Games « you found me. I make alternate reality games: games that are designed to improve real lives or solve real problems. I’ve been making ARGs since 2001 — and you can watch trailers for a dozen of my favorite ARGs below. Many of my games challenge players to tackle real-world problems at a planetary-scale: hunger, poverty, climate change, or global peace, for example (see: EVOKE, World Without Oil, Superstruct). Others are simply designed to make players happier in their everyday lives — by dancing more, say, or by being kind to strangers (see: Top Secret Dance Off and Cruel 2 B Kind). And some have specific positive health impacts in mind: increasing physical activity, for example, or speeding up recovery from a concussion (see: CryptoZoo and SuperBetter). The biggest influence on my game design is the science of positive psychology. Most of the games I make aren’t like typical videogames that you can play whenever you want. SUPERBETTER (2012 ) The game that builds your real-life resilience. Like this:
Game mechanics Game mechanics are constructs of rules intended to produce a game or gameplay. All games use mechanics; however, theories and styles differ as to their ultimate importance to the game. In general, the process and study of game design, or ludology, are efforts to come up with game mechanics that allow for people playing a game to have an engaging, but not necessarily fun, experience. Game mechanics vs. gameplay[edit] Gameplay refers to the overall game experience or essence of the game itself. There is some confusion as to the difference between game mechanics and gameplay. For example, the basic gameplay of a shooting or fighting game is to hit while not being hit. However, from a programming or overall design perspective, basic gameplay can be deconstructed further to reveal constituent game mechanics. Game mechanics vs. theme[edit] Games that are mechanically similar can vary widely in theme. Turns[edit] Even in real-time computer games there are often certain periodic effects.
Gamification: Using Game Mechanics to Enhance eLearning Maybe you've heard of the term "gamification," and perhaps you're wondering what it is and how it can be applied to eLearning. In short, gamification is the use of gameplay mechanics for non-game applications. Almost as important, as a definition of what it is, is a definition of what it's not. Gamification is not the inclusion of stand-alone games in eLearning (or, whatever gamification is being applied to). It also has very little to do with art-styles, themes, or the application of narrative. Rather, game mechanics are the construct of rules that encourage users to explore and learn the properties of their possibility space through the use of feedback mechanisms. In the 15 years I've been making video games, a frequently discussed topic in the game industry has been on ways to engage users; a theme that I've found is enthusiastically discussed in the eLearning space. What is Engagement? First though, let's talk about engagement in a general sense. Setting Goals and Objectives
International Journal of Game-Based Learning (IJGBL) (2155-6849)(2155-6857): Patrick Felicia Description The International Journal of Game-Based Learning (IJGBL) is devoted to the theoretical and empirical understanding of game-based learning. To achieve this aim, the journal publishes theoretical manuscripts, empirical studies, and literature reviews. The journal publishes this multidisciplinary research from fields that explore the cognitive and psychological aspects that underpin successful educational video games. The target audience of the journal is composed of professionals and researchers working in the fields of educational games development, e-learning, technology-enhanced education, multimedia, educational psychology, and information technology. Topics Covered Mission The mission of the International Journal of Game-Based Learning (IJGBL) is to promote knowledge pertinent to the design of Game-Based Learning environments, and to provide relevant theoretical frameworks and the latest empirical research findings in the field of Game-Based Learning. Indices Editorial Board
Get Mental Notes Thank you to everyone who helped make Mental Notes a huge success. Of the original 5,000 decks, all (except for a small personal reserve) are gone. Don't fret! There's more in store: An expansion pack is in the works… There's a planned kickstarter campaign (where I'll offer up the remaining 1st run decks). Don't miss out! © Copyright Stephen P. GDC: Hecker's Nightmare Scenario - A Future Of Rewarding Players For Dull Tasks It's possible that an over-reliance on metrics-driven design and extrinsic rewards for in-game actions could lead to a future of "designing shitty games that you have to pay people to play," warns independent developer Chris Hecker. Hecker, who is currently working on the espionage-themed multiplayer game SpyParty, presented his hypothetical "nightmare self-fulfilling scenario" as part of a talk inquisitively titled "Achievements Considered Harmful?" during Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Hecker based his talk on a large volume of often-conflicting psychological studies about the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards, but he was quick to preface his hypothesis by noting that "there are no direct studies" about the topic as it specifically relates to video games, and he called for more research into the effects of reward structures in design. "You want to make an intrinsically interesting game," he said of game designers at large.
Meta-Game Design: Reward Systems that Drive Engagement One of the hottest topics in the Web-meets-Gaming world is metagame design -- the practice of applying game-like reward and feedback systems to non-game applications for the purpose of driving loyalty and engagement. In the physical world, we're surrounded by metagames: Karate belts, scout badges, employee incentive plans, and frequent flyer miles are all reward systems, layered onto an existing activity to drive loyalty and communicate social status. On the Web, metagames peform a similar function. Social networks like MyYearBook and Hi5 let players earn redeemable points by logging in and engaging in various social activities. Foursquare uses points, badges and leaderboards to turn club-hopping into a game-like social experience. In this design-focused talk, you'll learn about the three levels of metagame design -- points tables, feedback and rewards, and viral outreach -- and the key questions to answer at each level.
Gamify Your Life: A Guide To Incentivising Everything Going to the gym for an hour is two red points. Calling my mum is one blue point while calling Aunt Deborah is five blue points, because, honestly, Aunt Deb is sort of a pain to talk to and sometimes she says crazy things. Cleaning the bathroom is 15 red points, otherwise I would never do it. This is the plan to gamify my life, to relate everything I do to a point-based game. Image remixed from grafvision, Ispace (Shutterstock) and psdGraphics. It’s a self-designed system that operates along a daily exchange of productivity and reward. A draft beer costs three red points. 1. 2. I’ve tried to be inventive in how this works. 3. 4. 5. 6. Eventually, I want these daily positive behaviours to be ingrained and to only pursue important benchmark goals. Recently, I challenged friends to a Gamified Week, where we use the same scale to see who can get the most points. Gamification isn’t for everyone. Alex Kalamaroff is 25 years old and lives in Boston.