W505 Games as Learning Tools
Stage 2 - 4: Analysis of Strategy games and RPG
Title: Ayiti: The Cost of Life
General information
Ayiti is a strategy game centered on a family struggling to survive and thrive in Haiti. The family includes a mother, father, teenage son, teenage daughter, and adolescent son. At the start, you choose what will be the most important strategy for having success in the game with options including health, happiness, education, and money. Your objective is to keep everybody alive and as educated and happy as possible at the end of four years. You assign each player a role at the outset of each season and some options include work, school, home, family farm, and going to the hospital. You have the choice of what kind of standard of living they will have and you can also buy new things for your family given enough money. Random things can also happen in the game such as a cousin remitting money to you, sickness in the family, or a hurricane.
Analysis based on Flow Theory
o Task that the learners can complete
This game represents a balancing act between saving enough money, educating the family, staying happy, and avoiding sickness. Throughout the game you may be forced to sacrifice some goals to succeed in others. Enough money has to be earned by the family for example so that makes it hard to let more than one or two family members get a decent education. These tasks can indeed be completed though honestly I failed and killed most of the family my first 2-3 times playing. In an attempt to save money, I set the lifestyle to poor and I noticed that the health and happiness of my family quickly deteriorated. Upon setting the level to decent, I was able to complete the game with much more success.
o Ability to concentrate on task
In the beginning of the game it’s difficult to concentrate on and balance all of the tasks of the game. After several session though you get a better feel for what bad things can happen in the game and how to avoid them. You better learn how to balance the tasks and you can focus hard on succeeding in your goals.
o Task has clear goals
The goals and tasks of the game are clear. Lead a happy and healthy life for your family. Yet, these goals are subjective in that there are so many variations on how your family in the game can live that life. You could try to make lots of money but not allow your family to get a good education. Will that make them happy? You can focus on educating one family member and leave the others working. Will that make the family happy and proud to have at least one educated person? Clearly, if a family member dies then your goal has not been achieved but otherwise it’s hard to justify whether or not you have truly achieved a happy and healthy life for your family.
o Task provides immediate feedback
After assigning roles and duties to each family member in the beginning of each session, immediate feedback is given. The game continually updates each person’s health, happiness, and education conditions. This information informs you on the status of the family and whether or not your strategy is being effective. You are also kept abreast of how much money the family has at any given moment and if that amount gets into the negative territory, you are often immediately notified in that members who may be in the hospital or school are forced to go back home due to a lack of funds.
o Deep but effortless involvement
I found that while the game doesn’t provide really deep involvement in terms of the options players are given and the possible outcomes, I still found myself becoming incredibly absorbed in the game. I tested out different strategies with my family and I continually tried to optimize happiness and education levels. The game is pretty effortlessly involving because the game does much of the work and calculations for you after you’ve assigned the family roles. Yet, the real effort needed in the game comes from mental calculations such as weighing some options against others and being forced to make serious decisions that will strongly affect your family.
o Exercising a sense of control over their actions
This game does allow players to determine their own paths and desired strategies for the game. If you think making money is the most important thing, you are given the freedom to do so in the game though your family’s health and happiness might suffer as a result. Some things you don’t have any control over such as hurricanes striking and receiving remittances from your other family members. In one session my family was given the chance to accept a micro-loan from the government and use that money to open a food-stand. That food-stand was much higher paying than most other jobs and it gave my family a chance to use the excess money for other things like education. For the most par though, the player does exercise control over actions in the game.
o Concern for self disappears during flow
Despite making serious decisions about the life and death of the characters in the game, there is no concern for the safety of the player. Those decisions are only dangerous in the game world though they are enlightening because players can imagine how it might feel to have to really make them in real life. The player can question how they would really deal with those kinds of situations if they were really leading that kind of life.
