Gaming the Edition: Modelling Scholarly Editions through Videogame Frameworks

Abstract

This paper offers a unique model for collaborative digital scholarly edition environments that features functions and possibilities associated with  game-related play, challenge, achievement, and narrativity.  These proposed  environments can and should encourage two types of technical education simultaneously: the use of the scholarly edition software, and an increasing mastery of scholarly editing practice. Further, successful models of collaboration found in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games can be effectively used to facilitate the operation of collaborative, dynamic editing environments, and achievement "badges" along with other ways of acknowledging user contributions are effective ways to validate the gaming "levels" and "achievements" that various contributors have reached within the editing environment. Functionally incorporating these recognizable game elements into the development of  digital scholarly editions generates an apprenticeship space that continually demands a performative understanding of the kinds of work that go into scholarly editing, encourages collaborative edition development, and clearly establishes who exactly has accomplished that work (and to which level).