Playing fiction: The use of semiotic resources in role play

Technology in L1: A review of empirical research projects in Scandinavia 1992-2014

“…Based on their results, Wikström & Olin Scheller (2011) claim that fan fiction could play an important role in the development of adolescents' literacies and identities and how their pastime works as a vehicle for personal growth. Further, Lundström & Olin-Scheller (2014) state that we have a need for play not only as a first step in our socialization to become a reader, but also as a tool for reading development throughout life.…”

Worlds of many languages. Transformations in fictional text universes

“…However, in the analysed examples, the linguistic, technological, cognitive, and social accoutrements also form and frame the participants' understanding of the story created. For example, in role-playing, it is critical to understand knowledge in relation to the rules and goals expressed in the overall game situation, but also in relation to the ongoing storytelling (Lundström & Olin-Scheller, 2014). Attending this practice includes knowledge of many social conventions, but also knowledge of how to break and change them, for example adapting genres to fit their own purposes.…”

“…In the transcriptions, italics are used to distinguish utterances made by the character in the narrative of the game, as opposed to utterances made by the player outside the character. Thus, italics show utterances made within the fictive world (see also Drachen & Heide Smith, 2008;Lundström & Olin-Scheller, 2014). Sections in bold font indicate comments of particular interest for the analysis of the empirical material.…”

“…Text universes of the convergence culture are thus often multimodal, and can be considered as an informal learning environment (e.g. Jenkins, 2006;Lundström & Olin-Scheller, 2014). The participants in a text universe also often transform content between various media forms when they produce and consume, or prosume (Tapscott, 1996), texts.…”

“…In one study that relates to the present article, Gary Alan Fine (1983) shows that participation takes place at several framed levels simultaneously, where different rules of behavior apply at every level. Lundström & Olin-Scheller (2014) uses a similar perspective when studying how the role-players create meaning through remediating statements of different modalities and contextual configurations, and also how playing fiction is a vital aspect of the processes of creating identity. These aspects are intertwined in semiotic remediation practices in the way the participants expand the narratives in participatory storytelling.…”