o Sense of duration of time is altered
The game compresses four years of time into about 20-30 minute sessions. The tasks of the game became very repetitive and that for me made the game pass by very quickly. I did notice that I began to think that the time allowed in the game was too short though. I was keenly aware of how fast each year was going by and I often wanted more time to make further progress in the educations of my characters. There is only so much you can succeed in doing in only four years and the outcomes in the game are thusly limited.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Chess vs. Cyber Chess
W505 Games as Learning Tools
Stage 2 - 3: Analysis of Card and Board Games
Title: Chess vs. Cyber Chess
General information:
Chess is a two player game utilizing a board with 64 color alternated squares and 8 squares lining each side. Each player has 6 different types of chess pieces: there are 8 pawns, 2 rooks, 2 knights, 2 bishops, 1 queen, and 1 king. Each piece moves in a different way. Kings can move 1 space in any direction. Bishops can move in diagonals and rooks movie in straight lines. Knights can jump over other pieces. They may move 2 squares in any direction and then 1 to the left or right of that in the same move. Pawns usually only move forward 1 square at a time but their first move can be two. They may attack and capture other pieces diagonally. The queen is the strongest piece and it can move diagonally, or in straight lines for the length of the board as long as its path is unobstructed. The object of the game is checkmating the opponent’s king. In other words, you must attack or check the king without it being able to escape in any direction.
Comparison of two formats: digital vs. non-digital
1. Comparison 1: Game components
A game is an activity which is governed by rules, has a goal, allows for competition between opponents, is meant to be fun, contains an element of surprise or chance and allows players to be able to make decisions and have some control over their actions, successes, and failures.
According to this definition, the two formats are nearly identical and do not present any major changes to the game components. Both game formats allow for player control over their actions which can lead to successes or failures. While there is some element of chance in chess, this chance usually comes as a surprise about positions or piece placements that could have been anticipated given deeper analysis and thinking by the player. This chance can be observed in both chess formats.
Real chess must be played with another person or else the game loses much of its fun. Cyber Chess has more options for a wider variety of game opponents. Computers can make for very challenging opponents for example and there are also many programs that allow people from all around the world to play and challenge each other. Online formats such as yahoo chess and programs like babaschess enable players to challenge each other online and even define the game parameters including time constraints. In this respect I believe that cyber chess is stronger than regular chess in that it allows for more competition opportunities between different players.
2. Comparison 2: Interaction
- Communication between/among players during the game play
Moving from regular chess to cyber chess does usually alter the kinds of communication between players during play. While playing regular chess, two players can still talk to each other using their voices, and they can choose to talk as little or as much as they desire. In casual games without time limits, regular chess can be a good way for friends to catch up or to get to know another player. If you are asked a question, you are expected to answer.
In cyber chess, even if you type messages to the other player throughout the game, there is no demand for them to reply to you if they don’t feel like talking. Since you don’t know what the other player looks like or usually even where they come from or what language they speak, there is less demand to make the situation comfortable through conversation.
In both formats, games can be reviewed and discussed after they are played. In regular chess, a player’s memory is usually needed to set up past situations on the board and this can lead to inaccuracies or arguments between players. In cyber chess, the game moves are stored and players can easily trace the game back to previous configurations. In this respect, cyber chess opens the possibility to talk about and review a game more easily. That is, if both players are inclined to do so and that is not often the case.
- Cooperation between/among players
Neither formats of chess require a lot of cooperation between players as long as you both understand and follow the rules. Yet, some additional rules may be required when you play regular chess. For example, some players will create take back rules when someone makes a blunder. Players also need to negotiate when it actually means that you’ve placed a certain piece. Is it placed if you are still touching it, or does it only count after you have let go of the piece? In cyber chess there is usually a take back request function but the cyber opponent may be inclined to simply ignore your request. That is something that you can’t really do if you’re sitting playing the game face to face.
- Engagement to the games
In a sense, regular chess requires you to engage more with the game by actually having to physically set up the board and move pieces around with your hands. It’s slightly different than being able to just move and click with a mouse and have the programs automatically set up the board for you. I believe this makes regular chess more engaging because you’re being more active throughout the game. You are also able to have a tangible reward and feeling whenever you capture an opponent’s piece. This can be exciting and leads to more engagement to the game.
