This workshop is limited to 20 attendees. Sign up will be available in-person at registration starting the first day of the conference. It will be filled on a first come, first serve basis. Purchase a Patron Admission for early access to workshop sign-up.

Come Playtest and discuss: Reclaim the Video Game + Ojibwe 7000 software

Ojibwemowin is an endangered language with very few opportunities for learning in context. Other than ceremonies and immersion schools, our hunger to use and hear Ojibwemowin is a challenge. We hope this innovative approach, coupling an actual point and click adventure game with language learning software, will feed this hunger.

In this workshop Hermes will give an overview of the land language ideas this project embodies, nuances of representing Indigenous culture in the land of appropriations and stereotypes, and a sneak peek into the backend development and production process.  Then audience will be invited to playtest the game for 20-30 minutes, followed by a lively discussion.

ABOUT THE GAME AND SOFTWARE

The game we are making is a potential solution to this problem. We draw on Ojibwe stories, traditions, jokes, world view – and fun puzzles – all to create an interactive environment where students are immersed in Ojibwemowin. They can play this over and over, with no shame for not knowing. They can take it home, play with families, create fan fiction, trade stickers – all popular culture things that will elevate and make the language learning itself take off.

Download Reclaim! (computers at workshop will be already have it downloaded)

This game is being developed alongside of an e-learning platform, Ojibwe 7000. Animations, characters, stories, and real-life hot spot pictures – all corresponding to the game. In a good teachers’ hands, this is sure to fire students up to work through difficult new words and phrases and (practice) also in ‘game’ form, in the software.

Make a free Ojibwe 7000 account here:

https://www.7000.org/ojibwe