Converging conventions: Digital games and applied drama

This thesis explores the connections between two distinct but converging fields of educational theory and practice - digital games and applied drama. Both are rich in promise and possibilities when applied to the pedagogical problems facing those educators attempting to engage learners in a world that is shaped and mediated by rapidly emerging digital technologies. In particular, the study centres on how technology can be combined with game and drama conventions to extend learning and performance beyond solely a physical environment, and into virtual spaces such as Websites, online games, virtual worlds, mobile devices and social media applications. These non-traditional learning environments have been termed 'affinity spaces'. This study used a modified action research approach that consisted of three interconnected phases: thesis research, the core action research fieldwork, and thesis writing. This methodology was chosen to reflect the iterative nature of change and development in digital media technology, and to sit within a participatory inquiry paradigm that focused on practical, collaborative and transformative research. A number of collaborators were engaged in fieldwork cycles of research, reflection and publication over a six-year period.