- Motivation to play the games
In both chess formats, the motivation to win the game is the same. Yet, in cyber chess players usually have chess ratings designating their skill level. It is very motivating to achieve new personal best ratings and that is a big part of the motivation for playing cyber chess. In regular chess, player ratings can also be kept track of but it’s a more difficult process and is not done automatically for you by the computer. Playing regular chess is often more of a social event where you can meet new people, make new friends, or spend some quality time with your own good friends. That social aspect is not as strong in cyber chess.
So which chess format do I prefer more? I actually like being able to play chess online because I can play whenever I feel like it. I don’t have to go anywhere or make a plan with a friend or try to coordinate schedules. There is usually always an open game that I can play online whenever I want and that is one of the biggest attractions to online chess. Yet, I don’t think I’ll ever want to give up playing face to face with a real live person entirely. I love the social aspect of regular chess and it is simply such a magical feeling to be able to look your opponent in the eyes and say CHECK MATE.
Stage 2 - 3: Analysis of Card and Board Games
Title: Chess vs. Cyber Chess
General information:
Chess is a two player game utilizing a board with 64 color alternated squares and 8 squares lining each side. Each player has 6 different types of chess pieces: there are 8 pawns, 2 rooks, 2 knights, 2 bishops, 1 queen, and 1 king. Each piece moves in a different way. Kings can move 1 space in any direction. Bishops can move in diagonals and rooks movie in straight lines. Knights can jump over other pieces. They may move 2 squares in any direction and then 1 to the left or right of that in the same move. Pawns usually only move forward 1 square at a time but their first move can be two. They may attack and capture other pieces diagonally. The queen is the strongest piece and it can move diagonally, or in straight lines for the length of the board as long as its path is unobstructed. The object of the game is checkmating the opponent’s king. In other words, you must attack or check the king without it being able to escape in any direction.
Comparison of two formats: digital vs. non-digital
1. Comparison 1: Game components
A game is an activity which is governed by rules, has a goal, allows for competition between opponents, is meant to be fun, contains an element of surprise or chance and allows players to be able to make decisions and have some control over their actions, successes, and failures.
According to this definition, the two formats are nearly identical and do not present any major changes to the game components. Both game formats allow for player control over their actions which can lead to successes or failures. While there is some element of chance in chess, this chance usually comes as a surprise about positions or piece placements that could have been anticipated given deeper analysis and thinking by the player. This chance can be observed in both chess formats.
Real chess must be played with another person or else the game loses much of its fun. Cyber Chess has more options for a wider variety of game opponents. Computers can make for very challenging opponents for example and there are also many programs that allow people from all around the world to play and challenge each other. Online formats such as yahoo chess and programs like babaschess enable players to challenge each other online and even define the game parameters including time constraints. In this respect I believe that cyber chess is stronger than regular chess in that it allows for more competition opportunities between different players.
2. Comparison 2: Interaction
- Communication between/among players during the game play
Moving from regular chess to cyber chess does usually alter the kinds of communication between players during play. While playing regular chess, two players can still talk to each other using their voices, and they can choose to talk as little or as much as they desire. In casual games without time limits, regular chess can be a good way for friends to catch up or to get to know another player. If you are asked a question, you are expected to answer.
In cyber chess, even if you type messages to the other player throughout the game, there is no demand for them to reply to you if they don’t feel like talking. Since you don’t know what the other player looks like or usually even where they come from or what language they speak, there is less demand to make the situation comfortable through conversation.
In both formats, games can be reviewed and discussed after they are played. In regular chess, a player’s memory is usually needed to set up past situations on the board and this can lead to inaccuracies or arguments between players. In cyber chess, the game moves are stored and players can easily trace the game back to previous configurations. In this respect, cyber chess opens the possibility to talk about and review a game more easily. That is, if both players are inclined to do so and that is not often the case.
- Cooperation between/among players
Neither formats of chess require a lot of cooperation between players as long as you both understand and follow the rules. Yet, some additional rules may be required when you play regular chess. For example, some players will create take back rules when someone makes a blunder. Players also need to negotiate when it actually means that you’ve placed a certain piece. Is it placed if you are still touching it, or does it only count after you have let go of the piece? In cyber chess there is usually a take back request function but the cyber opponent may be inclined to simply ignore your request. That is something that you can’t really do if you’re sitting playing the game face to face.
