A case of values conflict in the video game design field. A critique of Schön’s appreciative system.

Abstract

Schön's model of design as a reflective conversation with the situation is one of the most important models in design research, but it is not often criticized. This paper questions Schön's vision of values by contrasting it with Dewey's vision. It presents a case study from the video game industry to show the difference between Schön's and Dewey's value system. Game designers were interviewed about their values concerning casual games. The results show that some designers have had a change of values during a project: they moved from a negative position on casual games to a positive one. In terms of Schön's fixed appreciative system, a change of values is unusual, and it risks jeopardizing the design project. But this fixedness is contradictory with the idea of conversation with the situation, and Dewey's vision of values, which is more flexible, demonstrates stronger coherence with the model.