Photo generated by LiTT Staff using Midjourney AI
Digital media are changing the way we learn, play, make friends, and participate in civic life. We explore the intersections between technology, learning, race, and culture within the context of our everyday learning ecologies, with a specific focus on video gaming spaces. We make use of cutting-edge technology to tell stories, role play scenarios, and be introduced to coding and programming features of video games.
Spring 2022: A Pre-History
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In the beginning …
We could all name a city in desperate need of a ‘touch up’, the city of Los Santos was no exception. From afar, the island giant looks like the city where dreams come true. Where people go to soul search, have a good time, and most of all fulfill their desire of riches beyond comprehension. |
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Figure 1.0 Los Santos Island
However, as you walk the streets of Los Santos, you are met with much disparity. You are met with the everyday circumstances and tensions that emerge within a neo-capitalist society. One that mocks and hurts anyone who steps outside the norm. If you are queer, a person of color, or someone who doesn't conform to the bindings of the patriarchy, you are wrong.
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Figure 1.1 (SlideShow of Billboard Mockery of LGBTQIA + and People Living in disparity)
One researcher, Professor Homeboy, was on a mission to change that. He envisioned a city where all people belonged. Where the power is given to the people, free of judgment, where basic needs are always met and where societal norms are questioned and transformed..
Figure 1.2 (Glamour Shots of Professor Homeboy)
However, Professor knew that this was no easy feat, he was going to need help and lots of it. Professor thought to himself, “In order to achieve this new era in this amazing city, we must start in the heart of the future. Utopia doesn’t just exist, we must nurture and protect it.” And so the Professor became a part of the faculty at Los Santos University.
LiTT City News
There he met his first set of team members, young journalists with a keen eye for justice. They were looking to enact some change in this city too. Rosario Rios, a professor of journalism originally from the small island of Cayo Perico, teaches at Los Santos University and has formed a team with 3 of her star students, Bella Lona, Jack Bass, and Minkah. They had all recently acquired the local news station's Weazel News in an attempt to restructure the corrupt, and rather crude media that long dwelled on Los Santos air waves.
Figure 1.5 ( Glamour shots of the Weazel News Station . GTA V)
Together they had created “Yebo News” where they were pushing for a better and Brilliant Los Santos that truly reflected the heart of the people in it. YEBO News was dedicated to uplifting the voices of those that had previously been marginalized by Weazel Media. The people demanded more media that represented them as human beings with impactful stories, rather than being portrayed as stereotypes, they wanted stories that would expose the corrupt society that had long dwelled in Los Santos all while uplifting the people who were fighting against oppression.
Figure 1.6 (Pictured new hires to Weazel News, Rosario Rios [left] and Bella Lona [Right] )