- Engagement to the games
In a sense, regular chess requires you to engage more with the game by actually having to physically set up the board and move pieces around with your hands. It’s slightly different than being able to just move and click with a mouse and have the programs automatically set up the board for you. I believe this makes regular chess more engaging because you’re being more active throughout the game. You are also able to have a tangible reward and feeling whenever you capture an opponent’s piece. This can be exciting and leads to more engagement to the game.
- Motivation to play the games
In both chess formats, the motivation to win the game is the same. Yet, in cyber chess players usually have chess ratings designating their skill level. It is very motivating to achieve new personal best ratings and that is a big part of the motivation for playing cyber chess. In regular chess, player ratings can also be kept track of but it’s a more difficult process and is not done automatically for you by the computer. Playing regular chess is often more of a social event where you can meet new people, make new friends, or spend some quality time with your own good friends. That social aspect is not as strong in cyber chess.
So which chess format do I prefer more? I actually like being able to play chess online because I can play whenever I feel like it. I don’t have to go anywhere or make a plan with a friend or try to coordinate schedules. There is usually always an open game that I can play online whenever I want and that is one of the biggest attractions to online chess. Yet, I don’t think I’ll ever want to give up playing face to face with a real live person entirely. I love the social aspect of regular chess and it is simply such a magical feeling to be able to look your opponent in the eyes and say CHECK MATE.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Who Wants to Win a Million Dollars vs. EduProfix
W505 Games as Learning Tools
Stage 2 - 2: Analysis of Puzzle, Quiz, and Sports Games
Title: Who Wants to Win a Million Dollars vs. EduProfix
Learners’ styles
1. Based on Kolb’s learning styles
As an ESL teacher that only gets to see each of my classes once a week for 50-70 minutes at a time, it can be a difficult challenge to identify the learning styles of my students. Nonetheless, one of my 3rd grade ESL classes does seem to have an orientation toward the Diverger style according to David A. Kolb’s learning styles. This group tends to enjoy dealing with new information through a combination of Concrete Experience (CE) - learning by feeling , and Reflective Observation (RO) - learning by reflection watching, and listening.
According to this website, http://people.usd.edu/~ssanto/kolb.html, “this learner likes imaginative, innovative activities, generating a wide range of ideas, discussion, being sensitive to feelings, identifying problems and gathering information, being personally involved in the learning experience, and group activities. The learner may enjoy independent study, web searches, receiving many examples, and self-diagnostic activities.”
This class enjoys being actively involved in various activities and discussions in class, and they respond well to imaginative games and “what if” questions.
2. Based on Prensky’s list
More information here: http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Twitch%20Speed.html
This learner group is likely to be drawn to make-believe situations, though they may also appreciate real world topics if they can generate interesting ideas and discussions. Since these learners enjoy self-diagnostic activities, they will appreciate knowing the immediate pay-off of their actions during a game and are less likely to be happy with “delayed gratification.” Likewise, if you can fool them into believing that they are actually playing some kind of game instead of doing work, they will be more cooperative and give their best effort to accomplish tasks!
Analysis of games
1. General information of two games
Who Wants to Win a Million Dollars? – The Science Game was created by the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility - Office of Science Education. The purpose of this game is to strengthen the motivation and preparation of all students in the field of science education.
Link: http://education.jlab.org/million/index.html
This game is based nearly exactly upon the popular TV quiz show wherein participants answer 15 questions correctly to win one million dollars. Players start out with simple questions that begin at $100 and questions more or less progressively get more difficult. At the $1,000 and $32,000 questions, answering them correctly will ensure that even if you get a question wrong later, you will keep this amount of (fake) money. Players also receive three lifelines to help them solve the questions which include, a 50-50 option which removes two of the incorrect answers, a poll the lab option, and finally a chance to ask an expert. The game ends when a player answers a question wrong, or when they decide to ‘take the money and run.’ Unlike the TV show, this game focuses on science and math questions exclusively.
EduProfix is an education game that also happens to be a racing game or vice versa. The purpose of EduProfix is “to attract children and adults to the fascinating world of knowledge” (EduProfix website: http://www.eduprofix.com/).
