

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Abstract

America’s Army is a first-person “shooter” online video game produced by the U.S. Army and freely available on the Internet. Ostensibly a recruitment tool, the game constitutes a “mimetic” experience that encompasses real-life Army codes, regulations, and behaviors, approximating an authentic military experience, including realistic missions that involve violence. This article considers the educational role of such mimetic games, practical impediments to its inclusion in classrooms, and the conceptual demands the use of such games may place on teachers and students. Additionally, this article considers the ideological barriers and arguments against the educational use of games like America’s Army. Finally, this article connects the experience of America’s Army to Douglas’ (2008) concept of “playful hatred,” calling for a reconceptualization of the term towards a more competitive and pedagogically useful approach.

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