Performatyka i gry komputerowe w służbie edukacji. Wprowadzenie do zagadnienia

This Polish-language study examines how performatics, the theoretical framework developed by Jon McKenzie distinguishing cultural, organizational, and technical performance, can be applied to computer games in education. Its central thesis is that performative education and game-based learning can be productively combined, and that video games can themselves be understood as performative phenomena capable of reshaping how power and knowledge are organized in learning environments. The work positions itself as an introductory overview rather than an empirical investigation, and it contains no quantitative data.

The study surveys major Polish-language scholarship on performatics that followed the 2011 Polish translation of McKenzie's book, including edited volumes by Bal and Świątkowska (2013) and Tyszka (2014). It finds that the analyses of Peplińska and Konczalski offer useful conceptual links to video games but remain largely unapplied to that domain. Justyna Janik's 2020 doctoral dissertation, among the first Polish game-studies doctorates with a performative focus, is highlighted as a notable contribution, though it does not incorporate Konczalski's conclusions. The authors argue that existing work on game preservation and game narratives has largely overlooked educational and museum dimensions.

To address this gap, the study proposes two practical directions: the use of retro games in museums and classrooms, and the conceptualization of players and designers as performers operating within networks of human and non-human actors, drawing on Bruno Latour's actor-network perspective. Educational performance through games is presented as a promising avenue, though the author acknowledges that it encounters resistance and practical challenges. Realizing its potential, the study concludes, will require sustained commitment from teachers, game designers, and researchers alike.