In the trial version of this game, players are able to learn about world countries and in particular the different flags of countries with a population of 5million or more. In the full version, players may choose from a number of topics such as famous battles, English grammar, famous people, basic math, chemical elements, world cities, and mountains. Players choose a topic, and then choose a vehicle to race with. Each vehicle has its own strengths and weaknesses and some vehicles will even allow for hints to questions during game-play.
After a vehicle is chosen, a page of information is given to study; in my case, a list of countries with pictures of their corresponding flags. During the race players must drive through different highlighted answers on the street to questions posed at the top of the racing screen. Wrong answers will slow down your time and cause you to drop in the rankings. Correct answers will help you to do better in the race and rankings.
2. Comparison 1: Game components
Who Wants to Win a Million Dollars has several game components that are strong and others that are weak. This game definitely has challenging goals for the player and without some form of help or further study; this game may be very difficult indeed to win. The game follows a set of easy-to-understand rules and players do experience a small deal of anticipation before they choose the answer to each question and as they get closer to the one million dollar mark. Aside from learning whether an answer is right or wrong, and learning from the ‘ask an expert option’ though, there is very little interaction for the player of this game and amusement suffers as a result. Granted, it is fun and amusing to proceed to higher levels and get closer and closer to your goal, but having no sound effects or visual effects tempers these feelings.
EduProfix is definitely the more visually stimulating game and I would say that amusement is one of its strongest game components. This game also incorporates relatively easy-to-understand rules and players are given instant feedback on whether or not they have answered questions correctly. They have to make very quick decisions about correct answers and players feel more pressure to quickly solve problems than on the Million Dollar game. This game is also quite challenging because even if you do answer all of the questions correctly in a race, that does not guarantee that you will be the winner. This game requires decent hand eye coordination and reflexes, something that differentiates itself from stand-alone educational games and gives it the feel of a real game.
3. Comparison 2: Learners’ styles
Who Wants to Win a Million Dollars would likely be a better fit for my class according to Kolb’s learner style designation of diverger, yet EduProfix may appeal more to the learners according to the Prensky list. In the Million Dollar game, players will enjoy the innovative quiz game format and they will also enjoy the opportunities for independent study. I feel that this game would go together great with a web searching skills lesson. If students do not know the answer to a question immediately, they can be encouraged to search the web for more information on how to answer the question. For example, one question I experienced dealt with half-lives in science and I did a Google search to find a wiki page that explained them to me so that I could answer the problem successfully. This may be considered ‘cheating’ to some, but I view it as another chance to develop independent thinking and research skills in our students. This independent study would also be conducive with this student group’s learning style.
Now, in terms of twitch speed vs. conventional speed, EduProfix would definitely appeal to my 3rd graders who’ve grown up with computers. The racing game requires high speed reactions and that would likely be exciting for my students. My students would enjoy being able to play and learn at the same time rather than doing work to make gains. EduProfix also plays into the need for many younger students to have instant gratification in a game or activity. In this game, players will know their ranking and how many questions they answered correctly or not at the end of each race and this is a very motivational force. All in all, I would recommend both of these games for my learner group. One is more slow-paced and suited to independent research and study, the other is more fast-paced and visually stimulating. Both games offer learning benefits to my learner group.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Real Lives Game Analysis
W505 Games as Learning Tools
Stage 2 - 1: Analysis of Simulation Games
Title: Real Lives
General information
1. Background information
Who or what organization developed the game for what purposes?
Educational Simulations is a privately held software company which develops and markets software products and services that help people learn about our world and the people in it. They seek to enhance understanding and compassion in our society. Real Lives offers a first-person simulation of life for players who experience this game.
2. Play features
At first, the game introduces you to your new character that starts out as a baby with a name living in a random country. Further information is made available to you about the country you live in and its social and political state. Different tabs on the top of the home screen let you view different aspects of the characters life including self, family, actions, country, and stats. You can make the character age in one year increments and by doing so, new events occur in the life of the character, and their life situation can change.
