For a lover of games and learning, (aka me), it has been difficult to understand the rules of the game in research: “publish or perish”. But by reading Thiagarajan and David Lorge Parnas I conclude that I am playing with other rules 😉
My inner voice guided me to pursue this path of research. It is a personal call, I love what I do. My research topic is my passion, and I am interested that the outcome of my efforts could support real life besides academia, for example in industry, business, ONG.
Hence, it is taking me TIME to walk my path, because:
It takes TIME to know what am I doing?
It takes TIME to find my literature (in addition, when I arrived to my research group the research on games was nonexistent)
It takes TIME to read and listen a vast amount of books, journals, articles, blogs, individuals, …
It takes TIME to digest all the information
It takes TIME to conceptualize
It takes TIME to implement, test, use…
It takes TIME to find your angels on the way (people who help you to improve)
It takes TIME to understand the context that surround all the points mentioned above
It takes TIME to learn to write
It takes TIME to write
In addition, thinking is complex. THINKING TAKES TIME and EFFORT.
Hence, within my journey, in several moments I was convinced that I am too slow. Actually, saying slow is the most constructive reaction, because the feeling of impotence is huge. But something crystallized while talking with Antti: I belong to other type of researchers, of those subscribe to slow-science.
The slow moment is present in other areas of our life as well, for example: slow-food, slow-living. By the way, one shouldn’t misinterpret the word slow. Antti describes it so well: “it take what it takes”. That is all, the best example of this concept is a new human life which requires nine months until s/he is born, and several years until s/he is self-sufficient. “It takes what it takes”.
Articles that support the concepts behind slow-science, which in my humble opinion must be read are: “stop the numbers game” from Parnas, and the blog of Erik Proper. Also, in an indirect way, but good article from game research is “How I designed a game – and discovered the meaning of life” by Thiagarajan.
Hence I am still in my personal race, and I know I live in this planet and I need to balance its rules. But it makes me feel relief knowing that it is normal, the growth process requires time. Thank you Antti for the chat and references!
it takes what it takes to grow
CC image, source here
