Playing the Aerial: Storytelling, Spirits and the Sky

数字技术的发展有助于文化和知识的全球化和联系（Pasch, 2015）。曾经孤立的社区和文化现在正沉浸在全球化世界的复杂系统中，远离它们曾经存在的“真空”（Pasch, 2015,188; Egenfeldt-Nielsen， Smith和Tosca， 2012）。电子游戏是文化和意义的生产者，处于“由社会形成的复杂意义系统”中，传播知识并代表身份（Egenfeldt-Nielsen， Smith和Tosca，2012, 157; Dittmer, 2010）。西方文化对加拿大和阿拉斯加年轻的因纽特人和Iñupiat的影响越来越受到关注，互联网已经极大地影响了土著语言和与传统知识的联系（Pasch, 2015）。然而，土著社区制作的游戏越来越多，成为这些社会的新收入来源，传播土著知识，并作为土著身份的复兴（Upper One games, 2014; Never Alone, 2014）。这项研究将集中在这些土著游戏和年轻的因纽特人Iñupiat对他们更具体地参与空中活动的看法。空中维度对这些土著社区的传统精神和信仰来说是神圣的，这可以用来理解土著游戏在他们的观念和身份形成中的影响。土著玩家的焦点小组和游戏制作人的精英访谈将有助于更好地理解土著制作的电子游戏的含义，以及他们产生的观念、知识和身份。

Developments in digital technology have aided in the globalisationand connection of cultures and knowledge (Pasch, 2015).Communities and cultures that were once isolated are now beingimmersed in the complex systems of the globalised world, movingaway from the "vacuums" they once existed within (Pasch, 2015,188; Egenfeldt-Nielsen, Smith and Tosca, 2012). Video games actas producers of culture and meaning, situated within "a complexsystem of meanings shaped by society", disseminating knowledge,and representing identities (Egenfeldt-Nielsen, Smith and Tosca,2012, 157; Dittmer, 2010). Concerns have been increasing overthe impacts of Western cultures on the young Inuit and Iñupiat ofCanada and Alaska, with the internet already greatly impactingupon indigenous languages and connections to traditionalknowledge (Pasch, 2015). However, there has been an increasingnumber of games produced by indigenous communities, acting asa new source of income for these societies, disseminatingindigenous knowledge and acting as a resurgence of indigenousidentities (Upper One Games, 2014; Never Alone, 2014). Thisresearch will focus upon these indigenous games and young Inuitand Iñupiat perceptions of their engagement with the aerial morespecifically. The aerial dimension is sacred to traditional spiritualityand beliefs for these indigenous communities, and this can beutilised to understand the impacts of indigenous games in theformulations of their perceptions and identities. Focus groups withindigenous gamers and elite interviews with game producers willfacilitate greater understanding of the implications of indigenousproduced video games, and the perceptions, knowledge andidentities that they generate.