With each new year lived, Real Lives introduces the player to new facts and information about the country you live in such as histories, weather, current events and other information pertinent to your life in that country. Coupled with each new status update are usually links to websites that provide statistics and further information to investigate. In the actions tab, the actions you take will have far reaching consequences in many areas of the character’s life. You can take actions such as going to school, finding a job, entering into a relationship, trying to have children, and you also keep track of your monthly expenses and housing situation.
3. Representation
A created persona complete with birth history, country, and family constitute the main character in the game world. A graphic facial image is provided and this character is a randomly created person but one whose situation could very easily match someone living in the real world. This character faces challenges, joys, trials, and pains which also reflect potential and often likely events that could take place in the real world. My first character for example, an Indian Hindu girl, lost her parents when they were at the relatively young age of 45. Those events impacted her life in similar ways as which might happen in reality. Suddenly family income is lost, new shelter must be found, and a new way of living must be adopted.
Just as in real life, the character in the game has little knowledge of what will happen in the future. They often cannot predict and have little to know power to alter events in their lives. For example, I was very surprised at being removed from school at the age of 6, just one year after starting. In other areas, the character is able to exert some control over her situation and decisions. At the age of 7, I was offered a chance to get a job which is an interesting and foreign concept for me at that age. At age 8 I was given the chance to choose my activities for leisure time. At the age of 13 I noticed that my family’s monthly expenses were exceeding our income so I attempt to get a job. Most jobs were not available in the countryside where I lived, others needed graduate degrees. At 13 I began as a trader of used goods. I later got married, had a son, continued to try to live below my means and invest, and then at 63 I died suddenly of heart disease.
Analysis
1. Game components
My definition of games is as follows:
A game is an activity which is governed by rules, is meant to be fun, and which contains an element of surprise or chance. Players should be able to make decisions and have some control over their actions, successes, and failures. A goal is also needed to make an activity a game and competition often arises as a result of two players pursuing the same goal. Often, some way to keep track of the success of a goal such as by using points and high scores is integrated within a game.
According to my definition of games, Real Lives succeeds in that it is meant to be fun while being rather informative at the same time. Rules exist in the game such as only being able to advance your age in one year increments, being able to only spend money that you have, and only being able to choose leisure activities if your life situations allows the time for them. By making important life decisions such as finding a job or mate, the player is exerting control over the game which will have an impact on their subjective successes or failures in the game life.
The problem with this game according to my definition lies in the absence of a definitive goal. There are no set patterns or rules for living your life and there is no real competition. There are no objective criteria for measuring the successes or failures in the lives of our characters. There is no high score which can be received as a result of living your life well. I believe the game designers intended this game to be educational, eye-opening, and as life-like as possible.
2. Learner’s styles & Teaching / Learning objectives
Adopting the learner styles developed by David A. Kolb, I have chosen a learner group designated as convergers whom involve a combination of learning style traits including: Abstract Conceptualization (AC) - learning by thinking, and Active Experimentation (AE) - learning by doing.
Taken from the site http://people.usd.edu/~ssanto/kolb.html,
“This learner likes finding practical uses for ideas and theories, evaluating consequences and selecting solutions, following detailed sequential steps, hands-on activities, trial and error, and being given clear objectives with a logical sequence to activities. This leaner does not do as well in interpersonal situations. He or she may enjoy simulations, selecting information sources, guest speakers, and application to the "real world."”
Objectives for players of Real Lives:
Logical Thinking – This entails understanding the situation of your character and understanding the logical results of certain actions the character has. Convergers enjoy evaluating consequences for actions and this is where logical thinking can be quite helpful.
Problem Solving Skills – Often in Real Lives, the character is faced with a problems such as a lack of safe water, a family death, and a lack of funds. The player must learn how to solve these problems in order to survive and thrive within the game world.
Decision Making – this involves considering the pros and cons of each decision you make as a player for your character in this game. The converger learner should be motivated by how closely their decisions mimic effects that might occur in the “real world.” They can find practical “real world” applications for lessons learned in Real Lives.
Acquired Knowledge – this learner will be confronted by large amounts of information and the information should be meaningful for them as they construct the knowledge and relate it to the experiences of their characters’ game lives.
