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SimSavvy (originally named TechSavvy Girls) was initiated in Fall 2006, as part of A Productive Approach to Learning and Media Literacy Through Video Games and Simulations, a collaborative project of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s GAPPS Group (Games and Professional Practice Simulations Group) and funded by a three-year grant from The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

SimSavvy currently encompasses two primary research activities: (a) investigations of the learning that takes place in the context of fan communities associated with The Sims and Second Life, and (b) the design and study of out-of-school girls’ clubs intended to build girls’ tech-savvy skills, knowledge, and identities.

Learning in Sims fan communities

We are engaged in a variety of research activities that share the goal of better understanding how playing The Sims can serve as a starting point for the development of digital skills, tech-savvy identities, and other forms of 21st century learning. We have a particular interest in investigating how Sims fan communities serve as supportive locations for learning. Our past and current research focuses on:

• foundational computer-related practices associated with playing The Sims

• adult women’s computer-related learning through creating content for The Sims

• young people’s acquisition of new literacies in Sims affinity spaces

• the role of specialist language learning in Sims modding communities

A list of publications and presentations related to our research can be found on our Resources page.

Program Design

WISCONSIN Pilot Program

From Fall 2006 through Spring 2008, project staff engaged in a variety of foundational activities at our initial site in Wisconsin. In Fall 2006 we conducted focus groups with middle school age girls to determine their gaming and IT-related experiences and interests. Due to the girls’ overwhelming interest in The Sims computer game, in Spring 2007 we initiated a pilot program with a friendship group of eighth-grade girls. This group met regularly for over a year.

In addition to our work with The Sims, we established TechSavvy Isle in Teen Second Life, a 3-D virtual world where teens age 13 to 18 can build custom content with digital tools, socialize with other teens, create businesses, and participate in a wide range of online activities. The girls, along with project staff, presented some results of their experiences at the 2007 and 2008 Games, Learning, and Society Conference in Madison, Wisconsin.

ARIZONA Boys and Girls Club

During spring 2008, we began an afterschool program for fifth- and sixth-grade girls at the Intel Computer Club House located at the Boys and Girls Club of the East Valley-Compadre Branch. This program recruits girls who have little or no prior experience with complex computer games and starts with an extended period of exploratory free play and “just-in-time” learning with The Sims. This free play allows girls to become familiar with the parameters of the game and to pursue learning trajectories based on their own interests and skills. An important component of the project is providing girls with opportunities to share their learning experiences and productions formally and informally. For example, a group of girls were presenters at the 39th Annual Language & Literacy Conference on the Arizona State University campus.

ARIZONA CompuGirls

In 2008, we began a partnership with the ASU Compugirls program, a culturally relevant technology education program for adolescent (grades 8-12) girls from Phoenix’s high-needs districts. The program consists of summer and afterschool courses that introduce participants to a broad array of computer-related tools and concepts through culturally relevant learning activities. An important goal of the program is to engage the girls in practical applications of technology to address social justice issues in their local communities.

During the Spring 2008 semester, we pilot-tested a basic Sims curriculum with 15 participants. This course is now a core component of the program, and we are pilot testing a more advanced yearlong course within Teen Second Life during the Fall 2008 to Spring 2009 semesters. In September 2008, Compugirls received a National Science Foundation ITEST grant, with Dr. Betty Hayes as a Co-PI.