ABSTRACT

Even as we look to games for models of compelling learning, we must note that play online has been perilous, and that the risks of play are unevenly distributed. Previous studies have noted the tendency of toxic technocultures to reproduce and amplify racism and misogyny (Massanari, 2017), and gaming cultures in particular have become infamous for trolling, harassment, and outright abuse of prominent women and people of color (Chess & Shaw, 2015). The regimentation of gaming as dominated by this cultural discourse, and the influence of game-like structures in the popular discourse through conspiracies and politicized streaming, inevitably accompanies gaming’s entry into the classroom. Can play in the classroom transcend this history of discrimination in gaming? Can informed teaching help prevent this in the future, particularly as the metaverse looms large in our imaginings of where education might land? By contextualizing the history of educational experiments in this space (from MOOCs and the now-obsolete worlds of Second Life to current platforms such as Roblox), we hope to learn from the pandemic’s technological acceleration and recognize the immediate challenges of the future.