Motivation – This group of learners may find the lack of clear objectives and detailed sequencial steps in this game to be motivationally inhibiting. Yet, they should be interested in the potential for learning by trial and error and the simulations which allow for selecting solutions should assist motivation.
Implementation & assessment
1. Settings
What resources do we need to implement this game as a part of teaching /learning activities? What obstacles you may have if there is any? Who will be major stakeholders in the context?
A sufficient number of computers with adequate specifications, proper software, and internet connections for the number of students in a class would be ideal for the implementation of Real Lives within a classroom.
Possible obstacles for implementing this game into curriculum include a lack of funding, lack of administration support, not being able to tailor the game for the subject matter of courses, and also possibly students spending too much time involved in the playing of the game. Stakeholders for this game may include: students, parents, teachers, and administrators.
2. Procedure
This game has lots of potential for uses in History, Social Studies, English, Geography, and Government classes. Some class time could be dedicated to playing this game each day or each week, and it could also be assigned as homework. Students in these classes could keep a journal and write about the experiences they had within the game. They could write about the new information they learned, the different concepts they have been exposed to, as well as their thoughts, feelings, and revelations regarding the game.
3. Assessment
Assessing the effect of Real Lives on converger learners would likely be done efficiently though the use of independent assignments and reports. Some group work and class discussions might be more difficult for this learner group, but would serve the purpose of exposing students to the need for developing inter-personal skills. These group situations would also give students a chance to vocalize the thoughts and feelings they’ve had in their journal writings.
Students can write reports, complete compare-contrast essays, have classroom debates on selected topics pertaining to the game. They can even be encouraged to initiate social justice actions on issues they feel deeply about such as poverty, discrimination, and disaster relief, many of which are touched upon within this game.
Stage 2 - 1: Analysis of Simulation Games
Title: Real Lives
General information
1. Background information
Who or what organization developed the game for what purposes?
Educational Simulations is a privately held software company which develops and markets software products and services that help people learn about our world and the people in it. They seek to enhance understanding and compassion in our society. Real Lives offers a first-person simulation of life for players who experience this game.
2. Play features
At first, the game introduces you to your new character that starts out as a baby with a name living in a random country. Further information is made available to you about the country you live in and its social and political state. Different tabs on the top of the home screen let you view different aspects of the characters life including self, family, actions, country, and stats. You can make the character age in one year increments and by doing so, new events occur in the life of the character, and their life situation can change.
With each new year lived, Real Lives introduces the player to new facts and information about the country you live in such as histories, weather, current events and other information pertinent to your life in that country. Coupled with each new status update are usually links to websites that provide statistics and further information to investigate. In the actions tab, the actions you take will have far reaching consequences in many areas of the character’s life. You can take actions such as going to school, finding a job, entering into a relationship, trying to have children, and you also keep track of your monthly expenses and housing situation.
3. Representation
A created persona complete with birth history, country, and family constitute the main character in the game world. A graphic facial image is provided and this character is a randomly created person but one whose situation could very easily match someone living in the real world. This character faces challenges, joys, trials, and pains which also reflect potential and often likely events that could take place in the real world. My first character for example, an Indian Hindu girl, lost her parents when they were at the relatively young age of 45. Those events impacted her life in similar ways as which might happen in reality. Suddenly family income is lost, new shelter must be found, and a new way of living must be adopted.
Just as in real life, the character in the game has little knowledge of what will happen in the future. They often cannot predict and have little to know power to alter events in their lives. For example, I was very surprised at being removed from school at the age of 6, just one year after starting. In other areas, the character is able to exert some control over her situation and decisions. At the age of 7, I was offered a chance to get a job which is an interesting and foreign concept for me at that age. At age 8 I was given the chance to choose my activities for leisure time. At the age of 13 I noticed that my family’s monthly expenses were exceeding our income so I attempt to get a job. Most jobs were not available in the countryside where I lived, others needed graduate degrees. At 13 I began as a trader of used goods. I later got married, had a son, continued to try to live below my means and invest, and then at 63 I died suddenly of heart disease.
