Gaming Technology in the Classroom

Entertainment and Arts
Management Program
Program Director: Larry Epstein
Presented by: Dr. Xela Batchelder
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Understanding our Digital Students
“Mini” games and “Complex” games
Touring Class Problem
Touring Board Game Problem
Process of creating a computer game
Resources / Games for other programs
Game research in Entertainment and Arts
Management Program by Larry Epstein
(Performing Arts Department, Westphal College)
DIGITAL
NATIVE
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Digital Native
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Ian Jukes
Neo-Millennial learning
styles
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Dieterle-Dede-Schrier
Digital Immigrant
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Ian Jukes
Screenagers
DFL (Digital as a First
Language)
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(Prensky)
Native Learners
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DIGITAL
Vs.
IMMIGRANT
Teachers
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(Prensky)
Ian Jukes
Parents
Digital as a Second
Language
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Grew up in digital world – never without cell
phones, internet, etc.
24/7/365 world
Both parents work – Gadgets as Babysitters
Role models and social skills through digital
means
As comfortable with screen to screen relationships
as face to face
82% play video games, average of 8.2 hours a
week, 70% of dollars spent by children and
teenagers on electronic games
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600 TV channels, 10,000 radio stations, trillions
of internet sites
TWITCH SPEED (Prensky) – children accept as
normal instantaneous access to information,
goods and services – expect to communicate
with anyone, anywhere (globally) at anytime
(day or night)
MTV isn’t multimedia for this generation it is
monomedia (Dr. David Thornburg)
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Used to simultaneous images, texts and
sounds, because it can portray more
information in a shorter time period
Passive Viewing does not cut it anymore –
They expect, want and need interactive
information, interactive resources, and relevant
real life experiences
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Does not apply just to North America
Even in countries that have not changed in
hundreds of years, the children still have access
to digital media
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Just like an immigrant to who need to reside in
the country to learn the language, customs and
culture, we need a more than superficial
understanding of the digital landscape.
We need a deeper understanding of the
language, customs, culture and learning styles
of our students.
Students hear our Digital Accents (We’re
digital as a Second Language DSL)
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Brains of the digital generation continue to
change physically and chemically –
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They are actually wired differently than our
generation
Particularly enhancing visual memory and visual
processing skills
The natives’ brain processes information
differently than the immigrants’ brain
Article entitled:
In Educational Games,
Complexity Matters
Mini-games are Trivial
- but “Complex” Games Are Not
An important Way for Teachers, Parents and Others to
Look At Educational Computer and Video Games
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Ludology = study of games
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History of non-sports games before 1981
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mostly board or card games
to distract or play for a few hours
(a few exceptions such as Bridge or Chess were played more seriously)
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Last popular board game in 1980s was Trivial
Pursuit - learned “trivial” facts if anything
Monopoly – some economic lessons learned
MINI-GAMES
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2 hours or less to play
Single challenge
Treat one subject,
puzzle or gameplay
type in a small way
Good for relaxation or
breaks
COMPLEX GAMES
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8 hours and up (100)
Sophisticated mixture of
difficult challenges that
typically intertwine and
support each other
Have several minigames embedded in
them for specific
learning purposes
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Good for
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exercising the brain
making specific points
Motivation to practice particular focused skills
Relaxation or breaks
Most educational Games = Mini-Games
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because they are designed by Digital Immigrants
who understand games this way…
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“game” = mini games or trivial distractions
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Computer Games
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Often computer versions of card or board games: scrabble,
solitaire, Monopoly, Clue (all mini games)
Educational Computer Games –
Carmen Sandiego, Oregon Trail, Math Blaster
 simple games, teaching basic facts, over short time periods
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When Digital Immigrant thinks of GAMES –
they think of MINI-GAMES
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Computer Games (almost new species of game)
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Digital Immigrants – never seriously played
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Require hours of concentrated attention to
master
Require enormous amounts of skills, effort, and
most important to us… LEARNING
Which is great because…
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Multiplayer
Creative
Collaborative
Challenging
Competitive
COMPLEX!
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Learn a wide variety of often new and difficult
skills and strategies
Master these skills and strategies (by
advancing “levels”)
Often requires outside research and
collaboration with others while playing
Make large number of decisions
What is it about them that makes them
want to play for 100+ hours?
Most important feature (cited by players) is
“leveling-up” or getting to the next level
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Emotionally this means feeling yourself getting better
at the game
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They love the feeling of mastery over something
difficult and complex
(How we feel improving in our sports, hobbies or jobs)
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Games must balance between “I give up” and
“I’m not challenged at all”
Artificial Intelligence is used in games to keep
people with different individual “Flow Zones”
in the right zone
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Goals that players want to achieve
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Goals are determined at different levels
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Not “learning geometry”
But “be the hero” or “the entire span of human
history is in your hands”
Short term goals – I need to find X
Medium term goals – finishing a level
Long term goals – beat or win the game or reach
very high levels
Some – allow player to provide goals – Goals
we set or ourselves are often the ones we are
most motivated to reach! (The Sims)
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Don’t judge potential of FUTURE educational games
on mini games you have seen
Must distinguish between Mini Games & Complex
Games
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Mini Games are Trivial
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Complex games are great teachers
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To understand what complex games are capable of
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Importance of building a network to make
booking easier?
Decision Making?
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Best financial choice for the show?
 Cost of a zig-zag
 Waiting for a better offer or not
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Best marketing choice for the show?
 Better to get a show in that city and lose money?
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Plays in about 1 hour and 30 minutes
Only could deal with booking the shows, and
the simplified financial consequences
Really only taught a few basic concepts
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Building up contacts through networking and
marketing
Keeping a tour as tight as possible
Consequences of turning down too many bookings,
or not enough
Consequences of empty days without performances
The Board Game did a better job than a
Lecture, but…
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During the creation of the board game, I had to
ditch a list of other goals – especially all those after
the tour starts
But the computer game offered the potential for
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More complexity
Better simulation (feel like you’re really booking shows)
More consequences for decisions
More IF – THENs
Additional Levels (next > managing the tour AFTER you
book)
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Find organization or someone to work with
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Ideally someone that can take your basic ideas and
expand on them without every detail from yourself
(you have to teach too!)
Get them to understand your goals and
objectives
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Not as easy as it sounds
Board game was helpful for us, now challenge will
be in adding all the complexities
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Write / conceive of all the variables (start small you
can always add complexity, but your base needs to be able to
accommodate new complexities)
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Characters
Goals
Scenarios
Possible outcomes
IF/ Then Scenarios
Plot
Mathematical Formulas
Design Visuals
Design Audio
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http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/
http://www.filamentgames.com/home
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http://www.thinkingworlds.com/
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http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/games/digig
bl.html
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Roller Coaster Tycoon 3
Capsim
Capitalism II
TV Tycoon
Great Cities
Cinema Tycoon
The Turnaround Game
Money Means Business
Bizz Fun
Quandary
Second Life
Hotel Giant
Restaurant Empire
TV Station Manager
Hollywood Mogul 3
The Movies
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Hollywood
Mogul 3
Great Cities
TV Station
Manager
The Movies
Cinema Tycoon