the old stories, we were met with a barrage of questions: Which stories? Who would be telling them? Who would see them? How would they be distributed (DVD, Internet, console)? Would somebody owning the game then think they owned the story?

Of particular concern was that
the youth would make “Grand Theft
Rez,” turning the stories into blood-
soaked shoot ’em ups whose only
point was to simulate murder and
mayhem. We spent much time talk-
ing to people about how the field
of video games encompasses much
more than the standard first-person
engagement with Aboriginal com-
munities, where Aboriginal people
were often treated more as research
objects than as human beings,
and where the research was done
primarily to benefit the academics
involved rather than the commu-
nity. Even with today’s somewhat
more enlightened academics, skepti-
cism abounded. Many researchers
attempting projects in these com-
munities are surprised by the lack
of enthusiasm proposed projects
encounter. One potential collabora-
tor told us, “We get called all the
time, by the universities or some
years developing relationships in
Kahnawake, talking to people and
organizations about the Skins proj-
ect. We were asked several times
about what was in it for us profes-
sionally, and we were clear about
how we would use the outcomes
to advance our research projects.
We emphasized our own histories
(Fragnito, in particular, naming her
mother and grandparents) and the
fact that we were doing this in part
for our own (Mohawk-Cherokee)
children. We participated at mul-
tiple levels in the community, from
attending the annual pow wow to

• Time Traveller™

Episode 1, Hunter (production still). 2012 © Skawennati Fragnito

shooters that most of their kids were playing on the Xbox, as well as showing them examples of how the medium could be used to tell rich narratives. Several potential partners never quite believed us, and, after initially expressing interest, decided to pass on collaborating with us to produce the workshops.

The other big challenge was the
contentious history of academic
research institute, wanting us to get
involved in one study or another” [ 2].
Over the years, community mem-
bers had become weary and wary
of such projects. The benefits have
to be clear, substantial, and cost-
effective before people will begin to
consider participating.

March + April 2012