Analysis
1. Game components
My definition of games is as follows:
A game is an activity which is governed by rules, is meant to be fun, and which contains an element of surprise or chance. Players should be able to make decisions and have some control over their actions, successes, and failures. A goal is also needed to make an activity a game and competition often arises as a result of two players pursuing the same goal. Often, some way to keep track of the success of a goal such as by using points and high scores is integrated within a game.
According to my definition of games, Real Lives succeeds in that it is meant to be fun while being rather informative at the same time. Rules exist in the game such as only being able to advance your age in one year increments, being able to only spend money that you have, and only being able to choose leisure activities if your life situations allows the time for them. By making important life decisions such as finding a job or mate, the player is exerting control over the game which will have an impact on their subjective successes or failures in the game life.
The problem with this game according to my definition lies in the absence of a definitive goal. There are no set patterns or rules for living your life and there is no real competition. There are no objective criteria for measuring the successes or failures in the lives of our characters. There is no high score which can be received as a result of living your life well. I believe the game designers intended this game to be educational, eye-opening, and as life-like as possible.
2. Learner’s styles & Teaching / Learning objectives
Adopting the learner styles developed by David A. Kolb, I have chosen a learner group designated as convergers whom involve a combination of learning style traits including: Abstract Conceptualization (AC) - learning by thinking, and Active Experimentation (AE) - learning by doing.
Taken from the site http://people.usd.edu/~ssanto/kolb.html,
“This learner likes finding practical uses for ideas and theories, evaluating consequences and selecting solutions, following detailed sequential steps, hands-on activities, trial and error, and being given clear objectives with a logical sequence to activities. This leaner does not do as well in interpersonal situations. He or she may enjoy simulations, selecting information sources, guest speakers, and application to the "real world."”
Objectives for players of Real Lives:
Logical Thinking – This entails understanding the situation of your character and understanding the logical results of certain actions the character has. Convergers enjoy evaluating consequences for actions and this is where logical thinking can be quite helpful.
Problem Solving Skills – Often in Real Lives, the character is faced with a problems such as a lack of safe water, a family death, and a lack of funds. The player must learn how to solve these problems in order to survive and thrive within the game world.
Decision Making – this involves considering the pros and cons of each decision you make as a player for your character in this game. The converger learner should be motivated by how closely their decisions mimic effects that might occur in the “real world.” They can find practical “real world” applications for lessons learned in Real Lives.
Acquired Knowledge – this learner will be confronted by large amounts of information and the information should be meaningful for them as they construct the knowledge and relate it to the experiences of their characters’ game lives.
Motivation – This group of learners may find the lack of clear objectives and detailed sequencial steps in this game to be motivationally inhibiting. Yet, they should be interested in the potential for learning by trial and error and the simulations which allow for selecting solutions should assist motivation.
Implementation & assessment
1. Settings
What resources do we need to implement this game as a part of teaching /learning activities? What obstacles you may have if there is any? Who will be major stakeholders in the context?
A sufficient number of computers with adequate specifications, proper software, and internet connections for the number of students in a class would be ideal for the implementation of Real Lives within a classroom.
Possible obstacles for implementing this game into curriculum include a lack of funding, lack of administration support, not being able to tailor the game for the subject matter of courses, and also possibly students spending too much time involved in the playing of the game. Stakeholders for this game may include: students, parents, teachers, and administrators.
2. Procedure
This game has lots of potential for uses in History, Social Studies, English, Geography, and Government classes. Some class time could be dedicated to playing this game each day or each week, and it could also be assigned as homework. Students in these classes could keep a journal and write about the experiences they had within the game. They could write about the new information they learned, the different concepts they have been exposed to, as well as their thoughts, feelings, and revelations regarding the game.
3. Assessment
Assessing the effect of Real Lives on converger learners would likely be done efficiently though the use of independent assignments and reports. Some group work and class discussions might be more difficult for this learner group, but would serve the purpose of exposing students to the need for developing inter-personal skills. These group situations would also give students a chance to vocalize the thoughts and feelings they’ve had in their journal writings.
Students can write reports, complete compare-contrast essays, have classroom debates on selected topics pertaining to the game. They can even be encouraged to initiate social justice actions on issues they feel deeply about such as poverty, discrimination, and disaster relief, many of which are touched upon within this game.
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