Planet Hunters. Building a Serious Game for Education. Serious Games challenging us to play at building a better education Via: Hack Education - Building a “Serious Game” for Education, Part 2by Audrey Watters on 20.
Sep, 2011 Last month, Nathan Maton and Audrey Watters started a conversation at Hack Education blog about what a Serious Game for education might look like. Part two of their ongoing conversation is now live (find also Unschooling Rules – Serious Games As Microcosms For Learning) Here are the highlights: Serious Gaming As “Nuanced As An Essay” Nathan explains the above statement in the context of environmental sustainability. “In an essay you pick an argument and clarify what you mean by it. “Now let’s imagine that’s a Serious Game. Educators Need To Get Gaming If They’re Going To Use It Audrey: I think more educators are coming to recognize how gaming can be an important part of the learning experience. Audrey: Where do we start? Serious games - The Dichotomy of Content & Logic. Top 100 Learning Game Resources. Defining game mechanics « Natural Math.
Game mechanics are metaphoric structures defining actions, objects and their relationships within the gameplay.
Game mechanics are related to, but separate from, rules of games, user interfaces, tactics and strategies, and genres. Intrinsic game mechanics in learning games use the same metaphors that define concepts the players are studying. For example, one of the grounding metaphors for “equation” is “balance.” Intrinsic games for learning equations that are based on balance game mechanics can involve characters piling weights on a balance scale, walking along a fulcrum, or adding weights and balloons to a dirigible. Each of these mechanics can be used in different game genres, such as puzzles, platformers, race games or roleplaying games. On the other hand, a game where players shoot correct answers to equation problems out of the sky is extrinsic. Defining game mechanics: Part 2 of 2 « Natural Math.
Part 1: Game mechanics are metaphoric structures defining actions, objects and their relationships within the gameplay.
Intrinsic game mechanics in learning games use the same metaphors that define concepts the players are studying. The practical framework for designing intrinsic mathematical learning games stems from the above definitions. Identify the target conceptAnalyze the concept to find a mathematical metaphor for itModel the metaphor in particular objects and actionsMatch game mechanics to the modelCompose the game out of mechanics Let’s use the framework to analyze a few math games from the same conceptual field, the coordinate plane. Concept: CoordinatesMetaphor: Ordered pairs (of qualities)Objects and actions: A grid with qualities constant within each row and each column; finding positions, cell entries, or labels of the grid by other known dataGame mechanic: Matching objects with a given pair of qualities to a position in the gridGame: Zoombinis Mudball Wall.
Games In Medical Education. Design Intersections: How Games Can Help Us Solve the World's Bigge... HCT2005.pdf (application/pdf Object) Simulacra or Simulation [What Games Are Not. The Simulation Trap Some game makers (often, but not restricted to, programmers) are simulationists.
Simulationism is different from both tetrism and narrativism, in that the simulationist believes that accuracy and complexity are the things that matter most. To a simulationist, a game is an opportunity to explore permutations, and both story and gameplay need to work within the boundary of something approaching reality. Simulationists relish the engineering challenge that complexity brings in figuring out the most elegant sets of algorithms and procedures to reap the greatest benefits. They are the people who think that trees which grow quasi-naturally are important, or that shadow effects have to look totally realistic, or that bullet-through-paper issues are a significant problem in shooters.
For example, racing games like Gran Turismo benefit greatly from physics that have enough depth to permit car customisations to be felt by the player. What Players Actually Notice Opacity Clarity. Game-Based Learning: What it is, Why it Works, and Where it's Going. Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
–William Butler Yeats Introduction Deconstruct the fun in any good game, and it becomes clear that what makes it enjoyable is the built-in learning process. To progress in a game is to learn; when we are actively engaged with a game, our minds are experiencing the pleasure of grappling with (and coming to understand) a new system. This is true whether the game is considered “entertainment” (e.g., World of Warcraft) or “serious” (e.g., an FAA-approved flight simulator). The implications of delivering game experiences for education and training are enormous. Because of good game design, more than 11 million subscribers spend an average of 23 hours per week immersed in World of Warcraft. What is Effective Game-based Learning, and Why Does it Work? When education or training feels dull, we are not being engaged and motivated. Game-based Learning vs.
Fig. 1: Comparison of Traditional Training, Hands-on, and Game-based Learning. Video Games and the Future of Learning (Jan Plass and Bruce Homer)